Among many favorite memories of my father, one is the writing sessions we had together. These were quiet, companionable times when we’d both sit with paper and pen or pencil (Dad often wrote with a red mechanical pencil I gave him as a child; I knew how important writing was to Dad, and I already wanted to be a writer myself). Sometimes we chose comfortable folding chairs in the back yard on a sunny morning. Others we might sit at the kitchen table with coffee, and maybe music, especially jazz; or at Grandma’s picnic table in the downstairs patio when we visited Colorado. Our shared love of writing meant that even if we didn’t sit in the same room, knowing the other one was writing inspired us. Many times on our family lake reunions (back to my childhood home in upstate New York) Dad might sit sequestered on the sunporch, while I sat outside on the hill: both of us gazing at the lake, writing, feeling the inspiration flow.
Max and Rocco So perhaps there’s a reason I love Sisters in Crime’s ongoing Zoom write ins (worth the price of membership alone: generally around 13 or so available per week, except during January and November, when there are at least five write ins every day). Or prompt-based inspiration sessions, like the ones hosted by Keuka Writes (the writing group affiliated with my childhood home, and the literary journal of the Finger Lakes, Bluff & Vine, where I’m proud to say both Dad’s and my works have appeared). Or hosting such inspiration sessions myself, for Max’s Writers Café (free, ages 18+, online via Zoom, hosted by Hampton Public Library: I lead five or six sessions each fall and spring, which require individual registration via Eventbrite; here’s the overall collection where you can find all events).
The purpose of my inspiration sessions is
simply to help fellow creatives get started on something new. It can be
refreshing to let yourself dream up something unexpected from a prompt; and
something about writing with a time limit, especially in the company of others,
with an idea you didn’t expect, can help overcome that “stuck” feeling. So I
wrote these with the intention of inspiring some new rough drafts. Don’t expect
them to be perfect!
For each numbered concept below: read the
prompt first, then set a timer for ten minutes and start writing. Stop when the
timer ends. Though you’re writing on your own, obeying the timer should still
help train your brain to take the prompt seriously and get down to business.
(For me, this can help circumvent how daunting it can be to get started.) You
might be surprised by how much comes to you that you didn’t expect! And I hope
that some of these rough drafts will intrigue you enough to polish and/or
continue them later.
Ready? Begin.
Stress and Gratitude: Think about a
situation that your character finds so stressful or painful that it is causing
them deep anguish or worry. Imagine a moment in which gratitude for anything or
anyone in their life brings them peace or an ability to carry on (including
experiencing a moment of beauty, or a phone call from a loved one). How do they
get to this place of appreciation or gratitude? How does it change things for
them, even if just internally? Alternative: Explore the point of view of a
character such as a supervillain who might feel gratitude for things that cause
stress to others.
Long or Sleepless Nights: Long nights might be good or bad, maybe even both. Does your character enjoy sleeping a lot, or do they stay up late or lose sleep at night? Is it a choice they make, something they enjoy, or feel some drive to do? Or do they feel they have no choice but to stay up, or maybe have insomnia, can’t stop worrying, or fear what will happen when they close their eyes? How do they feel about fall and winter’s longer nights? Alternative: Delve into your character’s dark night of the soul.
From Farm to City: Your character might be literally driving produce from the family farm to a city market, or metaphorically “fresh off the farm,” entering a new job or school, or a new city or home. Does this new environment feel overwhelming, or simply different? Have they always “longed for the city,” or do they have regrets in “leaving the farm behind”? What brings them joy or heartache about their circumstances? Alternative: Wax poetic about farm life, gardening, or working the earth; or celebrate city life or community events (including those on a farm).
Seeing beyond the Ordinary. Imagine a person who works in any of the arts or sciences. Write about someone real or imaginary who invents technology or creates/participates in art (of any form). Your character might live in any time, past, present, or future; they might live by their imagination, live in a world of dreams, or experience visions in a spiritual, chemical, or science fiction/fantasy context. What goes into making things that touch other hearts or change lives (for good or ill)? What are the costs of this creative or dedicated life? Alternative: Imagine what your own ideal creative life might look like, and what steps you might take to get there.
If you’d like more prompts, here are some earlier installments in this series:
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Max Gardner (he/they) is a fiction writer & award-winning poet published under a variety of bylines, including Max Jason Peterson and Adele Gardner. A poetry collection, Halloween Hearts, is available from Jackanapes Press, while over 500 stories, poems, art, and articles appear in Analog, Clarkesworld, Strange Horizons, PodCastle, Daily Science Fiction, and more. Gardner serves as literary executor for father and mentor Delbert R. Gardner; Muse Mansion, a collection of poems by both father and firstborn, will be released soon by San Francisco Bay Press.
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