Ghostbusters (writing prompts!)
And some inspiration from Taylor Mac.
Your Daily Creative Inspiration
Before we start writing, I found this quote from Taylor Mac inspiring:
“You can’t really be an artist and not embrace failure. Maybe someone can—I don’t see how I could. I once heard Brian Dennehy say that you have eight shows a week, and one’s going to be your best and one’s going to be your worst. I think of that in terms of a life commitment to the arts but also a life commitment to being present with people. You know one of your days is going to be the worst, one is going to be your best. If you think of it that way, it stops being a goal of only achieving good. What I’ve learned by touring and performing and living a life as a performing artist is that when something bad happens, it’s also an opportunity for something incredible to happen. Sometimes it happens in the next moment, and other times it happens in the next week, in the next performance. I call it incorporating calamity, and it’s about transforming it—when something horrible happens, you turn it into something useful. That’s what [A 24 Decade History of Popular Music] is about—how communities are torn apart but because they’re torn apart, they’re also rebuilt. That has happened in the United States over and over again. It comes from the AIDS activism I saw, where an entire queer community is devastated by the epidemic and by the government’s response to it and by their families’ response to them. But meanwhile, they’re building themselves because they’re all gathered to fight this thing together and to take care of each other. My favorite artists are people who are willing to be human and have flaws in their performances—from Maria Callas to Nina Simone. They’re willing to risk something that’s off pitch or that’s kind of wrong in order to make something more communal and, I would argue, real. But that’s not to say that reaching for the hem of God, reaching for perfection, reaching for virtuosity isn’t also gorgeous. I like to combine the two so that you see the virtuosity next to the thing that’s completely flawed.”
Countdown Until My New Book Comes out!
Write a Romantasy comes out in 84 days. Pre-order it here: https://amzn.to/439nY1x
Your Daily Writing Prompt
And now for a dramatic shifting of gears, tonight's prompts were inspired by the original Ghostbusters movie!
EXERCISE #1: “You’re right, no human being would stack books like this.”
PERSONAL PROMPT: Make a list of your own personal quirks, strange habits, odd interests, any unusual things you like. Come up with as many as you can, then pick one to explore more deeply.
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, make a list of the characters in your current work-in-progress and think of at least two strange habits or odd quirks for EACH character. Discover new things about them.
EXERCISE #2: “We came, we saw, we kicked its ass.”
PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about your greatest victory.
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your protagonist gets something BIG that they DESPERATELY WANT.
EXERCISE #3: “Ray, when someone asks you if you’re a god, you say YES!”
PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about a time when you felt powerful.
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a monologue where one of your characters talks about something they did that they’re proud of. Something they did that makes them feel big.
EXERCISE #4: “Your girlfriend lives in the corner penthouse of spook central.”
PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about the worst place you’ve ever lived (or even the worst place you ever stayed the night at). Be super specific about why it was bad.
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene that takes place in a location that your main character hates. Include a confession.
EXERCISE #5: “I make it a rule never to get involved with possessed people.”
PERSONAL PROMPT: What are your biggest red flags (either in romantic relationships or friendships)?
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, freewrite about your protagonist’s dating history and what red flags they try to avoid and why.
EXERCISE #6: “The door swings both ways, we could reverse the particle flow through the gate.”
PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about a duality within yourself, one of your contradictions.
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, freewrite/brainstorm at least 5 of your protagonist’s inner contradictions.
EXERCISE #7: “I tried to think of the most harmless thing. Something I loved from my childhood. Something that could never possibly destroy us. Mr. Stay Puft.
PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about something you love from your childhood.
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a monologue where your protagonist tells a story of one of their favorite things from childhood. Include something comforting and something destructive.
EXERCISE #8: “Have you or your family ever seen a spook, spectre, or ghost?”
PERSONAL PROMPT: That line of dialogue is your prompt. HAVE you ever seen a ghost? Write about your experiences with the supernatural. Or if you have none, write about THAT.
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your protagonist encounters some sort of ghost or otherworldly being. Even if it doesn’t tonally fit what you’re writing, do it to explore how they would react.
Thank You For Being Here
Pre-order my new books coming soon from Adams Media/Simon and Schuster!
Write a Romantasy! 99 Prompts to Write a Tale of Heart and Heroism
Write a Dystopian Novel! 99 Prompts to Write a Tale of Ruin and Rebellion
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
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