June 21, 2014.  Prompt #51

After dinner with friends tonight , I marked this longest day of the year with a walk to Wonderland Lake. There, redwings chattered, the foothills reflected themselves in the water, and two mallard chicks paddled behind with their mother. On the path home, I nearly bumped into a mule deer. I like to celebrate the cycles of the year: solstice and equinoxes; full, new and blue moons; lunar and solar eclipses. I revel in a colorful sunrise and sunset.

Instructions

1. Write about an annual, monthly or even daily ritual that you (or a character) observe.
2. Your ritual can revolve around a holiday, a seasonal occurrence or something societal, such as the last day of school, the opening of hunting season, or the homecoming football game.
3. Write for 15 minutes.

Further Writing

• Write about a very personal ritual, not connected to society as a whole.
• Invent a ritual for yourself or a character.

Variations for Writing Groups

1. On separate pieces of paper, each member writes a one-sentence description of a ritual they partake in and a second ritual that is entirely made up.
2. Place the papers in the middle of the table and read the descriptions out loud.
3. Guess which rituals are real (that it, one that someone in the group or someone they know actually observes) and which are entirely imaginary.
4. Choose one description — real or fictional — and expand on it. Add back-story, details, and conflict as needed. Write for 20 minutes.

Looking ahead

Two of next week’s prompts will focus on editing and revision.  To prepare, find a story, poem, or essay to revisit.  You can use a rough draft or a polished piece with which you are willing to experiment.