SpiritWriter Posted March 13, 2014 #1 Share Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) Hello, I was asked by my friend Low Mage to start a new thread in the writers group where we could participate with one another and I thought that the use of writing prompts would be a fun way to write together. Rules for this thread are: - Choose any writing prompt contained in any of the posts in the thread. - Use the writing prompt to create a piece of writing, any type of writing is fine, poetry, essay, letter, fiction, reflection etc... whatever you want. - Set a timer and spend 10 minutes on your writing prompt. - If you are led to spend more time on it, feel free to do so, but it is not necessary. - We are not here to judge writing, only to share, write, engage and have fun! - Do not feel badly about your writing, just submit it! - In order to submit writing prompt suggestions, you must have also submitted an entry. - Your entry should include: Title: (list the writing prompt) and then a body. - Do not include your writing prompt suggestions with your entry, they must be listed in their own post. - List 2 - 5 writing prompt suggestions when submitting writing prompt suggestions so there is a selection. - Feel free to choose one of your own suggestions as a new writing prompt! If you like this activity, please come back every other week or so, to keep it alive and active. Sincerely, SpiritWriter Edited March 13, 2014 by SpiritWriter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpiritWriter Posted March 13, 2014 Author #2 Share Posted March 13, 2014 writing prompt suggestions: - Time does not exist - A letter to myself in case of amnesia - What I learned in kindergarden - Nice - Validation 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpiritWriter Posted March 13, 2014 Author #3 Share Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) What I learned in Kindergarden On the first day of kindergarten my mom left me home and put a clock in front of me. She said, "This is the long hand, right now its on the nine. The long hand is going to move from here", she pointed at the nine, "to here." She moved her finger up and around to the the top and placed it on the 12. "When the long hand gets to the twelve it will be time to go, do you think you can do that?" I nodded. I was sure that I could. I had my lunch bag ready. I knew my way to school, we had practiced already how to get there. I had my key around my neck, tied to a purple shoe string and tucked neatly inside my brand new and most favorite shirt. I sat on the floor, criss-cross-applesauce. My mother kissed my forehead, letting me know I would do great and headed out the door. My eyes went back and forth between the little black and white tv that was sitting on the floor in front of me and the clock that was just a foot and a half away from it, which was also on the floor. I was very diligent and responsible. I checked the clock frequently. First I watched Scooby Doo and then The Glow Worms, Then Rainbow Bright, then He-Man and then Sesame Street. I kept checking the clock. "It's almost there", I told myself. Soon my my mom came home from work and asked me how my day was. It turns out the clock was broken. ~ Lesson: Kindergarteners have quite a different sense of time. Edited March 13, 2014 by SpiritWriter 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorpiosonic Posted March 13, 2014 #4 Share Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) I'll try, but it's hard to enforce/abide by time limits, we have no way of knowing, etc. "- Set a timer and spend 10 minutes on your writing prompt. - If you are led to spend more time on it, feel free to do so, but it is not necessary." I'll use the rule as the prompt, I wrote this in about ten min, 15 tops....I was inspired, and it came together easily. Tribute to Shirley Temple Black Miss Shirley's smile lit up the screen. both far and wide it could be seen. The curly girl with pretty face, our troubles vanish without a trace. As a woman more gifts unfurled, with poise and class she graced the world. Called to the temple high above, we'll miss this girl we all love. Edited March 13, 2014 by scorpiosonic 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaturtlehorsesnake Posted March 14, 2014 #5 Share Posted March 14, 2014 apologies if this is obvious to everyone else, but is this an open thing? or is it only meant for certain people to enter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcana Posted March 15, 2014 #6 Share Posted March 15, 2014 (edited) Time does not exist What if time does not exist? That unseen power that will persist Sentenced in seconds, hours and years Crawling through life on ticking tears From new born cry to dying moan From tender babe to withered crone Condemned to death upon our birth Every being that walks the Earth We think our time upon this land Slowly trickles like hourglass sand Each passing day forever lost Melted away like morning frost The hours pass by that end as days Time is coloured in grey that stays I wonder what happens if we insist To believe that time does not exist © Arcana Edited March 15, 2014 by Arcana 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpiritWriter Posted March 15, 2014 Author #7 Share Posted March 15, 2014 apologies if this is obvious to everyone else, but is this an open thing? or is it only meant for certain people to enter? open for all, please join us! