Write something spooky, chilling, or haunting. It doesn’t have to be about ghosts. It can be about anxiety or a mystery illness, loosing a loved one, or Mondays. Just make it truly terrifying.
OK WRITE!

What trees were in your yard or street growing up? Did you pick fruit from them? Use the pinecones as grenades and throw them at the kids across the street? Did you climb the limbs to perch and watch people come and go? Did you lay under the shade and take a nap?
Write about the trees you remember from your childhood.

Do you remember your first social media post? What was going on behind the scenes? Did you want to appear quirky, cute, hilarious and precious? Scroll back in time and write about who you were way back then, in those olden times…yolo.

You rule breaker you! Did you do something illegal? Did you rob a bank in Massapequa? Or jaywalk to get ice cream? Did you steal drugstore cosmetics or smoke a cigarette when you were 13? Maybe you never broke the law, and bravo for you, you goodie-two-shoes. Write about it!

Write about fire. What fires you up or keeps you on fire. Or have you been affected by wildfire, maybe a house fire? Perhaps you’re a pyro? Fire can be devastating but also part of our human survival. It’s good, but sometimes so, so bad, kinda like me as a teenager.
Write about fire.
OK write!

Write about adulting, growing up, aging, whatever you want to call it.
Why do we choose to believe the narrative that we are falling apart as we age? Why not believe instead that we are growing more iconic, more golden, more splendid?
How are you becoming more amazing as you get older?

Write about the moon. Write a poem about the cosmic forces that pull and push us. Write about the lunar phases that unify us to this earth that we all stand on together. Write about the tides, the passage of time, and gravity.
OK Write!

Write about your plants!
Do you have houseplants? Have you named them? If not, give your plants a name and a backstory. Connie is sad and lonely and spends too much time in the sun. Juan is a widower who drives a light blue Toyota Corolla and loves black olives. Chelsea is fake, just like her personality. Denise is the life of the party and summers in Santa Barbara. Mmkay, your turn! OK write!

You’re testing out a pen at a stationary store, what word do you write and why?

Your mail carrier, the lady walks her dog the same time as you every morning, the crossing guard; we see many the same strangers every day. They become familiar, yet we know nothing about them. Write about a stranger in your life. Give them detail, give them a name and a back story. What do their hands smell like? Windex and chicken stock? Oh wait, that's what mine smells like. Your stranger story can be endearing, tragic, or completely outlandish; it is make-believe, after all.

“Why the Egyptian, Arabic, Abyssinian, Choctaw? Well, what tongue does the wind talk? What nationality is a storm? What country do rains come from? What color is lightning? Where does thunder goe when it dies?” —Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes

Write about thunder!

Write about a sound.

Do you love the sound of the ocean? Congratulations, ya basic. Okay, fine, everyone loves the beach, it is relaxing. It's rhythmic pulling, and pushing is meditative and grounds us to Mother Earth. But what sound do you love? Or even hate? Is it the sound of the door opening after a long day? The cap twisting off a cold beverage? A shovel digging into the sun-baked dirt? Write about a sound.

I remember the ice cream truck driving down our neighborhood, I would have a mild panic attack every time I faintly heard the familiar song. I’d start screaming through the house about ICE CREAM and GET OUT OF MY WAY, DOG! I'd frantically search for my wallet: a glitter plastic trifold with a velcro closure. It would be plump with coins. I’d open it to find that it was mostly pennies.

When it was finally my turn at the front of the line, I’d turn out my wallet and let the copper coins scatter over the counter, and ask for some sour belts and a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar.

Write about your own favorite childhood candy/snacks.

Write about a blade

A knife, an axe, a razor, a blade of grass, shoulder blade, a shiv,…

Words that come up for me when I think about a blade: sharp, metal, cool, blood, cut, shave, skin, sliver, silver, tree, bread, lawn, shear, pointy, mischievous, bad, injury, surgery

This prompt is inspired by a quote I just came across while reading the book Silver Sparrow by @Tayari Jones, “…my father asked her to wrap the carving knife he had bought his wife for their wedding an­niversary. Mother said she knew that something wasn't right between a man and a woman when the gift was a blade. I said that maybe it means there was a kind of trust between them. I love my mother, but we tend to see things a little bit differently.“

OK write!

