Body scan: Writers’ Well

Tags

creative writing, creativity, writing, writing prompt, writing workshop

Each week, I share one of the writing prompts used the previous Friday in my weekly workshop, along with an example of what was written in response. Today’s prompt was our three minute warm up last week.  All you do is sit or stand comfortably, and do an internal body scan. In other words, pay attention to any thoughts/feelings/sensations as you move your focus from your feet up through your body to your head. We just did a three minute ‘scan’ followed by three minutes writing whatever came, but you could of course extend this.

Actually, I’d had another warm up in mind, but had had a brief chat with the woman who runs the building where I offer the workshop, and my mind had wandered, so I needed something to help me get centered and grounded again. Here is what I wrote:

LOL – I spelled ‘soles’ wrong 😉

I feel spinning disks in the soles of my feet, and I can’t feel my toes. The socks and boots feel in the way – my feet are hungry for the feel of the earth and the weight of my body which they’re made to carry. They feel too light, too floaty, when I’m sitting. There’s not much to notice on the route up – until I reach my heart – a bit fast? Maybe my coffee was too strong. My neck feels thick and stiff and my head’s heavy, it wants to move and roll around, shift it’s weight, carry less.

 

I’m about to go for a walk with a friend so luckily my feet will have a chance to do their job again and feel my full weight for a bit after a morning of lots of playful thinking…

Take care of it all y’all; mind, body and soles/soul 😉

If you enjoyed this prompt, then you can find more here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/upcoming-writing-workshops-and-some-prompts-for-you-to-play-with/

and here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/writing-prompts-the-elements/

 

A line of dialogue… – Writers’ Well

Tags

creative collaboration, creative writing, creativity, dialogue, short story, stories, writing, writing prompt, writing workshop

Each week, I share one of the writing prompts used the previous Friday in my weekly workshop, along with an example of what was written in response. Today’s prompt is to take a line of dialogue and use it to start a short story. In our group we each wrote two lines of dialogue, one each on a small piece of paper, folded them up, and then each person picked one. If you’re doing this on your own you might want to write three or four and then pick one at random. I got “Well, that’s just how I’m made.” This is what I wrote in the 10 minutes allowed, no edits:

*********************************************************************************

“Well that’s just how I’m made.”

“And a good job too, I’d say,” replied her husband, as he pulled her to him and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

“Go on, ya daft beggar,” and she pushed him gently but firmly out of the front door, without closing it. He didn’t look back, but she didn’t close the door until she’d watched him get into the rusty blue old Ford he was too stingy to replace, and too stubborn to let anyone else have a look at. ‘I know cars,’ he would say.

She sighed. Well, that’s just how he’s made. She allowed herself a deep chuckle and closed the door.

She was kneading bread when the call came. It took a few rings for her to clean the flour off her hands. and she picked up the phone, careful not to disturb the photos that grew thick as spring daisies on the small counter top. There always seemed to be more.

“Hello, 63-20-17?” She dusted the photo frames lightly with her finger tips.

“Mrs Crosswell,” said an unfamiliar voice.

“That’s me.” She waited.

“Mrs Crosswell, I have your husband here. I’m afraid we picked him up in a vehicle that, well, frankly, it’s not road worthy. We can’t allow him to drive home in it until it’s been seen to.”

She took a breath. The roller coaster those few sentences had taken her imagination on had left her light headed, and she waited for the relief to take hold.

“The daft beggar,” she muttered.

“What was that Mrs Crosswell?”

“Thank you officer, I’m sure I’ll be along presently. John next door’ll run me over. I’ll be along officer. Presently.”

Just the way he’s made, she thought, shaking her head as she replaced the receiver. Well, she’d be making him when she saw him, and no mistake!

 

If you enjoyed this prompt, then you can find more here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/upcoming-writing-workshops-and-some-prompts-for-you-to-play-with/

and here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/writing-prompts-the-elements/

Mirror Mirror – Writers’ Well

Tags

creative writing, creativity, hafiz, poem, poetry, writing, writing prompt, writing workshop

 

 

Each week, I share one of the writing prompts used the previous Friday in my weekly workshop, along with an example of what was written in response. Today’s prompt (allow about 5 mins in total) is…Read the following poem by Hafiz. Allow yourself a moment to feel into your own response, and then write whatever comes for about three minutes.

