Friday October 19, 2012
Sometimes writing prompts get you nowhere.
As a writer of prompts, I feel very guilty when folks’ words stagnate from my suggestion. I open the word-love valve wider but still nothing happens.
Here I sit on the other end of the spectrum and I don’t want to say anything because I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings or make anyone think I don’t appreciate the effort because I do! I do so much! The only thing is: I never did this…
I celebrated my birthday, when it wasn't my birthday.
So I meandered to a related alternative.
I remember when I threw my friend Mel an unbirthday party.
I felt sorry for her because her birthday was in June so she would never be able to share it with all of her friends at college. We had a great time, lots of dancing, lots of laughing, some of us were drinking. Thanks to photos, I can still remember what I wore.
That felt stupid, so I kept trying.
I used to celebrate my half birthday. Sometimes I still do.
Maybe this year I will because my birthday itself was so anti-climactic.
And then I just started trying something completely false:
Sometimes I like to pretend every day is my birthday.
Until finally I decided the most appropriate thing, in this case, would be to write about the reality that sometimes we don’t mesh up with prompts on a certain day.
It doesn’t make us wrong or the prompt wrong or the prompter wrong, it just means on this particular day, nothing intersected.
What you may do is opt out that particular day and write about something else. Write about how you overcome writing challenges, for example.
What you will want to avoid is deciding “Well, that one prompt didn’t fit so I suppose I will give up completely.”
This isn’t good for any of us.
What will you write about today?
If you could write about anything at all, what would it be?
Write it!
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© 2012 by Julie Jordan Scott
Julie Jordan Scott has been a Life & Creativity Coach, Writer, Facilitator and Teleclass Leader since 1999. She is also an award winning Actor, Director, Artist and Mother Extraordinaire. She was twice the StoryTelling Slam champion in Bakersfield. She leads Writing Camp with JJS & this Summer will be traveling throughout the US to bring this unique, fun filled creative experience to the people wherever she finds the passion & the interest.
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