Four Weddings and a Funeral (writing prompts!)

And a poem by Mike Golden.

Your Daily Writing Prompt

Dec 20, 2024

Let’s start with a reading. This is a poem by Mike Golden. It's short but sweet.

Write a fucking poem
By Mike Golden

Write a fucking poem

Every fucking time
you don’t know what to do.

You’ll have a body of work
despite yourself.

I mean…He’s not wrong, right?????

Today’s prompts were inspired by the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral.

EXERCISE #1: “I am, as ever, in bewildered awe of anyone who can make this kind of commitment.”

JOURNALING PROMPT: What is the longest, deepest commitment you’ve ever held? Write about why you think you have been (or were) able to make it work.

FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, make a list of three people, things, or ideas that your protagonist is deeply committed to. Write a monologue where they passionately argue for one of these commitments.

RANDOM ELEMENT: envy

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EXERCISE #2: “I think we’re both missing an opportunity here.”

JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about an opportunity you didn’t take advantage of.

FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your protagonist is faced with an enormous choice. Make it life-altering. Include a repeated phrase, the word “opportunity,” and a firm decision.

RANDOM ELEMENT: blood

EXERCISE #3: “He was my North, my South, my East, my West.”

JOURNALING PROMPT: Compare someone you love to a sound, a smell, a taste, a tactile sensation, a weather pattern, an inanimate object, a food, a mode of transportation, a celebrity, a beverage, a city, and a piece of clothing.

FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, do the above for your protagonist and someone they love, then use the best metaphor in a scene.

EXERCISE #4: “Be happy and don’t forget us.”

JOURNALING PROMPT: What does happiness mean to you?

FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, freewrite about your protagonist’s happiest moment.

RANDOM ELEMENT: sweat

EXERCISE #5: “The great advantage of having a reputation for being stupid: people are less suspicious of you.”

JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about the top five stupidest things you’ve ever done.

FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your protagonist confesses to an act of supreme stupidity.

RANDOM ELEMENT: space

EXERCISE #6: “I’ve got a new theory about marriage. Two people are in love, they live together, and then suddenly one day they run out of conversation.”

JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about your relationship with silence. Who do you feel comfortable being silent with?

FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene without any dialogue. Include: an agreement, an act of kindness, and something mundane.

EXERCISE #7: “Excuse me. I think I had better be where other people are not.”

JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about a time when you were at the wrong place at the wrong time, a time when you wished you could literally disappear.

FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your protagonist is trying to get out of a situation but they can’t. Let them get more and more desperate as the scene progresses.

RANDOM ELEMENT: a secret

EXERCISE #8: “I remember the first time I saw Gareth on the dancefloor. I feared lives would be lost.”

JOURNALING PROMPT: Where do you feel most at ease, most comfortable, most able to let your inhibitions go?

FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your protagonist eulogizes someone. Include an anecdote about how they met.

RANDOM ELEMENT: wings