Writing Prompts

“The fun choice is often the best choice.” —Nina Wise Tell me about a time this was true in your life.

“The world of imagination in which the writer must live is constantly being invaded by the enemy, the mundane world.” —Margaret Walker Make a quick list of everything that gets in the way of your writing. Then pull out a clean sheet of paper and begin again, with the words, “In order to write, I

“When you become addicted to what frees you instead of to what keeps you unhappy, your life changes.” — Nina Wise Can you make a case for a positive addiction, as Nina does? Have you ever replaced one addiction for another? If so, tell us about it.

“Words heard by chance have been known to change lives.” —Phil Cousineau, The Art of Pilgrimage Tell me about a time you experienced this—when something you overheard—changed your life. Or when someone overhearing you did the same.

“To forget one’s ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root.” —Chinese proverb Tell me what you know or imagine about your ancestors.

“When I write, I always have a question or several questions that I don’t have an answer to.” —Sandra Cisneros Tell me about a question you are trying to answer through your writing. Then explore that question with words.

“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.” —Elbert Hubbard Tell me about a time fear of making a mistake kept you from moving forward in your life.

“I have a feeling that my boat has struck, down there in the depths, against a great thing. And nothing happens! Nothing . . . . Silence . . . . Waves . . . . Nothing happens? Or has everything happened, and am now standing quietly, in my new life?” —Juan Ramón Jiménez Tell

“To live several lives, you have to die several deaths.” —Françoise Giroud Looking back on your life, have you lived “several lives?” Have you ever re-invented yourself? What did you have to let go of in order to do so?

“Any real change implies the breakup of the world as one has always known it, the loss of all that gave one an identity, the end of safety.” —James Baldwin Tell me about a time you experienced this in your life—or you witnessed someone else having this experience.

“One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.” —Andre Gide Tell me about a time in your life where you had to let go of all that was familiar to forge a new future.

“I set out to dispel daily depression. Every afternoon I get low-spirited, and one day I discovered the walk. . . . I set myself a destination, and then things happen in the street.” —Vivian Gornick Tell me about something that happened on a walk.

“I am a librarian. I discovered me in the library. I went to find me in the library . . . . I discovered that the library is the real school.” —Ray Bradbury Tell me about your relationship with libraries. About something that happened in a library.

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days.” —Annie Dillard, The Writing Life Tell me about how you structure your days.

“We should not feel embarrassed by our difficulties, only by our failure to grow anything beautiful from them.” —Alain De Botton Tell me about a time you grew from your difficulties. Or what your difficulties are teaching you now.