Back to the Future (writing prompts!)
You guys, it’s my birthday — well, yesterday, but close enough — so for my birthday, we’ve gotta take some inspiration from the best movie ever made, my favorite film ever, the great, the only, Back to the Future.
But first, a reading. This is Ocean Vuong:
“When I’m lost in the work, I’m curious. I don’t know if curiosity is a balm, because it often gets me in trouble, but it gives me control. It becomes fuel, and it brings me out of myself and into the world, even if I’ve just been sitting at my desk and thinking about spirals, which is what I’ve been thinking about this morning. The Italian philosopher Vico had this theory that time moves more in a spiral than it does in a line. He believes that’s why we repeat ourselves, including our tragedies, and that if we are more faithful to this movement, we can move away from the epicenter through distance and time, but we have to confront it every time. I’ve been thinking about trauma—how it’s repetitive, and how we recreate it, and how memory is fashioned by creation. Every time we remember, we create new neurons, which is why memory is so unreliable. I thought, “Well if the Greek root for ‘poet’ is ‘creator,’ then to remember is to create, and, therefore, to remember is to be a poet.” I thought it was so neat. Everyone’s a poet, as long as they remember.”
Today’s prompts were inspired by BACK TO THE FUTURE:
EXERCISE #1: “History is gonna change.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about a moment from your past that you wish you could change. If you could go back, how would you change it?
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your protagonist goes back to a moment in their own past. They encounter their younger self. What do they say to this earlier version of themselves?
BONUS ELEMENT: Letting Go
EXERCISE #2: “They found me. I don’t know how but they found me.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Someone opens the door and walks into the room you’re in right now. It’s the last person you want to see. Imagine the conversation you would have with this person.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene that starts with your protagonist saying: “They found me.” Who are they hiding from? Ingredients to include: taking off a piece of clothing, a barking dog, and a list.
BONUS ELEMENT: Waiting. (Also known as TENSION.)
EXERCISE #3: “He’s an absolute dream.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write an ode to someone you have a crush on. (This does not have to be a romantic crush. It can be a friend crush, a talent crush, a celebrity crush, a crush on a character in your favorite book.)
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where a character tells their friend about an inappropriate crush they have.
BONUS ELEMENT: a surprise
EXERCISE #4: “I remember when this was all farmland as far as the eye can see.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: I want you to think about transformation. What would you like to change about your community and how might you go about enacting that change?
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where a character pontificates about a significant change or growth in their lives. Lean into the idea of remembering – as an exercise, see how many times you can incorporate that phrase – “I remember” – into the scene.
BONUS ELEMENT: youth
EXERCISE #5: “I want to ask Lorraine out, but I don’t know how to do it.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Make a list of difficult questions you’d like to ask people. When you have at least five questions, pick one to explore more deeply.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where one of your characters asks another character out on a date. See how awkward you can make it. When you feel like you’ve reached peak awkwardness, go even further.
BONUS ELEMENT: deception
EXERCISE #6: “You’re a slacker just like your father.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Think of a parental figure in your life and write about the personality traits that you share with them.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your protagonist talks to one of their parents about a trait they’re upset about inheriting.
BONUS ELEMENT: breaking free
EXERCISE #7: “Marvin Berry! Your cousin! Now listen – I think this is the sound you’ve been looking for.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Think of one or two different songs that you would say “define” you. Write about your relationship with these songs.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your protagonist discovers a new (old) song. And for fun, let’s say they have to give someone bad news but they’re distracted by this song.
BONUS ELEMENT: the color green
EXERCISE #8: “It’s about the future, isn’t it? Information about the future???”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write out a vision of where you see yourself (and your loved ones) thirty years from today.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where someone makes a startling declaration about your protagonist’s future. Whatever they say should not land well.
BONUS ELEMENT: Fire! (Damnnnnnn.)
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