Writing Prompts: Who Needs Them?

Why I went from “Never” to “I Do”

I have to admit to coming late to the “writing prompt” fan club. Writing prompts were popular in the school days of my youth but, as an adult, I thought they were an exercise in writing where the results were usually consigned to the waste basket! Now, when writing time is precious, & self doubt is on the rise, my previous relationship with writing prompts has been abandoned. Why am I now a “fan” of writing prompts? ………

Read On: Writing Prompts: Who Needs Them?

3 Writing Prompts That Changed My Mind

Like many writers of historical fact/fiction my journey began with my own place in time. Having very little background information passed down to me in the form or stories, records & extended family interactions, I turned to Ancestry to find the information I was lacking. I was not disappointed! Names, places, occupations, wills & newspaper articles flowed from my computer to collections of hard copies (I’m old school) The culmination of this frenzied activity was finding a Great Uncle who, like me, had emigrated 12,000 miles to a new life in a new country. However, after numerous time lines, sticky notes & colourful folders my story was disjointed & impersonal. My “light bulb” moment came when a writing prompt opened the door to the possibility that maybe, just maybe, I could share my family history in a way that my family would want to read.

1 Unexpected Creativity: When a writing prompt opens new doors

This particular writing prompt was the first time I gave any thought that my ancestry tree, which was over flowing with disparate names and places, had one connection that was eerily linked to my own history. My Great Uncle and I had a shared history of emigration where family, culture & all things known were left behind. We also experienced a connection with this new land as farmers. At the time I responded to this writing prompt I had no idea that Shadow of A Settler was going to emerge with a tentative first paragraph (also known as the author’s Introductory Hook

Shadow of a Settler

I have lived in his world. I knew it was dominated by the seasons. Rain and mud led to long hours of back breaking harvesting to be followed by long nights of breathing life into newly born animals. So how did Thomas find one piece of paper that was to change the life he led then, to the life that was to come, 12 thousand miles away on the other side of the world?“

2 Imposed Focus: Purposeful Research

I love research! But, one day, as I was adding my latest “find” onto my laptop, I came across a folder labeled “Further Research” Obviously I had to research what was in the folder! You have probably already guessed what I found…….pages of digital information that, had it been old school, would have been gathering dust in a box marked “Research” (what else!) My research had become my focus at the expense of writing stories for my family history. A timely writing prompt sent me back to my “dusty” research & now, Robert Eastick takes his place in a family history

Journal Entry: 18th April Year of our Lord 1856

I have written much about the unending boredom of sea travel. I have also railed against the meagre & rank state of the food we are forced to eat to survive. I have had nothing good to say about the weather, with the suffocating heat at night exacerbating the churlish and aggressive behaviour of my fellow passengers. Yet all of this pales into insignificance to that endured by the young cabin boy, Robert Eastick. For days I have watched in silence, to my shame, his beatings and humiliations. Marching around for hours in the heat at the whim of the captain. Beaten around the head with heavy ropes whilst trying to carry out his duties. Those, like the cook, Prince Montague, were threatened into silence when remonstrations were made to the Captain. Today was a most infamous one as young Robert fell to his death into the ocean. His death is recorded as such yet none believe it to be so. Robert Eastick from Lynn, Norfolk, England escaped his wretched life in the only way open to him. May this sin be forgiven. RIP

3. Personal: Freeing Emotions

Writing will always be a personal experience. No matter the genre every writer imparts some part of themselves into their writing. A writing prompt that taps into this personal space generates a starting point that provides a link directly into the writers personal experience & emotions. A “thank you” note is a personal connection between two people. My emotional response to this writing prompt was as an adult with deep regrets for a thank you note she never wrote.

Thank you Note

Dear Aunt Doll, Thank you very much for sending me the Beano. I love The Beano very much and they do not have it here in New Zealand. Love from Vicki

Such a simple letter from a 6 year old little girl who was destined never to see her Aunt Doll again. It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I learned that my Aunt Doll was actually my paternal grandmother. (More about that here) A large part of researching & writing my family history is directly related to acknowledging that I understood that she was my Grandmother. A personal writing prompt can unleash many emotions….for a moment I became a child again. For a moment I was connecting with a Grandparent for the very first time.

Comments

“If I waited for perfection I would never write a word”

Margaret Attwood

How do you feel about writing prompts? Are they a motivator or an excuse to procrastinate? Let me know in the comments below.

Just Vicki