Write about something mundane.

Write about the small moments, the human, the simple— Like picking your nails in the car at a red light, or that slow feeling of just waking up right before you actually get out of bed. Write about wandering the isles of a big grocery store, whether you're alone or with a congress of kids. Write about how long it took you to find your car in the massive parking lot, or when you made a smoothie, or what you were thinking when you sent your boss that email that might have been misinterpreted.

OK write!

Froot Loops, Cap'n Crunch, Rice Krispies

Let's write about cereal. I like cereal as dessert. My 100 is Cocoa Pebbles, with Fred Flinstone on the box. There's a less chemical version they sell at Whole Foods, and when I'm feeling wholesome AF, I'll get it and serve it with almond milk. Ahh, feels so good to be so healthy.

Write about any memories you have associated with cereal. Did you fight with your siblings over the toy inside? If it was yellow, I automatically got it because yellow was/is my favorite color. What's your favorite, and what did your mom lever let you get at the store?

Let's write about cereal! Ooh, now I'm hungry.

Write an apology.

News flash: we're not perfect. Think about someone you've wronged or hurt. Write a letter saying you're sorry. You don't have to give it to them. The act of saying sorry is a release on its own. On second thought, what the hell, be brave! Send them your words. See what happens.

Write about your pants.

Do you have a favorite pair of jeans or shorts or some precious cargos with eight zippers for all your snacks and tissues? Write about your pants: the holes, the stains, the wear, and the tears. Maybe there’s a story. Did an exciting or embarrassing thing happen to you while wearing those pants? Ya-ya sisterhood and all of that? OK, GO WRITE ABOUT YOUR PANTS!

How does it feel to love someone? What does passion feel like? What does it feel like to "fall in love?" Does it feel secure or scary? Are you tucked in tight or walking on a string? Is it as fragile as a piece of glass or as thick as a grazing bison? Maybe it's both at the same time.

Describe love and all of its gooey details.

Write a list of 10 things that you want right now. They can be silly or serious, ethereal or realistic.

You want to stop biting your nails, 200 dollar sweat pants, a pet lion, and watch the sunrise? Be specific, and then get after it!

What’s in your heart? Create poetry around everything you love. Avoid sappy refrains, we’ve heard them all before. Write about what you love in a new and different way.

Do you have a favorite day of the week? Are you basic and love Saturdays? Or a sadist and love Mondays? Offbeat and in favor of Tuesday? Write a poem about your favorite day of the week.

Write a poem or prose about your grandma's house; the smells, the carpet, the wallpaper. Describe how it feels to be surrounded by things that carry history. Does she have plastic covers on the couches? Does she always try to feed you hard candies? What things does she have on her shelf? What does it feel like to be there? If you never knew your grandma, write about that.

The metaphor is crucial to poetry. Metaphor is the meat and the fuel. It's the sword and the swan.

Write a poem about your childhood, only using metaphors. Your bedroom was a marshmallow, and your hands were sea urchins. Go wild. You are a skydiver and a soaring eagle.

Write a sonnet!

Not really, more of a loose sonnet. Write a 14 line poem answering these questions:

Who are you?

What makes your heart ache?

What do you stumble over?

When do you feel joy?

What makes you cry?

Where is your sanctuary?

What is your favorite part of the day?

What is a secret about you?

What is hard for you?

Where is a place you want to go?

What would you do there?

What is the most beautiful sound?

What is true about you?

What does it all feel like?

Let's write a micro-story--more specifically, a six-word story.

Here's an example from Ernest Hemingway:

"For sale: baby shoes. Never worn."

There's something a little grim, a little gritty, maybe a tad dark, that happens when you distill your thoughts down to a mere six words. Every word becomes weighted and essential. Choose well.

Write your own 6-word story.

