The prompt focuses on alliteration.
Echoes of a wooden table…
Author: Lorelle VanFossen
Prompt: Isolate a Character
The prompt today focuses on character development.
Put yourself into a character and isolate the characters in and around you from your character.
What would you do if you had no resources?
Put your character at risk.
Make yourself feel like a stranger.
Prompt: What My Pet Taught Me
The prompt this week was:
What my pet or an animal taught me.
Have you learned a life lesson from your pets or from an encounter with an animal?
Maybe this isn’t about a personal story but an encounter with a pet or animal for another character. What happened? What was the response of the character and the animal? What did they learn?
Prompt: Write Like William Stafford
As part of the preparations for the Centennial Celebration of the birth of William Stafford, our prompt was:
Write like William Stafford.
You may read selected poems by William Stafford from the William Stafford Poetry preserved by the Friends of William Stafford to assist you with this prompt.
We’ve also put together a post with more information on William Stafford and his work.
Prompt: Something You Know By Heart
The prompt is to write about something you know by heart.
Look deep. Peel off the layers. What do you know down to your soul or toes or whatever metaphor you wish.
You may write a personal story or use characters to demonstrate something they know by heart.
Prompt: Writing with Verbs Only
The prompt involves writing with verbs only to describe a scene.
- Moving in a confined space. How does the character or characters move around within the space of the scene. Think of moving verbs that describe sound as well as movement like slither, slide, struggle, face.
- Talking in a particular volume. How does the character(s) speak. Use speaking verbs that describe the sound and volume to paint the picture like shout, scream, whisper, hiss, mumble, argue.
- Extend a body part. Have the character(s) move their limbs with verbs that paint the movement such as reach, push, pull, lift, thrust, curl, stab, twist.
Prompt: Doodle with Words
The prompt this week was a fun one.
Doodle with words.
The goal of the exercise was to break through writer’s block. Taking a blank piece of paper, write a word. Write another word attached or near it. Play with the way you write the word. Maybe draw a picture next to the word. No rules, just keep adding words one by one and see where they take you. When you are ready, start writing.
Writers in the Grove Honors the William Stafford Centennial
Writers in the Grove is working with the Forest Grove Library and other writers groups and educational institutions to celebrate the William Stafford Centennial Celebrations to honor his birth.
Throughout 2013-14, we will be involved with special events and activities to not only honor the Poet Laureate of the United States and Oregon, but study and learn more about his work.
You may read selected poems by William Stafford from the William Stafford Poetry preserved by the Friends of William Stafford.
About William Stafford
William Stafford is a famous American poet and pacifist, and was the 20th Consultant in Poetry to the US Library of Congress, today known as the Poet Laureate. Born in the depression, his family migrated around the country looking for work, and when the draft came for World War II, already in university studies, he declared himself a conscientious objector and registered pacifist. At the age of 46, his first major collection of poetry was published, Traveling Through the Dark, filled with poetic stories and impressions of his interactions with nature and farm life, honoring the words he used to describe himself as one of “the quiet of the land.” It won the 1963 National Book Award for Poetry. He published over 65 volumes of poetry and prose before his death in 1993
Stafford and his wife moved to Oregon to teach at Lewis and Clark College, where he remained until his retirement in 1980. To honor the 100th anniversary of his birth, the state of Oregon held a Centennial Celebration, and Writers in the Grove joined the celebration with special projects, events, readings, prompts, and educational sessions.
Prompt: I’m Fine…When You’re Not
The prompt this week was:
Saying fine when you’re not.
Set yourself a scenario where your characters are in a stressful or bad situation and they have to say that they are fine when they aren’t. They have to be brave. Consider situations of bullying when a child or adult is asked but compelled to respond with “I’m fine” as some form of protection or defense.
Prompt: Home Remedies
Growing up, did your family have home remedies, possibly passed down from generation to generation?
Some home remedies have been proven to be effective. Some are mere panaceas, of comfort to those giving and receiving the treatment.
The prompt is to write about a home remedy in your family or one you’ve overheard. Tell the story by tapping into the emotional and sensual descriptions of the experience, good or bad.
Writers in the Grove 