Perfect Equanimity by Hafiz

Look how a mirror
will reflect with perfect equanimity
all actions
before
it.

There is no act in this world
that will ever cause the mirror to look away.

There is no act in this world that will
ever make the mirror
say ‘no.’

The mirror, like perfect love, will just keep giving
of itself to all
before
it.

How did the mirror ever get like that, so polite,
so grand, so compassionate?

It watched God.

Yes, the mirror remembers the Beloved
looking into itself as the Beloved shaped existence’s heart
and the mirror’s
soul.

My eye has the nature of God.

Hafiz looks upon all with perfect equanimity,
as do my words,
dear.

My poems will never tell you no,
because the Mirror is
not like
that,

and if God ever hits you with a don’t –

He has His fingers crossed,

He is just fibbing
for your own
good.

http://www.poetseers.org/the-poetseers/hafiz/hafiz-poems-the-gift/hlove/2-2/index.html

From ‘Love Poems From God’ by Daniel Ladinsky. This is my most treasured book of poems, given to me by a friend for my 30th birthday. This was my three minute response last Friday, but I would no doubt write something quite different if I did the same thing today.

 

So a mirror is like freedom. At once inviting, but also frightening, because with such clear and loving truth, comes responsibility. We ask for truth, celebrate it, but how willing are we, what amount of courage does it take to receive it, see it? And the mirror, like truth, is unmoving. It does not ripple or wave, like a pond or the ocean. It is still, clear, solid in its way, and untouchable, slowing down everything that approaches for to see what is so still, we must be still too.

 

If you enjoyed this prompt, then you can find more here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/upcoming-writing-workshops-and-some-prompts-for-you-to-play-with/

and here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/writing-prompts-the-elements/

Can I help you? – Writers’ Well

Tags

creative writing, creativity, writing, writing prompt, writing workshop

Each week, I share one of the writing prompts used recently in one of my workshops, along with an example of what was written in response. Today’s prompt (allow 10 mins) is…“Excuse me, can I help you?”

Just write a story beginning with that line of dialogue, and take it in any direction you choose!

I am delighted to have the opportunity to share, with her permission, a story written by one of my regular participants. This is exactly as written, no editing or changes, created spontaneously in the 10 minutes allowed. Enjoy:-)

“Excuse me, can I help you?”

“No!”

The bitter, dirty back of the old woman turned away from the young man.

“You look like you’ve lost something”.

“Go away, you young varmint! I got nothing worth yer nicking!”

Her face was lined like a contoured map, the hills and valleys, challenges and

sadnesses of a life lived, so it seemed, without much in the way of comfort.

“Go on, bugger off!”

But the young man didn’t bugger off.

“Let me help you look”, he said, turning over the rubbish in the bin just as

she was. “What are we looking for?” he asked after a bit, when she didn’t

beat him about the head.

“Mind your own business”.

“Well whatever it is, it’s thirsty work”, he said. “Let’s have a cuppa, shall

we?” and he pulled a flask and two cups out of his bag.

The old woman’s greedy face searched his.

“It won’t have enough sugar in it”, she said but she took the tea he handed

her anyway.

“I lost something a while back”, the young man said. “I’ve searched for it

everywhere but I can’t find it”.

She looked at him with some interest and turned away. There was a long

silence.

“Well I lost my baby, so there!” she said, hurling it like a cannon ball of pain.

He reached out his hand and touched her’s, then held it. And then into the

space which held only the two of them and her lost baby, she wept and wept

her grief. Finally the torrent abated.

“What did you lose then?” she sniffed.

“My self respect”, the young man answered, quietly. “You just helped me

find it.”

 

If you enjoyed this prompt, then you can find more here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/upcoming-writing-workshops-and-some-prompts-for-you-to-play-with/

and here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/writing-prompts-the-elements/

 

Art that inspires – Writers’ Well

Tags

creative writing, creativity, writing, writing prompt, writing workshop

Each week, I share one of the writing prompts used the previous Friday in my weekly workshop, along with an example of what was written in response. Today’s prompt (allow just 5 mins in total) is…Find a memory of a piece of art/performance, in any form (music, dance, theatre, painting etc etc) that really inspired and moved you. Immerse yourself deeply in that memory for a minute or two. Then write for three minutes.

