A Prompt Extravaganza!

You know what to do – read these prompts, pick one that inspires you in some way, and spend ten minutes freewriting. Happy writing!

--Easter dinner was going fine, until….

--Pastor Jack Bradley has just purchased a home next-door to Dexter Umbert, a dedicated atheist. Tell us about their first conversation and/or encounter.

--Betty walked in the door just as the man yelled, “This is a stick-up!” Her first reaction….

--Mark was aghast that he’d lost Fluffy. Inwardly, he fumed, “I told them they shouldn’t leave me in charge of a….”

--“My friends call me Pear Shape,” said the man, “because….”

--Combine a child’s drawing, a cactus, and a stray cat in a story or poem.

--Jack had a gun, but Sam….

--The red wallpaper….

--One tree still stood….

--“You thought I didn’t know? About you and….”

--A child’s handprint….

--Dave started planning for Christmas in July because….

--Jody bought the $200 paperweight….

--When you were a child, did you have a “lovey”? A blanket, a stuffed animal, or some other irreplaceable object? (Or perhaps you still have this object as an adult??)

--The dogs smelled the cooking ham….

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Photo courtesy of Dominic Morel at http://www.sxc.hu/profile/cx_ed

Northwest Senior Center Closing

Attention all Northwest Writers' Group members past and present: We received sad news yesterday from Amy at the Northwest Senior Center here in Las Vegas. Due to budget cuts, the center will be closing on May 30. I haven’t read anything about how many senior centers may be closing, or any other particulars on the impending budget cuts—I admit that these days I avoid the news because it’s rarely anything good.

Our group has spent six terrific years at the center; I can’t deny that I’m very saddened by the news we’ve lost our home. This session I was planning on collecting poems for a chapbook, but I am now considering collecting stories about our writing group and our years at the center instead.

You can bet I’ll be taking lots of pictures during our remaining time at the center. It’s a beautiful little building, a converted house that epitomizes hominess. I’ve watched the ash trees in the courtyard grow into lovely tall trees, and every spring a mockingbird makes her nest in the ceiling supports of a building out in back. I’ve always wanted to go play the bocce court; I guess my time is running out!

We hope to be relocating our group to the Derfelt Center after our usual summer break. As soon as I have more information, I’ll post it.

Life is a series of farewells; only the circumstances should surprise us. –Jessamyn West

Is Just Write Just Prompts?

Prompts, prompts, prompts!! For quite a while now I’ve been posting just prompts (one of the most popular parts of my writing group), but it’s not because I haven’t been writing. I’ve been concentrating on my book. At this point I feel like I’m digging a swimming pool with a spoon. I also started homeschooling my son after Thanksgiving, which is fun, scary, and very time consuming. Until the dust settles around here, I have to admit I will be posting mostly prompts.

I’d love to hear about any stories my prompts helped create—I’m thinking of publishing a collection of my prompts with LuLu.com. Please leave a comment or drop me an e-mail.

Happy Writing!