Remember your kitchen

What is your first kitchen you remember? Close your eyes and imagine it, the cupboards, the sink. What did the sponge look like? Were there plants in the windows? Curtains? A dog begging for food at your feet? Open the fridge, the freezer, the pantry. What's inside? What voices do you hear? Anything cooking on the stove? What do the dishes look like? Are they piled in the sink or neatly put away? How does it smell?

Now write about it.

Write your eulogy

You’re dead- deal with it. But first, before you die, what do you want people to know about you? Write your eulogy either made up with things you want to do or an honest look at your life.

How are you going to be remembered?

I’m reading Like Streams to the Ocean by Jedidiah Jenkins. It is a book of essays, a solid collection of wise bits. It’s like your cool uncle sitting with you somewhere beautiful, in front of a waterfall (like the one on the cover), telling your younger self advice. Except Jenkins and I are probably around the same age, and where was this book when I was growing up?! And now I’m sad I never had a cool uncle.

Aside from all that, this line stood out to me, “The thing that injured you often becomes the piece of your purpose in life.”

I sat with this sentence for a while and let it shift and tilt around in my head; the thing that caused me pain can also give my life purpose--What a beautiful story of redemption. It’s the woman who survived sexual and domestic abuse turning into a speaker and advocates for change, or the guy who lost his dad to ALS starting a charity to fight this mysterious disease. Now it’s your turn:

What thing injured you? How is it shaping your life? Write about your story, your beauty from ashes, your pain to purpose.

Write a haiku for your mom.

A haiku is a 17 syllable poem, usually broken into three lines with five, seven, and five syllables. You’ve written them in second grade. You remember how it goes.

So, let’s write a haiku for or about your mom, you can choose to give it to her for Mother’s Day, and if you do, guarantee, you will become her favorite child.

Sit in a public space, a bench at a park, your child’s soccer practice (where I am currently, hello!), and observe people. Then write a few short sentences describing what you see: an elderly couple watching birds with a pair of broken binoculars and a grocery bag filled with trail trash. Focus on the small details, hands, feet, eyes, shoelaces. Sure, people have hair, but what did it look like? Is it a frothy pile of curls or frail silver whisps? What about faces? Are they doughy, the texture of oatmeal, pinched, tanned like leather, fresh like the rising sun, the color of condensed milk, almond skins, concrete, a fallen leaf?

Write your observations!

Let’s write about anxiety. What eats you alive, scares you, and keeps you awake at night? Let’s shine a light on the things that make us squirm. Write a poem about how anxiety makes you feel. It can be short and quick or long and explorative. Write your feelings!

What does it feel like to be brave? Write about a time you felt daring and strong. What did you do? What did you accomplish? How did you feel after? Write about bravery. Maybe you have to be brave every day, and it’s ongoing— now your badass needs a break. Maybe you want to be brave but can’t seem to get there. Write about it.

Go find some sky to look at. Sit somewhere quiet and watch the clouds pass across the horizon. Get all moody and melodramatic, then write a poem!

This should be fun; let’s talk about pain!

Sit for a few minutes and think about pain, its purpose, how it feels, both physically and emotionally, inside your body. But because sitting in pain feels foreboding and tight, let’s tie it to something beautiful. Love. Or any other positive emotion that you find deeply connected to pain.

Start a poem with Pain is…

Write a few lines,

Then start a new line with: But love is…

What are you holding onto today that doesn’t serve you? Write about it and then let it all go. Shake it out. Dance in your kitchen and then move on with your life.

Yes, yes you can.

Pick someone and write about their hands. Are they sturdy, soft, baby, or wrinkled? What do those hands do all day? Do they fidget, make, type, or are they idle? Do they guide, support, hold, and give? Are they empty? Do they unrelentingly take and take? Consider all the things hands do. It’s endless when you think about it.

What is it like to feel haunted?

Do you have a ghost living in your attic? Is her name Pearl? Does she flick your lights on and off? Or are you attached to feelings from a former love, a fight, or a traumatic experience? How are you haunted? Write about what it feels like, how it burns inside you, and how it silently affects you.

