Writing Prompt Pit Stop: A Writing Pep Talk

Welcome to Writing Prompt Pit Stop! The weeks just fly by, and all of a sudden it’s Wednesday again. It’s funny how that happens! It’s also now officially summer, and we’ve certainly had the heat and humidity here…but I’m not complaining after that horrendous winter we had here in Toledo, Ohio. I teach a few classes in the summer, but for the most part, it is a more relaxing time than the rest of the year. So, why does it seem like I’m always so busy? Well, I facilitate a few writing groups besides those classes, I write art reviews and artist interviews for another blog; I also write daily…working towards poems, plays, or essays, and I also draw and paint.

It might seem like I’d get burned out on writing with all of it that I do and the writings that I read for others, suggesting edits, etc., but for whatever reason it just gives me more fuel to keep going. If you hadn’t guessed it already, I enjoy writing, and I like helping and encouraging others in their writing endeavors. However, I didn’t get here the easy way (believe it or not writing at one time was a nemesis! That is an essay that I’m working on), as for years I felt that writing never came easy, nor did I think I’d be a writer (or a teacher, for that matter!) when I grew up – nevertheless, I’ve always been a storyteller. So, I sure empathize with those that are in my classes or workshops that want to tell stories or write poems, but aren’t sure that they can do it. All they have to do is listen to my “story” and believe that they can write too, if they want to bad enough.

A lot of times others will tell me they don’t have the ideas, they don’t have the time, or they’re afraid of not being good enough; the fears and excuses go on and on. I’ll let you in on a secret. Sometimes I feel those things too, but you know what the difference is? I sit down and write at least 10 minutes everyday. No, it might not be a gem every time (and it probably won’t, but eventually something good will come), but I do find that when I sit down to write…and especially those times when I don’t think I have anything else to say…that’s when some of the most interesting things fall out onto the page! If I had not bothered to take the time to write, I never would have come up with this poem or that, or this character for a play, or that idea for an essay…. You see, if you just think of ideas in your head and never write them down and explore, you will miss out on the joy of finding where your writing might take you…!

Here are a couple of quotes from William Faulkner that I like to use in my classes and workshops:

“I never know what I think about something until I read what I’ve written on it.”

“Don’t be ‘a writer’. Be writing.”

So for this week’s prompts we’re going to keep it simple to “Be writing:”

“Words Falling Out on the Page”

1) In your daybook, write down the first thought that comes in your mind…then write on that for 10 minutes. So what if it seems silly or mundane at first? I bet with a little more writing something will come out of it…even if it’s a word pairing or a phrase that surprises you.

2) I mentioned it was summer, write something using these three words in it: Sizzle, sweat, snorkel.

3) Follow Faulkner’s lead and choose a topic, any topic, and write on it until you discover what you really think about it.

4) Pick anything that is sitting near you and write a poem or story about it.

5) Have fun and just keep writing! If you get something good, revise it into something better.

Even better, share it in the comments here!

See you next Wednesday!