Writing Prompts

“When we are told that something is not to be spoken about, we understand that to mean that this something should not exist—should not, cannot, must not, does not exist. In that moment, our reality and, consequently, our lives are distorted; they become shameful and diminished. In some way, we understand this to mean that […]

“A poet needs to keep his wilderness alive inside him.” —Stanley Kunitz Describe the wilderness inside you.

“I imagine that yes is the only living thing.” –ee cummings What do you need to say yes to in your life?

“Some days, the first line of a poem interrupts me and insists on being written down – NOW! Other days, I write the words ‘This is what I have to say to you’ at the top of the page and see what comes. Like a faucet dispensing water from a hidden reservoir below the earth,

“I know some very great writers, writers you love who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confident. Not one of them writes elegant first drafts. All right, one of them does, but we do not like her very much.”

“What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split open.” –Muriel Rukeyser Tell me the truth about your life—right now, today, this moment.

“‘No’ is a complete sentence.” — Anne Lamott, O Magazine Tell me the history of the times you’ve said “no,” and describe the ways you’ve said “no.” Start with the words, “There was the ‘no’ I said when…”. Each paragraph or stanza come back to this starting line.

“Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach. . . . It is not given to us to know which acts or by whom, will cause the critical mass to tip toward an enduring

“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who had ever been alive.” ―James Baldwin Tell

“I urge you to pursue preserving your personal history to allow your children and grandchildren to know who you were as a child and what your hopes and dreams were.” —Oprah Winfrey Write a letter to your great, great, great, great grandchild, or another imaginary child far in the future, and tell them who you

“Use what talents you have; the woods would have little music if no birds sang their song except those who sang best.” — Reverend Oliver G. Wilson Tell me about something you love to do but aren’t necessarily good at. Tell me about this activity in detail so I can love it as much as

“Nothing can happen to you that is worse than living in fear that something could happen to you.” —Unknown What are you afraid of? Begin with the words, “I’m afraid…”. Complete the rest of the sentence in as many ways as you can, without thinking, without stopping.

“Writing begins from a rant, but it doesn’t end there. You write until the writing brings you to a place of light. You have to travel through the rant to the light. . . . When I was younger, I did a lot of ranting. But ranting is uncomposted writing. No one wants to accept

“What we have before us are some breathtaking opportunities disguised as insoluble problems.” —Unknown Tell me about a time when something that seemed like a terrible problem turned into a life-changing opportunity.

“We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and a mystery.” —H.G. Wells Make a list: The top ten things I most often fail to notice. Be as specific as you can. Then choose one of the items on your