What things do you carry around every day, either seen or unseen? Do you carry a lucky penny? Anxiety, extra weight, a dried-up umbilical stub? What do you carry around with you, and why? Are you ready to leave it? Lose it, throw it away, or would you prefer to hold on to it forever? Write about the things you carry.

What does it feel like to belong? Is it a soft sweater, a warm smile? Is it comfortable and familiar? Maybe it’s home, and it feels like swirling milk in hot coffee with pudgy clouds rolling across the sky. Does belonging feel like not trying? Not because you’ve given up, but because you don’t need to be anything other than you? Is it freedom, acceptance, love? Do you feel like you belong? If not, is there a time when you did? Do you want to return to the feeling? Write about it!

Over the weekend, I found a dog trotting around the neighborhood. My husband and I jumped out of the car and immediately started knocking on doors and checking for open gates. After about 30 minutes of trying to find owners, a family walked up to us and casually goes, “oh ya, that’s Maddie. She’s our neighbor’s dog. She’s deaf and old. We’ll take her home.”

Dogs are so integral to us as humans. They symbolize companionship and unwavering love. They bring us comfort, and if you have a well-trained pup, your slippers. Let’s write about dogs. Write about your childhood doggo or your current dog, and if you don’t have a dog, write about that.

Look around in the room you’re in. Do you have a story about the photo framed on the wall? Did your baby blow out their diaper on the rug, and now there is a weird, shadowy stain? Has your table been handed down from multiple generations? Do you have a sentimental refrigerator magnet or a book that you love? Write about something in the room with you. It can take the shape of a short story, a poem, or a journal entry.

Inspiration is the motivation to do something creative and/or artistic.

That little "and/or" is bugging me. Because creativity and art are linked. They are locked into each other, and you can’t remove one without the other. Nor can you add on with the other. There should be a new word that holds these two things together: creart, that sounds gross. I don’t hate creartive. It sounds kind of posh, like how you would describe architecture to people more intelligent than you at a cocktail party where tuxedoed servers pass around trays of food with crab in it. There we are. Creartive.

Think about your process to create. What types of activities inspire you to write? Is it a poster of a cat hanging from a rope with the words "BELEVE" above it?

Looking at an ordinary object in zoomed-in detail, or listening to morning sounds in your kitchen, think about the mental space you need to enter to write.

And then go there.

Take photos, collect tiny objects, write down fragments of a conversation. These will all serve as inspiration, plus it’s fun to find bits of trash you forgot to empty out of your pockets in the laundry later.

What kinds of things can you collect to help inspire you later?

Write about COVID-19.

How has covid-19 changed you? Sheltering in place, getting sick, reprioritizing schedules, loosing loved ones, the rona has really beat us up this year. How has it changed you life? What are some positives to come out of it? What are you looking forward to? How have you grown this past year? Have you made big changes this year?

Did you have a baby?

Buy a home?

Move out of state?

Get a tattoo?

Get something pierced?

Get a dog/cat?

Major relationship change?

Married/engaged/broke up

What big thing did you do this year? Maybe you didn't do anything huge this year, and you just survived. Do you feel a rant coming on? Write all of that out!

My power is out. That's an anxiety trigger for me.

I constantly have to remind myself that I'm fine while also reminding my kids that they are fine. And it's true. We are good. We have water, access to food, two cars, power banks, and all the camp gear that R.E.I. ever created. So, we are prepared. But yet, there's that nagging sense of insecurity.

Write about a safe place.

Describe it in great detail. What makes it safe.

Start your sentence with "I feel safe when…"

You can also make a list of all the things you need to feel safe.

Consider each item and ask yourself, what am I most afraid of?

Do a quick write while you’re sitting in the waiting room. About to get a dental exam? At the OB/GYN? Sounds fun, write something instead of flipping through an outdated Country Living magazine.

Write about a time you felt very in your body. Swimming in the ocean, a sexual encounter, a near death experience, a confrontation, all have profound impacts on and in our bodies. Write about how your body felt. Leave out your internal dialogue and emotions and write only how your body interpreted that specific event.

