The Notebooking Daily 2020 Writing Series is a daily writing exercises for both prose writers and poets to keep your creative mind stretched and ready to go—fresh for your other writing endeavors. The writing prompts take the impetus—that initial crystal of creation—out of your hands (for the most part) and changes your writing creation into creative problem solving. Instead of being preoccupied with the question "What do I write" you are instead pondering "How do I make this work?" And in the process you are producing new writing.
These exercises are not meant to be a standard writing session. They are meant to be productive and to keep your brain thinking about using language to solve simple or complex problems. The worst thing you can do is sit there inactive. It's like taking a 5 minute breather in the middle of a spin class—the point is to push, to produce something, however imperfect. If you don't overthink them, you will be able to complete all of the exercises in under 30 minutes.
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Bonus Exercise: You must include a quote of at least three words in a row from the James Wright poem "Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota"
#231
First Line Bonanza 9
First Line Bonanza 9
For today's writing exercise write a piece that begins with one of the following first lines.
- The soldier was unmoved by our tales of tribulation.
- We'd given up on the chance of anyone finding us when the sound of bells approaching made us think we'd finally gone mad from desperation.
- The trout's rainbow scales reflected the sun in the shallow creek.
- Nothing would stop him.
- The distinct smell of bacon invaded my dreams and yanked my slumbering mind rudely awake.
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Bonus Exercise: You must include a quote of at least three words in a row from the James Wright poem "Lying in a Hammock at William Duffy’s Farm in Pine Island, Minnesota"
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If you'd like some background music to write to, try this mix of piano music from Claude Debussy.