As often happens, I was surprised by the memory that came to mind, a gumboots dance performance by a youth drama group ‘Ikamva le Afrika’ I worked with in South Africa. This is what I wrote:

I was watching you from the crowd, a large audience the likes of which you had never performed in front of before, but you were totally unfazed. Your immaculate timing, your collective joy and commitment, pride in what you were doing – wow – I get goosebumps all over again remembering it. And then – the after glow. I was there, basking in the joy of your excited, exuberant faces when an older white lady approached a small group of you boys, you girls stood behind though you’d danced too – a feat in itself – and the woman said, “You, your performance, you’ve changed my life.”

I watched you take that on, grow several inches and find a new place in the world, still standing exactly where you were.

 

A little explanation:

The group performed an incredible 15 minute set of gumboots dancing, which they’d choreographed themselves, at an evening celebrating youth, as part of the 1999 Parliament of World Religions in Cape Town. The photos are from a rehearsal – sorry they’re so poor, my camera was giving out by then…

https://parliamentofreligions.org/parliament/1999-cape-town/cape-town-1999

Why that memory? I’ve seen/experienced a lot of great ‘art’ in many forms since then, some of it perhaps objectively more accomplished and impressive but this performance remains one of the bravest I’ve ever seen. Why? Because in that moment they really took their place in the world, and people noticed. Good art moves; the creator and the audience both, and good art changes the world by changing one heart, one soul, at a time, just like that lady from the audience said. And it stays with you…just like this memory has, so much so that it still genuinely gives me goosebumps. even after 18 years…

 

If you enjoyed this prompt, then you can find more here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/upcoming-writing-workshops-and-some-prompts-for-you-to-play-with/

and here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/writing-prompts-the-elements/

The five senses – Writers’ Well

Tags

community, creative collaboration, creative writing, creativity, friendship, loneliness, poem, poetry, the senses, writing, writing prompt, writing workshop

Each week, I share one of the writing prompts used the previous Friday in my weekly workshop, along with an example of what was written in response. Today’s prompt (allow about 10/15 mins in total) is…Start with the senses.

You need three things to give you a frame; a time of day, a time of year, a place (generic). We were three, so we each had a piece of paper and wrote one thing, passed it on, added another, passed it on, added the last and then passed it back to the originator. I got:

5.30 am, autumn, a harbour

You can now write anything, using those three things as to guide to inspire, frame what you write. The only rule…you must refer to all five senses; sight, smell, hearing, taste, touch. This is what I wrote:

image credit: http://www.explorecrete.com/crete-west/Loutro.html

The air is crisp but not uncomfortably cold. It’s sill very much dawn, and the palette of the sky is changing by the second; grays, blues, purples and the remains of silver from a moon whose work is almost done.

There’s a silence, or rather a hush over everything that’s magical, secretive, like I shouldn’t really be here yet. I’m a special guest who’s arrived early, while the rest of the world sleeps on, dreams on.

I close my eyes to savour the smells; salt, fish, gasoline and I hear the sea, lapping at the quayside while the lazy chains of the anchored boats knock knock against the wooden hulls. I sit and dangle my feet in the water, watching in the gradually lifting darkness – is that – no! A boat coming in? And I thought I was early! But then again…wow, already 7 o’clock. The first ferry of the day, and the magic is lifting, disappearing, running scared from a day whose busy-ness is about to arrive and chase it away.

I shiver a little. The sun still hasn’t reached this spot, and my feet in the water have cooled my whole body. I stand and walk back towards the apartment, slowly, lingering, and as people crowd around the ferry to unload the deliveries I can almost taste the fresh bread and the sweet oranges being wheelbarrowed bumpily away over the pebbled beach to the hotels and tavernas, to be turned into breakfast.

I carry my sandals still, feeling my feet mould to the stones beneath them with each careful step. I look out towards the horizon where the sun is no longer hiding any of itself, a bright full circle though still low, and wonder what this day will bring.

Yes, I know I pushed the ‘autumn’ part a bit, but really, September/October in Crete is gorgeous!