Go on a walk, do something unexpected:

Sit in a field

Talk to a tree

Turn over a stone

Joust the air with a fallen stick

Sing out loud

Feel absurd

Write a poem about it.

Notice three features you hadn't noticed before about someone you love.

Describe these features. How was it to uncover a new aspect of your love?

Write a poem about your new discoveries.

Write a poem with broken words. Play with line breaks.

Sun

dri

ps

Shadows mov

e

In to

n i g h t

Flip though your junk mail and create a short story based on an advertisement. Hooray, looks like you got the new Costco mailer! Flip though that sucker and write a story about why the lady with the white jeans is so happy about her vitamins. Or the dog on the rug in the new Crate in Barrel catalog is named Randy. He's a rescue who simultaneously farts and barks whenever someone new comes to the door. Okay, now you try!

Don’t listen to the negative, you are true blue.

Write a list of 10 positive things about you.

Are you charming, thoughtful, do you have a decent set of elbows? Go ahead and give yourself 10 complements, no one’s watching, and so what if they are. You are fire.

You are what you think. How can you be cultivating your thoughts towards your goals? Write about what you want in life. Write a map on how to get there, tape it to your walls, write it on your hands, your bathroom mirror, your forehead, then go on and GET IT.

*This poem is inspired by a Rupi Kaur workshop -

Write a poem about your mind, body, and soul as three separate parts of who you are.

Your first stanza is you mind, start your first line with: My mind is telling me…

Your second stanza is body, start it with: But my body is saying…

The third is soul, start the first line with: And my soul…

Write a short story that takes place in the grocery store.

Write some words you need to hear. Talk softly to yourself, or give yourself some tough love. Be encouraging, kind, and honest.

Write about how you got to this point. What lead you to right here, right now, in this moment? Write your journey through life this far. Then write about where you're going next.

Your connecting flight just landed at La Guardia Airport at 2:00 am, you have until 9:00 am to catch your next plane. What happens in those seven hours?

Write a list of some of your favorite colors. Then write a poem using those colors and the emotions they evoke.

Set your timer for 10 minutes and write as many first sentences to a story you can think of. Once the timer goes off, pick your favorite one and begin to write the rest.

Write a poem inspired by the number five. You can make it five lines, or five stanzas. Incorporate the number into your poetry.

Here are some five-ish things:

The 5 freeway
Chinese five spice
Quintuplets
Five years
Five fingers/toes
Pentagon
The five senses
It's 5:00 somewhere
5th grade
HIGH FIVE! Ok, you got this.

Write a poem that exists between two things. Between breath, sunrise and sunset, your toes, wherever your imagination takes you.

Write about a time when you ate something that was truly disgusting.

Write a poem about a place that left a lasting impression on you.

Write a poem about when you first realized you were an adult.

Find something that’s common or overlooked, take the waffle, for instance. Write about it’s unexpected intrigue.

Argue that it is indeed special, and should be exalted. LONG LIVE THE WAFFLE. Or whatever…

Write about how you’ve overcome a struggle. Did your wealthy family lose all their money and then have to move into a dingy motel? Wait that sounds like the plot to a Canadian sitcom. How have you overcome something difficult? How did it make you stronger or softer?

Are you over the top? Too emotional? Too needy? Too controlling? Write about how your too muchness is just right or possibly (maybe?) could use a little work.

Pick a sound and a word and write a poem
Keep repeating that one word and playing with repeating sound, but not in like an annoying way. Here’s an example:

It’s all sun flares and Saturdays
Under my eyelids
I am a dandelion in the field
Sunshine and water
Soil and song

More overtly, there is a repeating S sound.
Additionally, the A sound in the first line
E sound in the 3rd line
O sound in the last line
The effect, when read aloud, is a pleasing sound, almost like rhyme. There are a pace and pattern to it, but it doesn’t feel obvious.

Now you try!

It's your birthday! I got you a bird. Just kidding. Birds are weird. Write about a strange gift you received. Write about how birthdays make you feel. Write about getting older and celebrating. Write about birds?

