Scream (writing prompts!)
And some inspiration from Hanya Yanagihara.
Hello, writers!
Your Daily Creative Inspiration
So as you know, I always like to ask a question at the Sprint midpoint. Something random and light that people can answer in the zoom chat box so that we have one moment where we're interacting... Today I asked people to share a home improvement that they hope and dream for one day. I am putting their answers here because NOW I WANT ALL OF THESE THINGS, but also, maybe putting them here in this blog post will help them feel real and BECOME real soon for all of you.
We are dreaming of: conversation pits, clawed bathtubs, welding sheds (THIS ONE IS WILD TO ME FOR SOME REASON, I LOVE IT), speakeasy that you get to through a fridge in the garage, a room of your own where you can shut the door (!!!!!), a separate studio workspace in the backyard, a lawn with a patio for outdoor dining (with twinkle lights, many twinkle lights), a tiny house, an outdoor shower and also a hot tub and also a pool (ALL OF THE OUTDOOR WATER), a garden, a separate library/recording space, a master bedroom with a jacuzzi on one side and an art studio on the other, a second story balcony with a roof garden, a BIG closet, a fancy cordless vacuum, a huge balcony coming out of your bedroom, a build in fire pit, and an orange enamel floating fireplace from the 60s.
Your Daily Creative Inspiration
Okay, now this Hanya Yanagihara quote actually feels like it's in response to our dreams...
Hanya Yanagihara: “To be too obviously, unapologetically emotional is to risk being considered foolish, or at the very least not serious. … I wanted to write something big, something excessive: something extravagant and self-indulgent and large of emotion and feeling…ignoring the parameters of good taste.”
Let's all ignore the parameters of good taste. Fuck good taste.
Happy writing! x Erik
Your Daily Writing Prompt
Today’s prompts were inspired by the original SCREAM movie.
EXERCISE #1: “I’m sorry I mangled your face.”
PERSONAL PROMPT: Write an apology to someone. Make it an OLD and LONG OVERDUE apology.
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your protagonist tries to apologize to another character, but this other character doesn’t want to hear the apology.
RANDOM BONUS ELEMENT: incorporate the word “free”
EXERCISE #2: “There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie.”
PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about five rules that you govern your own life by. How and why do you live by these principals?
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, freewrite about five rules that your protagonist always follows. Think of this as five core beliefs that they hold.
RANDOM BONUS ELEMENT: use too many exclamation points
EXERCISE #3: “The question isn’t who am I, the question is where am I?”
PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about a PLACE that you feel most connected to and what this place says about you.
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, make a quick list of five locations that mean something to your protagonist. Then write a scene set in one of these locations where your protagonist is alone. Who are they when they aren’t being watched?
RANDOM BONUS ELEMENT: include a smell and a sound
EXERCISE #4: “The girl has some serious issues.”
PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about one of your “issues,” something you’re trying to work on.
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, freewrite about something that your protagonist needs to LEARN. What is getting in their way?
RANDOM BONUS ELEMENT: an item of food
EXERCISE #5: “You can only hear that Richard Gere gerbil story so many times before you start to believe it.”
PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about a relationship you’ve had with a rumor: a rumor about yourself that wasn’t true, or a rumor you contributed to spreading, or a rumor you falsely believed.
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where a character confronts your protagonist about a rumor they heard...
RANDOM BONUS ELEMENT: write the scene twice, once where the rumor is true and once where the rumor is false
EXERCISE #6: “Enough is enough. I can’t wallow in the grief process forever.”
PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about a grief that still feels raw. Make a list of memories connected to this loss. They don’t have to be complete thoughts, just fragments and images.
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, think of someone NEW right now who your protagonist was CLOSE TO, someone they lost. Write a conversation between them.
RANDOM BONUS ELEMENT: an article of clothing that belonged to this person
EXERCISE #7: “It’ll be like my hurricane bash last year. Nothing extreme. Just a few of us, hangin.”
PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about the best party you’ve ever been to. Recreate some of the conversations from that night, and make up what you don’t remember.
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a dinner party scene. Put at least five characters around a table and throw them into a HEATED CONVERSATION. Hurt some feelings.
RANDOM BONUS ELEMENT: include a song
EXERCISE #8: “You’re not so sure anymore, are you?”
PERSONAL PROMPT: Write about something you’re uncertain of. Perhaps a worry that you need to untangle.
NARRATIVE PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where your protagonist wakes up in the middle of the night worried about something.
RANDOM BONUS ELEMENT: a hopeful thought
Your Daily Recommendation
If you haven’t read Jennifer Egan’s A Visit From the Goon Squad, it might be your new favorite book. I mean it. I read it years ago and I think about it all the time.
Thank You For Being Here
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Commission a prompt via Cameo: https://www.cameo.com/erikpatterson
Read one of my plays: https://www.camdenhighstreetbooks.com/plays
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