Iguanas vs. My Little Pony

Welcome!  Thank you for taking a look over today's freewriting prompt.  As always, my goal is that you'll have these few minutes to take a break and begin to feel some inspiration.  For today's prompt, we'll turn the clock back to meditate on childhood, those days when girls had cooties and boys were just gross.

To start, I'd like you to imagine your nemesis from grade school.  Yes, the one person in class you simply could not stand.  It might have been the class bully, it might have been that boy who smeared boogers under his desk, it could have even been the girl who was your best friend in the whole world until she stole all the lipstick from your mom's bathroom.  Or maybe it was your deepest crush, the one you wanted so badly to talk with, but the two of you had nothing in common.  Might not seem like much of a nemesis, but the two of you were never seen in the same room together.  (Little did you know that your crush's nickname was Dr. Horrible...)

Now, write down this person's name.  Think about this person.  Imagine the face, those hands, that hair. Decide this person's animal.  Is this person an iguana?  A penguin?  A rainbow-colored pony with a soft purple mane?  You decide.  This person's entire image is in your hands.  Be as simple or creative as you like.  Write down everything you can about this animal: the type, the size, the shape, whether it has freckles or whiskers or barnacles dripping off its endangered little chin.  And write these things before you read any further.

Were you cheating?  Have you described this animal?  You weren't trying to read farther on before preparing your notes, were you?  I didn't think so...

Because you discover that you've been locked in boxing ring with your nemesis.  And your nemesis is looking mean.  Terrifying, in fact.  And looking horribly, oh-so-horribly, human.

Then you look down at yourself and realize...I am the animal I was just writing about!

Now, write as fast as you can for ten minutes.

Happy Fighting!
Ryan

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January 22, 2010: The Door

Freewriting and Memoir

Today, we turn to memoir for our inspiration.  As a freewriting tool, memoir is one of the best ways to reach deep into the subconscious mind in the search for inspiration.  However, it can sometimes be difficult to face past memories, let alone share them with the world.  This is why we never require anyone to share every story for a freewriting workshop - your writing is yours, to keep or to share as you wish.  And I urge you to remember this always - write whatever comes to mind, regardless of what others might think.  You have my permission to tear up any story you don't like.

So, first, please set your timers for 10 minutes (you may take 15 minutes, if you prefer), but don't start the clock just yet .  Once you're ready, please read on.


Now then, for today's prompt:
This prompt is one I personally enjoy.  It's a very simple prompt, and this is why it works so well.  Yet before coming to it, we're going to use a few minutes to center ourselves.  Often, writing feels challenging because it's hard to let go of the stresses of the rest of the day.  But for right now, we're going to do just that.  First, I'd like you to go ahead and take in a deep breath - a deep, soothing breath.  You may hold it a moment, and then let it out.  As you read, know that the shape of these words has been fitted to your next deep breath, and you're already taking in that deep breath.  You're letting it fill your body because today, now, this moment, you have only words and this breath.  And you let it out as a feeling of peace descends.  Breathing, now, is soft.  It is deep.  It is regular and comfortable.  You are enjoying this moment because today, as you read, you imagine a staircase.  It is a tall staircase, lit only enough to guide your way up to the landing.  And you are glad to be on this staircase.  This staircase, it leads to a door, one which you have never opened.  But there is something you want to write about, and it lives behind this door.  You have always wanted to write about it, and you are glad that today has come.  Because today, at this moment, you are at peace with your words.  Today, we relax as we take one step up, and then another.  For this subject - this very important subject you have always wanted to write about - is more than words.  It is an image.  It is a shape.  It is a collection of sounds you hear in your waking dreams.  And just now, at this moment, as you take each step nearer to the door, you hear these sounds coming from behind the door.  And so you reach forward, turning the knob, and opening your door.


Describe what you see.  Write as fast as you can until the time stops.

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January 15, 2010: Freewriting with Heroes and Fruitcake

Everybody start your writing utensils for the first Friday Prompt of the New 1-2-Writing!
We’ll send these out every Friday to all Newsletter subscribers.  To post your work for feedback, please sign up for our Member’s Area.

Now then, Set your timer before reading further (10 minutes for this one), and have your paper or keyboard ready.  For this prompt, you’ll write down some “facts” for the story, and only after you’ve written down these facts should you go on and read the prompt itself.

Now, the “facts” of your story:

Imagine, for a moment, that you live in a mystical, magical land very different from our own.  It can be either a science fiction place with starships and a version of Microsoft Word that doesn't crash, or it could be a fantasy place out of Harry Potter where enchanted quills write stories of their own using lambskin parchment and black dye from Endless Ink, Inc.  Or, if you like, it could be a world very much like our own, except with one subtle change (think The Simpsons: there's a scene where the weather is terrible, it rains every day, but each raindrop is a sweet sugary donut).

Write down the name of this world, and the one key difference between this world and our own.

That done, imagine for yourself a kind of "hero" for this world. It can be an ordinary person with a special determination to "do right" by combating the scourge of donuts that have devoured the local weather, or it can be a superhero with some special power such as the ability to impose Linux stability on Microsoft systems with a wave of the hand.

Write the name of this character and the one "special power" or "special determination" which makes this individual a hero.

And now, The Prompt:

Your hero is getting married tomorrow.  It will be a very traditional wedding.  And the in-laws have brought a loaf of their famous fruitcake as a gift to the bride-and-groom-to-be.  But there's a catch: your hero is very, very, allergic to fruitcake.  And they've already set a healthy slice on our plucky hero's salad plate.  All eyes, now, are on the hero to pronounce this fruitcake delicious or...

(now write as fast as you can for ten minutes)

Happy Writing!

Ryan

Be sure to sign up for our Member’s Area so you can post your story for comments – all freewriting feedback will be positive and reassuring.

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