I think it’s only right to resurrect PROMPTuesdays if I’m to go whole hog with this one-post-a-day effort. Plus, I’ve missed making up prompts that only I do or don’t do and is anyone out there anymore?
It’s OK. Sometimes it’s good to write in a vacuum.
So here’s the original post I wrote about PROMPTuesday, when I launched the idea in 2008:
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Let Your Imagination Bear Fruit.
So I want to be a writer. How about you? Or, maybe you just want to play with words, take pleasure in the creation of something thought-provoking, humorous, insightful?
Either way, I’ve decided to do something on San Diego Momma to inspire me, flex my writing muscles and make writing fun again.
To that end, what I’m going to do is this:
Every Tuesday, I will post a “PROMPTuesday” entry, where I’ll introduce a writing prompt and ask interested promptees to write on it, post it in their blog or if you don’t blog, in the comments section.
I’d LOVE to read what you’ve written and as I’m already wowed by most of your blogs/comments, this will do one of two things: cause me to writhe in jealousy or inspire me. (Probably a combination of both.) I will also participate in all prompts and post my entry here.
So here are the “rules:”
- You must write your entry in 10 minutes. This encourages top-of-mind, primal thinking before the ego and judgmental brain kicks in. Just set a timer, make your kid count to 600 slowly, whatever. It’s an honor system. And I trust you.
- Keep to 150 words or less.
- Use Mr. Linky (he’ll be here tomorrow), to post your entry, so everyone can read them. You don’t have to link back to me. I don’t care. Just write, I want you to write. If you don’t have a blog, please post your entry in the comments section.
- A new PROMPTuesday post will appear here every Tuesday morning and writers/just having funners will have until 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time to participate.
- Please have fun. Don’t put pressure on yourself. Together, let’s rediscover the simple joy of the writing process.
Prompts will be at my whim. If I say, “egg,” and “horror genre,” you will know what to do. Or not. That’s the beauty.
There will be some flash fiction, where you are given 3 minutes to write. Have you done this? It’s amazing what your mind dredges up.
Main thesis: I want this to be fun. BUT, I also want it to be fruitful. SO, at the end of three months, I will put those that have been be-prompted the most consistently (3 times and more) into a hat or Tinkerbell box and have Toots or Booger (probably Toots, Booger’s fingers are not to be trusted) and pull a name to receive something totally cool and awesome. And probably writerly. But I promise it won’t be a scary egg.
The first PROMPTuesday post will be here at midnight tonight.
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So a few amendments: I want the word limit to grow to 500 words if you’re feeling it and allow writing way past the 10 minutes if you like. In short, I plan to post my prompts here each Tuesday and anyone can do it, any time, in however long it takes.
We’re just writing, after all.
Here’s today’s prompt: California.
Maybe you’ve never been, maybe you’ve lived here all your life. What memory/thought/story is evoked by the word?
Post your submission in the comments OR post in your blog and leave a link to your blog in the comments.
Or, catch up on the PROMPTuesdays archive here.
I’ve got a lot to write about California: the state both birthed and broke me.
Like all the best things do.
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