*********

And, as I didn’t offer a ‘writers’ well’ post last week, here’s a second prompt! Firstly, complete this phrase with you own ideas, at least 5 times;

A good friend is…

And now this one, also at least five times…

Community is…

Using the creative emotional juices now flowing from making those lists, write a poem entitled An Antidote to Loneliness. Here’s my version:

Antidote to loneliness

 

A friend is after all

Only a stranger

You haven’t met yet

Community begins after all

With the man next door

Who’s just finished mowing

his front lawn

And stands by the pavement

To catch your eye

As you pass by

Wanting to chat

For he doesn’t know

You have somewhere to be

But take each opportunity

To build from the material

Surrounding you

Though they may yet disguise

What they can become

Should you dare

To get your hands dirty

And bring them together

Heart thirsty

But it takes more

To meet that need

That turning on a tap

So put on your hat

Coat too if it’s cold

And be bold

There’s a whole workd

Beyond those four walls

That will share songs

If you’ll open your ears

To listen

And food

If you’ll bring what you can

To the table

To share

And dance

If you’ll offer your hands

And let the circle hold

You move you

Growth doesn’t happen

Inside the packet

Dreaming of becoming

The beautiful picture

With the fancy name

so open the door

the whole world is your home

and you don’t need keys

to be let in

but you might want to check you have

your house keys on your way out

in case you want

to get in again.

 

If you enjoyed these prompts, then you can find more here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/upcoming-writing-workshops-and-some-prompts-for-you-to-play-with/

and here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/writing-prompts-the-elements/

Wednesday Writers’ Well

Tags

blackout poem, compost, creative writing, creativity, fable, first time, found poem, gratitude, hero, heroism, humour, imagination, job, joy, mistakes, nature, poem, poetry, river, soul food, spring, story, TED talks, well, well being, work, writing prompt, writing workshop

“The aspiring poet is constantly lowering a bucket only half way down a well. coming up time and again with nothing but empty air. The frustration is immense. But you must keep doing it anyway. After many years of practice, the chain draws unexpectedly tight, and you have dipped into the waters that will continue to entice you back. You’ll have broken the skin on the pool of yourself.”

 – SEAMUS HEANEY

Welcome back after a brief break, to this regular slot each Wednesday, which I call Writers’ Well because: it’s intended to be a source of nourishment and inspiration for the writer in you, it expresses my belief that creative writing can benefit our well being on many levels, and…I love the above quote from Seamus Heaney. It gives me goosebumps every time. It also resonates with my own intention when leading writing workshops. It’s not about producing good writing, it’s about brave, real writing. Writing that goes down deep within to draw up something unexpected.

Writing Prompt:

My recent trip to Scotland included several visits to my mother, who still has a couple of shelves of my ‘ unthrowable away stuff,’ some of which will eventually become ‘throwawayable’, when I have time to sort through it. Among all this I found some personal treasure – a collection of writing prompts and some responses from the very first creative writing sessions I held, five years ago, filed in a folder I’d made immediately after that first session, driven by the buzz of joy and playfulness I’d been left brimming with. I made it from a gift bag left over from my birthday.

This week I’d like to share a very simple prompt, which was part of that very first writing workshop I held – when I had just one participant. It’s super simple and has never failed to bring lots of playful laughter, and some rather random stories. I’ve used it several times since, especially when I’m writing with just one other person.

Each person writes the first sentence of a story, anything at all, and then passes it to the other person who then writes the second sentence and passes it back etc etc writing just one sentence at a time. The speed helps the imagination as does the cross pollination with someone else’s style and ideas. If you want to try this on your own…I guess you could write two stories at a time, alternating between them, and adding just one sentence at a time to each.

This is one of the stories my first ‘student’ and I co-wrote, five years ago. I think I originally set the task at 10 minutes, but we couldn’t stop so I think it ran longer! This particular story ended up in a style for children…I don’t know why, just because. If you look at the photo closely you can see the different styles of handwriting, and the blue VS black ink marking our different contributions. Completely spontaneous and unedited, written in about 10/15 minutes. Enjoy 🙂

Once upon a time there was a wizard living at the bottom of our garden. This wizard really wanted to build a fish pond so he could observe the fish swimming. Of course, with magic, it doesn’t take long, and with a wand he built the pond, filling it with beautiful fish. But then he thought of something else the pond needed, was it a bridge or a swing? He closed his eyes and asked the fish what they wanted, to make their pond even more beautiful and grand.

The fish were not aesthetic experts, but they knew an architect just down the road. The architect was a toad who went by the name of Mr Knowit. Mr Knowit was delighted to come over – he loved giving advice, especially to lowly fish. In his superior way he made his own slow hopping round of the pond and declared, ‘I know exactly what this pond needs!’

