Minari (writing prompts!)

And some inspiration from Taylor Mac.

May 20, 2025

Your Daily Creative Inspiration

So at the Sunday Sprints midpoint, I like to ask a random question for people to answer in the zoom chat box. Since we're all sitting in our own separate windows writing away, it's nice to have a moment where we connect and share something (that isn't related to what we're writing). At the most recent Sprint, I asked writers to share something (a food, sound, object, anything) that makes them nostalgic for childhood.

Here were some of their answers: oldies music, rollercoasters, picnic tables, shel Silverstein, apples & cinnamon, John Denver, wood burning fires, rice pudding, nail polish remover, row boats, the Big Dipper, dachshunds, bonfires at the beach, and ice cream cones. What makes YOU nostalgic for childhood? Try to incorporate one of the answers above (or your own answer) into your next writing session.

And now for some inspiration from Taylor Mac:

“My job as a theater artist is to remind people of the things they’ve forgotten, dismissed, or buried, or that other people have buried for them.”

I love that. What are you trying to remind people with your writing?

Countdown Until My New Book Comes out!

Write a Romantasy comes out in 98 days. Pre-order it here: https://amzn.to/439nY1x. I like to think of this book as a writing cookbook. Every prompt has multiple elements that you can pick and choose from when you’re writing, which means you can use each prompt multiple times to inspire multiple scenes. These prompts will help you generate romantasy ideas, romance ideas, and fantasy ideas. I cannot wait to read what you end up writing.

Your Daily Writing Prompt

Today’s prompts were inspired by the movie Minari.

EXERCISE #1: “Even if I fall, I have to finish what I started.”

PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about something you started that you never finished.

NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where one of your characters tells another character about their greatest failure and their greatest success.

EXERCISE #2: “Daddy is going to make a big garden.”

PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about something that you have tended and cared for. What obstacles did you face?

NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where we see your protagonist taking care of something and/or someone.

Share Your Daily Writing Prompt

EXERCISE #3: “We said we wanted a new start. This is it.”

PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about an area of your life that you wish you could reboot and start over again from scratch, knowing what you know now.

NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your main character gets a chance to start something again. A fresh start. It can be big or small.

EXERCISE #4: “Working outdoors makes me feel alive.”

PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about your relationship with specific outdoor spaces. If you have a yard, start with your relationship with your yard. Then zoom out to other outdoor spaces.

NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene set in an outdoor space that means something to your protagonist. Give them a physical activity to do that’s connected to that space. And include a conversation about an unresolved conflict they’re going through.

EXERCISE #5: “Getting hurt is all part of growing up.”

PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about a core memory from your childhood that involved getting hurt – either physically or emotionally – and how that moment informed who you are today.

NARRATIVE PROMPT: Do some freewriting/brainstorming about any traumatic experiences your protagonist had in their childhood that they might still be carrying with them.

EXERCISE #6: “Mom took Grandma to the hospital.”

PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about a time when you visited a family member at the hospital, try to remember FIVE specific moments that left an impression from that visit.

NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your main character visits a loved one at the hospital.

EXERCISE #7: “Things that hide are more scary and dangerous.”

PERSONAL PROMPT: What are you hiding from? Write about it – even if it feels scary.

NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, freewrite/brainstorm about something that your protagonist DOES NOT WANT TO FACE about themselves or about a loved one.