This weekend, I have decided to hide from the world outside of my neighborhood (Bushwick), my apartment, and my computer. My intention is to open a space for writing to come into my life. Normally, I’m so busy making and keeping plans that I don’t sit down to write until Sunday night.
EK and I decided to look for some writing prompts to fuel our creative minds. I’m currently searching them out. All of my books are still at my parents’ house in South Carolina. So I’m turning to the world wide web for inspiration.
Below you’ll find three of the worst writing prompts I came across today:
You forgot to make your bed this morning, and your mom is on the prowl, ready to hand out punishment. In an effort to avoid grounding, make up an excuse (no matter how absurd) as to why you are unable to make your bed.
http://writersdigest.com/WritingPrompts
In my opinion, writing prompts are intended to get the writer out of his/her head, not dig deeper into the asinine thoughts we are trying to muck out.
"Pretend you were selected to receive a special award. Write the article that would be in the newspaper to announce your award."
http://jc-schools.net/write/create.htm
That site has a dancing pencil! These prompts encourage the kind of writing I hate: self-indulgent and self-absorbed. (You know, like, blogs.)
Write a piece on “a blur of ego”
http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/#
What does that even mean? Nothing. It means nothing.
A commendation goes to the Six Word Memoirs http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/
Here’s my writing prompt: Read a Chinese, Thai, Mexican, or any other cheap foreign food menu. Choose an item you have never ordered before. Order it, eat it, write the name of it at the top of a page. That is the title of your story or poem. Now write until you find the meat.
Or maybe I’m just hungry. Today, I’m extolling Hing Ling on Knickerbocker and their General Tsau’s Chicken. It is a constant source of inspiration and nourishment at a good price. Unlike most of the writing in this world.
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