They all clamoured to hear this pronouncement, but first he said it needed a brass band as an introduction to his speech. Well, where would they find a brass band at such short notice they wondered, and asked Mr Knowit, ‘Would a chorus of birds do?’ 

Yes they would do, but only if they first had a practice. Could they sing God Save The Queen for example? Well of course, that was one of their favourites the head fish assured Mr Knowit, and with a loud splash he called the birds to the nearest tree.

But Mr Knowit suddenly had a moment of shyness; perhaps he didn’t really know what was best for the fish! There was a loud intake of breath – Mr Knowit DIDN’T know it, so NOW what were they going to do!? Perhaps they could have an attunement, but alas they had no hands to hold, only tails. So they all faced out and, like the most skilled synchronized divers, touched their tails together in the centre and closed their eyes.

A strange silence came over the group and the wizard appeared and said, ‘What did you get?’

There must be a bridge woven from reeds that all may come to seek the wisdom of the fish!

Mr Knowit knew some other toads and a neighbourly beaver who, when called upon, were more that happy to lend their skills to building the bridge.

If you enjoyed this prompt, then you can find more here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/upcoming-writing-workshops-and-some-prompts-for-you-to-play-with/

and here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/writing-prompts-the-elements/

 

 

 

Wednesday Writers’ Well

Tags

blackout poem, compost, creative writing, creativity, fable, first time, found poem, gratitude, hero, heroism, humour, imagination, job, joy, mistakes, nature, poem, poetry, river, soul food, spring, story, TED talks, well, well being, work, writing prompt, writing workshop

“The aspiring poet is constantly lowering a bucket only half way down a well. coming up time and again with nothing but empty air. The frustration is immense. But you must keep doing it anyway. After many years of practice, the chain draws unexpectedly tight, and you have dipped into the waters that will continue to entice you back. You’ll have broken the skin on the pool of yourself.”

 – SEAMUS HEANEY

Welcome to this regular slot each Wednesday, which I call Writers’ Well because: it’s intended to be a source of nourishment and inspiration for the writer in you, it expresses my belief that creative writing can benefit our well being on many levels, and…I love the above quote from Seamus Heaney. It gives me goosebumps every time. It also resonates with my own intention when leading writing workshops. It’s not about producing good writing, it’s about brave, real writing. Writing that goes down deep within to draw up something unexpected.

Writing Prompt:

Each week, I share one of the writing prompts used the previous Friday in my weekly workshop, along with an example of what was written in response. Today’s prompt (take about 15 mins in total) begins with completing the following sentence five times – ‘It was the first time…’

Now, for the next ten minutes or so choose one of those sentences, and expand on it… This is what I wrote:

May I introduce…the river Findhorn. I’m heading up to Scotland today – can’t wait!

 

It was the first time she’d spoken to the river. It didn’t feel like anything special. Actually it felt entirely natural, the most natural thing in the world. It didn’t occur to her until later that she may have been seen, overheard.

‘Help me,’ she’d begun. ‘Take this away.’

The immediate wordless response took her breath away. It was gone! She looked all around her. It must be a trick. Who? What? Nothing. But the sadness she’d arrived with really had disappeared. She began to giggle, and it felt like the rapids mimicked her joy as they rushed, white-tipped and wild, towards her. She began to sing, directing her song to the movement of the water, until her new lightness turned into a contented emptiness. She sat on a rock and watched; not anything in particular, just watched.

She began to play ‘what if’. What if I jumped in, where would it take me? What if I knew how to build a shelter and stayed for a night right here on the river bank? What if I could ask this rock to tell me all that it’s seen and heard? What if I were perched on the top of that tree, light as a bird – what would I see? What if being me weren’t so different from anybody else? What if I belonged? Fitted in…

The game stopped. She didn’t fit in, but just maybe that was a good thing. She stood, with new resolve, and bowed to the river. As she turned to walk uphill, back the way she’d come, it didn’t feel like she was climbing, for inside she was already ‘up’, and could see more clearly where she wanted to go.

