A
common technique for writers to get their creative juices flowing is to use writing
prompts. A writing prompt is simply a word or phrase (or picture or quote) that
is meant to trigger off your imagination. The writer should listen to (or look
at) the prompt and start writing the first thing that comes to their head. It’s
about not thinking too much, and letting yourself go. The writer should just go
with the flow and plow full steam ahead. Not more than five to ten minutes
should be spent on this.
As
an example, here is a writing prompt that was given to me:
“Where
were you last night?”
Here’s
what I wrote in the allotted five minutes:
Susan:
|
Where
were you last night?
|
Mark:
|
Wh-what
do you mean?
|
Susan:
|
Which
part of ‘where were you last night’ are you finding difficult to understand?
|
Mark:
|
[coughs]
|
Susan:
|
Ha?
|
Mark:
|
What?
|
Susan:
|
Answer
the question.
|
Mark:
|
I
was…I was…I was at home I guess.
|
Susan:
|
You
guess?
|
Mark:
|
Yeah.
|
Susan:
|
Do
you guess that you were at home? Or
were you at home?
|
Mark:
|
[gulps]
I was…I was at home…
|
Susan:
|
What
time did you reach home?
|
Mark:
|
Umm…I
can’t remember…
|
Susan:
|
You
can’t remember?
|
Mark:
|
Around
midnight I guess.
|
Susan:
|
Again
with the guessing…why can’t you give me straight answers?
|
Mark:
|
I
don’t know…I’m tired I guess…
|
Susan:
|
Have
you been drinking?
|
Mark:
|
Have
I been what?
|
Susan:
|
Tell
me honestly…have you been drinking?
|
Mark:
|
I
drink water…sometimes…
|
Susan:
|
[yells]
What’s with you today?
|
Mark:
|
[stares
at his shoes]
|
Susan:
|
Do
you have something to say?
|
Mark:
|
I
guess what I’m trying to say is that…I’m pregnant…
|
Susan:
|
What??
|
Mark:
|
I
mean we’re pregnant…I mean…I mean you’re pregnant
|
Susan:
|
What
the hell are you talking about? [raises the empty glass of water in the sink, and sniffs it] Are you sure this is not vodka?
|
You were given? Are you attending some creative writing sessions? Btw fun blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks Akanksha :)
ReplyDeleteYea, I regularly attend writing classes, workshops, etc.
This was actually at a Screenwriting class at UW, hence the screenplay-style dialogue :)
Ah nice! Next time there's sth fun scheduled.. I'd like to come too. Lemme know..
ReplyDeletea both creative and humourous piece of writing. could have gone so many different ways.. i like the anticipation each line builds up. i can hear it in my head.
ReplyDeleteThanks...you should have seen what some of the writers in that class came up... we had to read what we wrote aloud.
ReplyDeleteWhile I took a more classic (cliched?) boy-girl take on the prompt, others had different perspectives like mother-son, imaginary friend, etc. Some even had time to spin a surprise ending...very creative stuff