Life's Little Writing Prompts

"Journal writing is, overall, a gentle process because it is self-guided.  The level at which you ask yourself questions and the responses which come to you are determined by what you are currently ready to know and deal with in writing."  ~ Christina Baldwin/One To One

Are you one of those people who is always looking for new inspiration to keep you on your writing path Do you wish you could find quotes or prompts that would awaken your muse and hush your internal critic?  If so, you've come to the right place!  Welcome to Life's Little Writing Prompts - a twice monthly blog post here at Telling Herstories.

The use of writing prompts is one way to dwell in that "gentle, self-guided process" that Christina Baldwin speaks of in the above quote.  Think about it!  One day a particular prompt may not speak to you at all.  Another day, you are totally consumed by the need to write from the prompt.  It is so important for us to try to gather our writing prompts from a variety of places and people. If we always use similar topics or sources for our prompts, our writing becomes limited.  If we allow ourselves to be open the the possibilities that are deep within many of life's prompts, we can break out of the comfort zone we've created -- we can ask the difficult questions and search for the meaning in our answers.

Need some hints on how to craft your journal entries into a bigger life story?  Maybe they exist in some unusual places -- places you might never consider as resources for writing.  Or maybe they are right there in front of you but you just need a little nudge to actually own them.

That's where Life's Little Writing Prompts comes in twice each month. Some weeks I'll talk about the use of prompts in your writing groups -- both live and on-line groups.  Some weeks I'll guide you through the process of developing a prompt into a larger writing project.  Some weeks we'll just have a "blog chat" about the many sources for writing prompts.

I hope that you'll find the discussions helpful.  I hope that your life will be enriched as you search out your own prompts or integrate the prompts you find here.  I also hope that you will let me know if there are writing prompt related issues/questions that you'd like to discuss here on this blog. 

Be sure to check back here every second and fourth Tuesday for suggestions and actual writing prompts! And in the meantime, keep writing!

This week's writing prompt:  What was going on in the wider world during your early years of childhood?  What impact did these events have on your family and yourself?  (from Christina Baldwin's One To One)

Comments

[Renee]

I am amazed at this whole blog. It contains so much. I love the "Writing prompts" page as I am always looking for new doorways into my life writing process.

[Susan Albert]

Lee, what a helpful prompt this is. I was born on the eve of WW2, and as I've dug into that era, I realize just how strongly I was shaped and defined by it, and by the years just before, the Depression, which occurred before I was born. My mother was deeply aware of scarcity (food, clothing, shoes, gasoline) and transmitted that awareness to me. This made it hard for me to deal with the abundances that came later, so that scarcity/abundance has always been a kind of shaping structure in my life. Interesting--and thank you!

[Lee Ambrose]

Dear Susan - Thankyou. Glad that you found the prompt useful. I strongly believe that the experiences of our early years help to shape us as individuals. Those early experiences so often influence our decisions when faced with potentially life-altering choices. Revisiting our past -- the world around us and the closer world of family and home -- is instrumental in my own writing process. Somehow, I think it most certainly is the key that unlocks our deeply personal stories. Many grew up in any given era and had their share of situations that have molded them into the adults they now are. But, each individual's reaction to the world around them is so unique that no two stories are exactly alike. How exciting is that?? !!

[Lee Ambrose]

Hi Renee
Yes, this blog is pretty incredible, isn't it? It is so rich with passion, knowledge and encouragement. What a gret place to visit each day!!

I am glad that you are enjoying the writing prompts posted by many of my sister bloggers within their pieces. I know that as you return here on a regular basis you will find many more potentially useful prompts from the contributors.

Lee

[Rhonda]

Lee -
You had it dead to rights when you said one prompt may not drive you while another may drive you insane to write (I paraphrased of course). But always, the prompts are helpful and a good way to allow your thoughts to wander until something you had no idea of within your noggin just pops out and starts the flow. Thanks for putting me in the car.

[Lee Ambrose]

Rhonda - Thanks for validating that thought for me. I, of course, couldn't agree more! There have been instances when I've heard that some are not exactly pleased with a particular weekly prompt because it "doesn't relate to them" ... upon further examination of the aforementioned week's prompt, I found myself thinking that surely the contents of the prompt would at some point in time speak to that individual -- to all those reading it. I have never, ever read through a book of prompts (or any other kind of book for that matter) where every single prompt (or thought) was pertinent to my particular situation on the day I read it, but there have been SO many times when, somewhere waaaaaaaaaay down the path of life, I've found myself thinking about that exact prompt (thought), searching it out and using it.... Guess it all depends on where we are and how much we are willing to allow the prompts to guide us.