If you enjoyed this prompt, then you can find more here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/upcoming-writing-workshops-and-some-prompts-for-you-to-play-with/

and here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/writing-prompts-the-elements/

 

 

 

Wednesday Writers’ Well

Tags

blackout poem, compost, creative writing, creativity, fable, found poem, gratitude, hero, heroism, humour, imagination, job, joy, mistakes, nature, poem, poetry, soul food, spring, story, TED talks, well, well being, work, writing prompt, writing workshop

“The aspiring poet is constantly lowering a bucket only half way down a well. coming up time and again with nothing but empty air. The frustration is immense. But you must keep doing it anyway. After many years of practice, the chain draws unexpectedly tight, and you have dipped into the waters that will continue to entice you back. You’ll have broken the skin on the pool of yourself.”

 – SEAMUS HEANEY

Welcome to this regular slot each Wednesday, which I call Writers’ Well because: it’s intended to be a source of nourishment and inspiration for the writer in you, it expresses my belief that creative writing can benefit our well being on many levels, and…I love the above quote from Seamus Heaney. It gives me goosebumps every time. It also resonates with my own intention when leading writing workshops. It’s not about producing good writing, it’s about brave, real writing. Writing that goes down deep within to draw up something unexpected.

Writing Prompt:

Each week, I share one of the writing prompts used the previous Friday in my weekly workshop, along with an example of what was written in response. Today’s prompt (allow around 15/20 mins total) is in two parts, and is on the topic of – heroes or heroism.

To begin, take no more than 10 minutes to just write whatever comes as you reflect on this topic. You might describe an individual whom you consider to be a hero, or you might explore the qualities or demands or what we term heroism. Just write.

Now, for the next ten minutes or so you’re going to read what you’ve just written and extract, carve out, discover…a blackout poem. This simply means you underline, or circle, or in some other way highlight words (or parts of words) from the text to make a poem. Ideally you won’t change the order or form of the words at all.

This is what I ended up with:

Unsung heroes

meet

daily living

with honest graft, heart

write them

sing them

the world wouldn’t turn

without them

mothers go without

so children thrive

bus driver leaves his seat

to help

never mind the timetable

everywhere heroes

keeping us human

hearts standing strong

hope alight

your stories all around me

make lots

of little differences

 

 

If you enjoyed this prompt, then you can find more here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/upcoming-writing-workshops-and-some-prompts-for-you-to-play-with/

and here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/writing-prompts-the-elements/

 

 

 

Wednesday Writers’ Well

Tags

compost, creative writing, creativity, fable, gratitude, humour, imagination, job, joy, mistakes, nature, soul food, spring, story, TED talks, well, well being, work, writing prompt, writing workshop

“The aspiring poet is constantly lowering a bucket only half way down a well. coming up time and again with nothing but empty air. The frustration is immense. But you must keep doing it anyway. After many years of practice, the chain draws unexpectedly tight, and you have dipped into the waters that will continue to entice you back. You’ll have broken the skin on the pool of yourself.”

 – SEAMUS HEANEY

Welcome to this regular slot each Wednesday, which I call Writers’ Well because: it’s intended to be a source of nourishment and inspiration for the writer in you, it expresses my belief that creative writing can benefit our well being on many levels, and…I love the above quote from Seamus Heaney. It gives me goosebumps every time. It also resonates with my own intention when leading writing workshops. It’s not about producing good writing, it’s about brave, real writing. Writing that goes down deep within to draw up something unexpected.

Writing Prompt:

Each week, I share one of the writing prompts used the previous Friday in my weekly workshop, along with an example of what was written in response. Today’s prompt (allow around 5 mins) is to write briefly on the topic…but something else happened instead.

This prompt was inspired by this TED talk, which I watched recently. It gave me and my perfectionist tendencies plenty to think about. Check it out:

 

This is what I wrote:

Something else happened instead

They say God laughs when you plan because, so often, something else happens instead. That something is an invitation to trust I guess, though sometimes I don’t want to ‘invite’ or ‘welcome’ that something else at all! I want everything to go exactly as I’d hoped, wished, made for it to happen – but then I would’ve missed out on so many important moments – moments of joy, learning, surprise, the opportunity to grow and practice my resilience and responsiveness. 

I thought that poem would go down a storm. But something else happened instead. I was scared to send that email, expecting an angry response – but something else happened instead.

Life likes to keep me on my toes!

 

If you enjoyed this prompt, then you can find more here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/upcoming-writing-workshops-and-some-prompts-for-you-to-play-with/

and here:

https://wordsthatserve.wordpress.com/writing-prompts-the-elements/