"I write to make peace with the things I cannot control.
I write to create fabric in a world that often appears black and white.
I write as a daily act of improvisation.
I write as though I am whispering in the ear of the one I love.”
Terry Tempest Williams
Questions:
Which of Terry Tempest Williams reasons for writing resonate with you the most?
What do you need to make peace with right now? Write a letter to it.
What have you been seeing as black and white that you could write some color into? Write it.
What does the one you love need to hear whispered into her/his ear the most? Write it as an act of love, compassion and caring.
Lists:
Make a list of 5 to 10 reasons why you write -
Make a list of 5 to 10 reasons you stop writing (or don’t start).
Make a list of 5 to 10 ways you could support your desire to write --
Bonus: Make a list of 3 possible new writing practices to experiment with this month. Perhaps write a haiku every morning or journal each night before you go to sleep or perhaps an early waking dream diary would be a good way for you to find more depth for your characters. Be imaginative!
Conventional Writing Prompt
Use the words of Terry Tempest Williams to inspire your own stream of consciousness writing about what you write. Set a timer for 15 minutes and see what flows.
I write to....
I write as....
I write because....
I write when.....
Where are you inspired to write? Look at the image above and write about this writing space (it is Walden Woods, where Thoreau spent time living deliberately) or write about your most beloved writing space.
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Terry Tempest Williams is an activist writer, a poetic non fiction writer who explores the landscape and social activism with her words. When I read her most recent work, When Women Were Birds, I was hooked forever. She is one of the "Literary Grannies" who isn't a mother or granny in the "natural" sense but her words and her life are such that she has an incredibly strong lineage of other up and coming writers who look to her for inspiration and more.
To find out more, visit:
Why be inspired by literary grannies? Read the introductory post here -
This series (now a part of the Ultimate Blog Challenge) is also serving as a bridge to my new blog which will be unveiled in the middle of the month. In past blog challenges I have offered prompts under the "Let Your Words Flow" name. The Inspiration from Literary Grannies serve as a subset of that series.
I welcome your comments, your questions and your quote contributions. Please share the prompts with your writing buddies and friends!
In fact, as you read books written by women in 2015, take note of inspiring quotes. I would love to add them to my collection and may even write a prompt from them.
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Julie Jordan Scott is a writer, creative life coach, speaker, performance poet, Mommy and mixed-media artist whose Writing Camps and Writing Playgrounds permanently transform people's creative lives. Watch for the announcement of new programs coming Winter 2015 and beyond.
Check out the links below to follow her on a bunch of different social media channels, especially if you find the idea of a Word-Love Party bus particularly enticing.
Please stay in touch: Follow me on Twitter: @JulieJordanScot
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© 2015
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