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpiritWriter Posted March 15, 2014 Author #8 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Very nice Arcana 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schadeaux Posted March 15, 2014 #9 Share Posted March 15, 2014 I had a very similar topic on another site. Give a few points, let me make a story. Makes for very good .... thinking? creativism? crap... good stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarakore Posted March 15, 2014 #10 Share Posted March 15, 2014 (edited) Thank you sw, especially for the structured and still simple guidelines which will lead to fun than just asking everyone to write what comes to or through their mind. It is telling that some thought was put into them after experience with writing prompt threads from other forums. ------- "Time does not exist as we think it does Tim." The tinker apprentice was told while sitting on a stool, arched slightly over the craft table, while watching a repair on a watch with a stuck second hand but also listening to the thoughts of the master tinker. One day Tim would realize how much the old man, his own father, actually knew and while his future was not one in watches which would one day become disposable products he would never forget the lessons learned. Today Tim just nods without complaint and just enough interest to learn a skill which might prove valuable but his own plans were not to follow in his fathers footsteps but instead travel with others families who needed showmen and others to help run the carnivals. It was not so much the love of art but the love of art combined with con and the swindling of a town who is willing to give you their money when you pull in but is happy to see you go when they realize how much you took. "Time is like a watch which is something we created and if a watch stops working that does not mean time stops but if our own ideas of time were to not work then that would not mean existence stops so existence is not tied to time or our idea of what it is." Tim did not fully understand yet but was content without knowing every mystery of the world especially if not a talent that could draw coin. He nodded and looked closer at the open watch as the final turn of a small delicate strand of metal was moved in place with a slender utensil and the aid of an eyepiece his grandfather held as he took great care on focusing on the task while talking idly which helps with the patience required to sustain such focus at length . As the time piece began moving again he held up the clock to the window to be captured in the full rays of the bright sun before bringing it back down to fasten it back sealed, "it was just a small lever out of place and that should do it. Grab the next one while I close this one. No time to waste we only have two more days here to get to them all." Edited March 15, 2014 by Low Mage 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Waters Posted March 15, 2014 #11 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Good work everyone 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcana Posted March 15, 2014 #12 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Spiritwriter has kindly asked me to contribute some further suggestions for your consideration, so here goes ..... writing prompt suggestions: - Dance With The Devil - A Teardrop's Descent - Escape from Samsara - The Wishing Well - Beyond The Beyond Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcana Posted March 17, 2014 #13 Share Posted March 17, 2014 (edited) Beyond The Beyond Thoughts of Heaven, thoughts of Hell A place where departed souls all dwell The good will bask in a loving glow The rest are cast far down below A place of dreams with beauty and peace Or ruin and pain where all hopes cease One ruled by love, the other with fear Each has rulers to make it clear Perhaps there something else awaits A state of being our life dictates Of all we've ever said or done Upon the earth beneath the sun Our lives we live like no tomorrow Touched by happiness, sometimes sorrow Memories we keep, we'll never forget Some bring us joy, some bitter regret Call it karma or call it fate Determined by love or determined by hate Left all alone to ponder our deeds Without redemption a heart that bleeds We pave our paths where journeys cease Before releasing our mortal lease How I wish I could wave a magic wand To show you what lies beyond the beyond © Arcana Edited March 17, 2014 by Still Waters Changed a word at OP's request 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaturtlehorsesnake Posted March 17, 2014 #14 Share Posted March 17, 2014 ha, that's the one i chose! well, i still choose it. this is flash fiction, i guess. ................... Beyond the Beyond I found out who I was working as a dishwasher for 7.35 an hour. I had to surround myself with noise, shouting and the busy nature of work getting done. No doubt or time to think or be anything but a pair of hands, chapped and scratched by hot water and steel wool. Take a break only to rush out to bus tables and guiltily steal a bite of dry toast and a pat of butter. Work till almost collapsing, work with a fury and keep the inside from getting outside. Then out of the restaurant to where February rain has made the whole parking lot into sheets and curtains of ice. Fighting to break through the frozen lock of an old car, in sunlight, sleet, snow and wind and exhaustion. One little moment of misery and pain and clarity opened up the whole world. ........... ok i'm done. (also see, i can use capital letters when i want to) 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcana Posted March 17, 2014 #15 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Love it sths!!! You use those capital letters wherever and whenever you want to ...............great imagery created in the mind's eye. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. K. Posted March 17, 2014 #16 Share Posted March 17, 2014 The Wishing Well Having followed the path through the wood, I came upon the small well in a slight clearing. It was picturesque, an old well with the requisite rope, pulley, and bucket. In greeting, I placed my hand on its edge and felt the cool, rough stone. I contemplated the purpose of the well...to provide nourishment in this out-of-the-way location. I thought to myself in images, not yet ready to impose structure on my thought. This well represented usefulness and value. Even though the water was unseen, the well reflected my life back at me. Am I useful? I thought. Can I provide refreshment to a weary traveler in my own life? Or does my life stay hidden on an unused trail, cluttered by the paraphernalia of unfulfilled desires and desolate wishes? Is there hidden meaning here, in this cold structure of stone in the midst of a living forest? Is there some esoteric secret to be imparted that would grant guidance and wisdom? The well was silent. The lightest breeze wafted through the clearing. Sounds of life surrounded me, yet the bucket on the rope spoke to me only of emptiness and non-usage. I wish to know the meaning of life! My grandiose statement echoed through the woods. The bucket remained silent, unused. A wry grin crossed my face. i had not dropped money into the well...was that not the purpose of a wishing well? I fingered through my pocket and found a nickel. I tossed it into the well. The silence was disturbed by the ploop of water. There was no answer, no grand revelation...no meaning. I considered a brief moment of sadness. The well had no message for me. I was alone in the woods, and alone in my thoughts. A wishing well that granted no wish. I raised my head... ...and saw the path that continued on into the woods. Then I realized that the wish was not my own, but the wish of the well itself. The well existed to provide refreshment, but it knew nothing beyond this clearing. The path I had followed continued on, yet the well was rooted in this place, never to see the mystery of what lay beyond. I touched the well once more, then continued my journey down the path. I could grant the wish of the well and explore what lay beyond. My toll had been paid, and I walked on. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Waters Posted March 17, 2014 #17 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I like this thread. Well done everyone, we have a lot of talented writers on UM 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcana Posted March 17, 2014 #18 Share Posted March 17, 2014 F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C JK!!! I love the imaginative way you turned the wish around in this piece, very skillfully written. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorpiosonic Posted March 17, 2014 #19 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I agree, great pc, JK. And great poem Arc, "Beyond" is also very well written. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaturtlehorsesnake Posted March 17, 2014 #20 Share Posted March 17, 2014 high fives for everyone 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcana Posted March 18, 2014 #21 Share Posted March 18, 2014 (edited) A Teardrop's Descent A sadness wells within my soul With deepest sorrow that seeks release Coursing it's path throughout my being From within to without in streams of pain A melancholy flood now laps my mind Filled with sufferance from past regrets Seeking to seep a path to escape Driven in strength from an aching heart Ever stronger grows this woe It's tidal flow builds forth a surge With crested peak upon it's wave Towards release on distant shores To ripple in pools of discontent A liquid letter sent from the past To wash away an ego's pride Delivered to remind and show I care A deep lament contorts my face My vision blurs behind a choke I feel a trickle upon my cheek From weeping eye cascading down Now worn upon my saddened face This bitter jewel drips wet with grief The journey completed from whence it came A teardrop's descent to end it's days © Arcana Edited March 18, 2014 by Still Waters Changed a word at OP's request 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. K. Posted March 18, 2014 #22 Share Posted March 18, 2014 1. Crotalus and Gladiolus 2. Out of the Blue 3. There Will Be One 4. 25, 24, 23... 5. The Frozen Moon 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpiritWriter Posted March 18, 2014 Author #23 Share Posted March 18, 2014 JK, do you have a shy face? Aww. Hey everybody don't be shy to do writing prompt suggestions. I'll be submitting soon I hope.. I like the prompt : Dance with the Devil.. woooo spooky Thanks all! Great work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcana Posted March 20, 2014 #24 Share Posted March 20, 2014 (edited) Out of the Blue Love can be a stranger, at times it's hard to know Sometimes bonding firmly, before it leaves to go Reaching out with trust and hoping for the best Longing for it's touch, to forever be caressed So fragile it can be, without great care it breaks It's needs always nurtured, to avoid a heart that aches Always sharing closeness and building a rapport Loneliness will beckon, should the choice be to ignore Sometimes best intent will still end falling short If given to someone, who plays with love as sport Sometimes love will stray and then fail to return To teach a valued lesson, through tearful pain to earn Releasing past mistakes helps pave the way towards Embracing new beginnings and dropping bitter swords So never give up trying or adopt a sullen view True love lies awaiting, to meet out of the blue © Arcana Edited March 20, 2014 by Arcana 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Still Waters Posted March 20, 2014 #25 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Both your last two poems are beautiful Arcana 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now