ABBA inspired today's writing prompts
And some inspiration from Isabel Allende.
Let’s start with a reading. This is Isabel Allende talking about her writing process:
“On January 8, 1981, I was living in Venezuela and I received a phone call that my beloved grandfather was dying. I began a letter for him that later became my first novel, The House of the Spirits. It was such a lucky book from the very beginning that I kept that lucky date to start. January 8th is a sacred day for me. I come to my office very early in the morning, alone. I light some candles for the spirits and the muses. I meditate for a while. I always have fresh flowers and incense. And I open myself completely to the experience that begins in that moment. I never know exactly what I’m going to write. I may have finished a book months before and may have been planning something, but it has happened already twice that when I sit down at the computer and turn it on, another thing comes out. It is as if I was pregnant with something, an elephant’s pregnancy, something that has been there for a very long time, growing, and then when I am able to relax completely and open myself to the writing, then the real book comes out. I try to write the first sentence in a state of trance, as if somebody else was writing it through me. That first sentence usually determines the whole book. It’s a door that opens to an unknown territory that I have to explore with my characters. And slowly, as I write, the story seems to unfold itself, in spite of me. It just happens.”
Don't you just love that? I feel like we should all pick a date -- IT COULD BE TODAY -- that we decide, every year, on this date, we are going to start writing something new. No matter what else is going on, no matter what else we're writing, on this specific date...we trust that something new needs to be written.
Can we all do that?
All of today’s prompts were inspired by ABBA songs.
Prompt #1: DANCING QUEEN – “You’re in the mood for a dance, and when you get the chance you are the dancing queen.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about a significant night from your past that involved dancing. Make a list of images from that night. Put yourself back in that moment and write down everything you see.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene from your work-in-progress that begins with two or more people dancing. Include a moment where someone talks about their mood.
RANDOM ELEMENT: SPECTACLE
Prompt #2: MAMMA MIA – “I’ve been broken-hearted. Blue since the day we parted.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about the last time someone broke your heart.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a monologue for one of your characters where they talk about having their heart broken.
RANDOM ELEMENT: a crowd!
Prompt #3: TAKE A CHANCE – “I was glad to hear you’re coming, suddenly I feel all right.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about a close friend and all of the ways you express your love to each other.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, who does your protagonist trust? Who do they confide in? Freewrite/brainstorm about their closest non-romantic relationships.
RANDOM ELEMENT: death
Prompt #4: WATERLOO – “The history book on the shelf is always repeating itself.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about a mistake or a misdeed or something problematic that you’ve done or experienced more than once in your life? What parts of your own history do you keep repeating?
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, do some freewriting about the lessons your protagonist needs to learn.
RANDOM ELEMENT: smoke
Prompt #5: LAY ALL YOUR LOVE ON ME – “I wasn’t jealous before we met. Now every woman I see is a potential threat.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about your relationship with jealousy. Write about the most jealous you’ve ever felt about something and when did you experience the most jealousy from someone else?
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a confrontation scene where one of your characters acts out of jealousy.
RANDOM ELEMENT: abundance!! ABUNDANCE!
Prompt #6: KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU – “Walking through an empty house, tears in my eyes. Here is where the story ends, this is goodbye.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about a PLACE that used to be a huge part of your life that you don’t go to anymore. An old home, an old friend’s home, a restaurant that’s gone, wherever. Pick a place and write down five pivotal memories from this place.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, make a list of the locations in your story. Freewrite about what each location means to your characters.
RANDOM ELEMENT: feeling safe
Prompt #7: FERNANDO – “There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write a memory of a significant moment that took place outside late at night. A night when it felt like “there was something in the air.”
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a romantic scene, late at night, outside, between two of your characters. Include one expression of regret.
RANDOM ELEMENT: letting go
Prompt #8: SLIPPING THROUGH MY FINGERS – “She keeps on growing, slipping through my fingers all the time.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about something that feels ephemeral, something that makes you feel melancholy, something that you wish could last forever but that you know will come to an end. Try to capture all the reasons it’s special.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your protagonist talks about something they’re afraid to lose.
RANDOM ELEMENT: A song that makes you move.
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One final thought. The question I asked everyone at the midpoint of today's sprint was: if your life was a jukebox musical, what singer/band/musician would you want to underscore your journey?
What would your answer be? (Please comment below or email me, I would love to know!)
Get my prompt books: https://www.camdenhighstreetbooks.com
Attend a writing sprint with me on Zoom: https://www.patreon.com/erikpatterson
Commission a prompt via Cameo: https://www.cameo.com/erikpatterson
Read one of my plays: https://www.camdenhighstreetbooks.com/plays