Writing Prompt – September 7, 2009
QuoteSnack offers a daily quote, attributed and linked to a confirmed, published source. In addition, each afternoon of every odd-numbered day I’ll post a writing prompt and some simple instructions. The next morning I’ll post a quote that has something to do with the prompt, so you can take a peek at differences or similarities in how someone else relates to using the same words.
There is no wrong approach. Don’t worry if something seems to be a lot more emotionally charged than it is on the surface, or if some prompts are duds for you. This is a mind-opening exercise; anything is possible.
The Prompt
Directions:
- Be ready to write, word processor open, or pad and pencil in hand. Set a timer for five minutes.
- Clear your mind.
- Click “Reveal Writing Prompt” below, and look at the prompt for the space of one deep, quiet breath.
- As you start the second breath, clear your mind of expectations.
- Write, full on, whatever comes to you, for five minutes. Do not stop to correct anything – just go.
- When the time is up, you have to stop.
- Get up and wiggle. Move. Laugh. Growl. Pat self on back.
You’re welcome to leave comments about the experience and anything that comes of it, including links, but please don’t paste in your entire prompt-generated exercise. What you’ve got right now is a personal thing. What happens next is up to you.
September 7th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Too often teachers try to teach kids to write creatively or make their writing more interesting but it borders on the impossible. Always, the kids who have lived the least write the least. Kids who think the least write the least. Kids who can’t have a conversation, can’t write anything worth talking about. I never succeeded in making my students better writers until I made had them think deeply in class. I wasn’t able to have them write about things worth reading until we started to do activities worth doing. And they didn’t start to write in a way that was interesting, until we started to have interesting dialogs in class. Their language wasn’t learned, I can’t teach them to write. Language grows out of life.
September 7th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
[...] Moore tweeted something interesting today from a site that gives daily writing prompts that lead to [...]
September 8th, 2009 at 3:47 am
[...] in a while someone will email or comment, as did Paul Bogush said something like this, in a comment on yesterday’s Writing Prompt: Too often teachers try to teach kids to write creatively or [...]
September 8th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Originally, I wanted to prevent readers from looking at other responses to a prompt before having written their own. Whatever we see becomes part of our frame of reference. I think it’s important and interesting to regularly experience what is simply our own. Once other influences are seen, whispers of one’s own can fade into the background so easily. I want us to see what happens when we bring our whispers to the forefront.
Requesting that you not post your writing has also prevented sharing and discussion. I’d love to see what participants are thinking, and if I would, you might, too. It’d take some fiddling, but I think I could figure out how to hide comments on these prompt posts in the same way that I’ve hidden the prompt – all you’d need to do is click.
It’s something to think about.