tear down

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Thirteen

June 13, 2014.  Prompt #44

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In honor of Friday the 13th, here’s a lucky writing prompt.

Instructions

  1. Write about a superstition that you believe in, don’t believe in, or are on the fence about.
  2. Write for 13 minutes.

Further Writing

  • Make up a superstition. Give it history or cultural background.
  • Write convincingly why we should believe in a superstition that, in reality, you don’t take seriously. Or the opposite.

Variation for Writing Groups

  1. On index cards, write a short description of an existing superstition or one you’ve constructed. For instance, It is unlucky to walk under a ladder. It is lucky to see two magpies together. If it rains on your eighth birthday, you will be prosperous in life.
  2. Place the cards face down. Choose one randomly and write about a character who challenges the superstition. Write for 13 minutes.
  3. Research superstitions from cultures not your own. Write about one for 13 minutes.

13ballFinally, if you drop your pen while you are writing, spin it 3 times on the floor while repeating the word “demiurgic” the entire time it is spinning. This will welcome back the creative spirits.

 

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De-Construction

June 12, 2014.  Prompt #43

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Walking with friends along Pearl Street tonight, we came across the demolition of the Daily Camera building, a structure that housed our local newspaper for decades. (It moved east of downtown several years ago.)

For today’s prompt (somewhat the philosophical opposite of yesterday’s prompt) we’ll work with words associated with destruction, rubble, and, perhaps, transformation

Instructions

  1. Choose nine words from this list: wreck, boom, brick, clear, concrete, dust, empty, engine, expose, fence, hard hat, haul, lot, reduce, rubble, shatter, torn, truck, watch, wreck, zone.
  2. Using the nine words and others of your own, write a nine line poem.
  3. Write for 9 minutes.

Further Writing

  • Write about something physical that is gone from your life. Tie it in, perhaps, with an emotional state.
  • Write about an old man or young girl watching a building being torn down. Describe their thoughts, conversations, or reactions. Include descriptions on sounds and the physical atmosphere.

Variation for Writing Groups

  1. Choose one or two of the words from the list which are both noun and verb. Play with those combinations in a short piece. This is a chance to use repetition in a deliberate way. Write for 15 minutes.
  2. Visit a wrecking site. Take notes.  Using your imagination, write about the construction of the building currently being torn down.