Getting Started

As I complained about yesterday, getting started is one of the hardest aspects about writing, or getting back into the practice of writing, again.  While I call this a Write-Along-Blog, it's been brought to my attention that I've yet to really offer any prompts for getting started again.  


I know, friends, it's been very difficult for me to continue a steady writing schedule since graduating from GC&SU in 2007 (which, now that I've said it, sounds so long ago).  In my attempts at applying for PhD programs this year, I thought that being back in the school setting would help me become a more disciplined writer.  But now that I haven't been accepted anywhere, I've started to wonder, what kind of writer can I really be if I can't write outside of the classroom?  


So, fellow writers, join me in taking the first step toward burning that habit of writing into muscle memory.  Here's a few prompts to get you started.  Pick one and write for at least 15 minutes.  Write in your journal, a notebook, a scrap of napkin.  Post as a comment!  I'll blog my response after I've done my laundry and planned out my next week's lessons.  Happy writing!


The prompts listed below come from a great book called Naming the World, edited by Bret Anthony Johnston, found here: http://www.bretanthonyjohnston.com/books/ntw/index.html It's FULL of exercises by well-known authors, and is organized by different elements. Point of view, Character, Dialogue, etc. In addition, the author also explains how the exercise is useful in creating a story (or part of it, anyway.)

Here's a few getting started from Joyce Carol Oates:
1. "An unsolved mystery is a thorn in the heart." This is the opening line of a short prose piece you are to write, meditating upon an "unsolved mystery" in your own life. You may wish to fictionalize.
2. A miniature narrative consisting of a single, very supple sentence.

Another:
Make a list of 5-10 significant "firsts" and as many "lasts." Choose the one which you find most compelling or can remember the most about. Write 500-1000 word description using sensory detail. Set it aside for awhile, then return to it with fresh eyes and add details you've remembered. It then asks you to add in the layers--the "So what." factor.

4. Start with this line from Frank O'Hara:
"Last night the moon seemed to say something."