[stylist] November writing prompt

[Chris Kuell]

Hello, fellow writers. Sorry about the delay, but we lost power and cable (hence no telephone) and heat during the storm, and didn't get it back until yesterday, seven days later. And, just in the nick of time, since it's 22 degrees out right now. We had some limbs and trees down, and 2 phone poles snapped in half on my street, but compared to many people, we got off relatively easy. Which brings me to this month's writing prompt.

I think an appropriate theme for this prompt is 'gratitude'. We all have much to be grateful for, and I'd like you to write a poem, essay, memoir piece or short story with the idea of gratitude in mind. Any length, any style--I urge you to be creative. For instance, I might write about a town called Gratitude, North Dakota...       

This is not meant to be a race. If the muse hits and you hammer out something today, that's great. But, if you are like me, it may take a week or two to write something, and then another week to edit and revise it. Part of the reason to do a prompt is to get your creative juices flowing, but also to practice your craft. Post your responses by December first, although if you need a few extra days you won't be penalized.

Finally, as people post their work, I urge everyone to read them and give constructive feedback. We all want to be supportive, naturally, but I hope we also want to grow and improve as writers. This happens in several ways, firstly by writing, but also by reading with a writer's mindset, always thinking--what works in this piece, and what doesn't? You will be amazed at how analyzing others writing improves your own. But, I also caution you to look at the writing, and not the opinions expressed. For example, if someone writes that Sarah Palin should really be president today, I disagree with the sentiment, but my feedback should only relate to the writing. Look for pacing, point of view, tense shifts, run-on sentences, clunky sentences or phrases, and so on. And of course, mention the things you liked about a piece--great imagery, solid dialogue, awesome symbolism, etc.

Good luck, and again, it's a broad theme and there's no right or wrong way to approach it. The most important thing is to write something.

chris