Keeping in line with today’s post, today’s writing prompt comes from Jennifer Simpson. I like this writing exercise because it asks you to converge with the outer writing world by going to (and/or participating in) an open mic for poetry or prose.
Jenn’s Writing Prompt paired with a Live Reading:
While at an open mic/reading, jot down interesting words. Maybe they are words you’ve forgotten about, or words that just strike your fancy; gather about 20 of them… THEN work them into a prose piece or a poem.
If you can’t leave your house, I suggest listening to a story and doing the same. Though you don’t get the people/writer interactions, you can get the audio version of many stories online for free. Here’s a few that I like:
- Jennifer Egan reads Lore Segal’s “The Reverse Bug”
- Tobias Wolff reads Denis Johnson’s “Emergency”
- Dime Stories (to listen to 3-minute stories read by Albuquerque area locals) – the series is hosted by Jenn.
A Writer's March 