Do you remember traveling as a family when you were younger? One time my parents took us to the snow, and since we didn’t have proper gear, my dad wrapped all of us kids in packing tape to waterproof us. And now that is a core memory, thanks dad. Write about a vacation you took with your family. Did you parents wrap you with tape? No? Just me then? Cool.

It's hot, you're hot. Write about summer.

In what ways were you different than others growing up? How did you stand out? In what ways did you work hard at being the same. Write about how all of it made you feel. Did your differences make you feel darling or lonely? Precious or ostracized? Maybe you felt it all? Write about being different and how those feelings affect you today.

When was the last time you sat crying in your car? Write about something that makes you ugly cry. What makes you emotional? What gets you in the feels? Write about what makes you messy and unglued. For me, it’s dog videos reuniting with their military owners. Every. Time.

Write about the weather, the season, and the way the air feels. Write about the temporal and eternal nature of seasons/ What does the season we're in right now symbolize to you? What do you love about it? What do you hate?

What was your father like growing up? Was he around? Did he take care of you? Abandon you? Are you a father? Do you want to be? Write about your experiences, fears, longings, security, and what fatherhood means to you.

Write about motherhood. What kinds of images does motherhood conjure up: security, brokenness, nourishment, guilt, guidance, grace, earth, sorrow. Write about what motherhood means to you.

Write about COVID-19.

How has it changed your life? What changes has it made to your life for the better? What do you think normal will be like? Do you feel a rant coming on? Write all of that out!

Have you ever suffered heartbreak? Disappointment? Struggle?

Write about how you've overcome, and how you're still a work in progress.

How does it feel to love someone? What does passion feel like? What does it feel like to "fall in love?" Does it feel secure or scary? Are you tucked in tight or walking on a string? Is it as fragile as piece of glass or as thick as a grazing bison? Maybe it's both at the same time.

Describe love and all of its gooey details.

Write about what you want from your career in the future. What position do you see yourself growing into? One year from now, five, 10? What goals can you set today to achieve your vision?

Do you have a triumph at work you want to celebrate? A small victory? Maybe a revision you implemented, that sent off a chain of positive change. Write about how it felt.

It doesn't have to be the new year to write a resolution. Write a list of small healthy changes you can make starting today.

In what ways are you good at your job? How does it feel to be good at what you do? In what ways can you grow and improve?

What do you wish everyone knew about you?

What can you do today so that your future-self will say thank you?

Do you have strong beliefs? A kindness manifesto? A spiritual moral compass? An anthropological theory? Write your personal mission statement.

Start with, I believe…

We can all write a 20 page essay about all the things that suck in the world right now, but why? And whoa, that's a lot of negative energy. So let's not. Instead, let's write about things that make us feel good! What are you looking forward to?

Write a mantra for yourself in this moment. Something you can say on repeat to bring a sense of calm to your awareness. It can be a small prayer. It should be short and work with your breath.

Count up all the things that you can share with others, write a list.

Write a list of comforts, things that give your life pleasure make you feel good, warm and cozy.

Write a letter to someone starting with Thank you...

Write a list of things that describe the time you were born.

Write a poem about a bad habit that you love to do.

Songs are inspiring. Listen to a song and write a poem about one lyric that sticks out to you.

Anthropomorphize a piece of furniture in the room.

Did you have an animal as a child? Write a short story about your childhood pet.

Finish this sentence: Anxiety is...

Have you ever felt like an imposter? Write about it.

Write about a time you felt incomplete.

Finish this sentence: Empathy is...

Have you ever had a bad haircut? How bad was it? I'm dying to know. Write a story about it.

Tell a story about the best meal you’ve ever had.

Rewrite a company’s brand copy. Have you ever read a company’s description and been inspired? Perhaps it was beautiful and rhythmic, or smart and quick. Maybe it was terrible and needed a new perspective. It might have been clunky and in desperate need of a rewrite. Rewrite it!

Write your resume as a short story.