Jan. Writing Prompt

The New Year has begun and so has your long list of writing goals. Let’s get started with getting out there. By out there, I mean outside your writing cave. Stand up, grab your keys, a flask of your favorite warm drink, pen, notepad, and head to a scenic spot.  It could be the bluff overlooking your local beach, a park near your house that always has a flock of birds fighting over something, or it could be your local Library garden. It’s important you don’t bring your computer and put your phone on, leave me alone I’m creating mode. Don’t panic, it’s only going to be for one hour.

When you arrive to your scenic spot, find a comfortable place to sit, and start writing about the first sounds you hear, then the smells, and finally list at least five emotions these sights and smells evoke. For example, I just heard a bunch of crows outside my window. When I went outside to inquire about all the commotion, I noticed one of our trash cans had been knocked over by the trash truck.  Everyone, both people and birds, were all riled up about the mess on the street. When I went to set the cans upright, I noticed the whole side of my car had been shaved off by the trash truck. Now the sights and sounds had a whole new meaning to me personally. The sounds of the birds led to the cans being discovered, which in turn led me to finding that the trash man had a bit of a driving problem that Monday. It was the first trash pick up of 2022, and it seemed I was headed into a bigger mess than what I’d left out the year before.  Sights and sounds mean things in our daily lives as they do in our story building.

Once you get your page filled with sights and smells and at least five emotions, write a scene based on this sentence:

“I’m ashamed to say, I never wanted to slap someone till I met Sara…”