These prompts will warm you up for writing

Easy Read

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Eddie Shleyner introduced me to
these prompts.

Cheryl Strayed introduced him.

They’re a good way to get words on paper when you feel the writing muses are toying with you.

There are 15 of them.

I tried my hand at this one —

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Write about what you were really thinking.

“How was your day?”

.

.

.

silence.

“Ryan? … Ryan?!”

I looked up from the pot of boiling spaghetti.

“Huh?” I said

“How was your day?” Jordan repeated.

My day wasn’t going so well.

I was in my head. Lost.

I felt beaten because weeks previously I had been rejected by nine jobs. Nine.

I thought for sure I’d land one of them. Hence why I was gazing empty-minded into a pot of meat and sauce.

I felt like a failure. Like I had no purpose. Struggling with my career. To make something of myself.

I listen to Jordan speak daily about her job with passion and sporadic hand gestures. It’s inspiring and defeating.

I’m thrilled out of my skin that she’s so good and obsessed with what she does.

Recently it triggers my lack of self-esteem. I want to be where she is. And I’m struggling to figure out how to get there. I know that’s selfish. But it’s on my mind. It's all i wanted say but i could only muster …

“Oh sorry. Couldn’t hear over the fan.”
I said.

“Um. Yeah, good. Yano same old stuff. Nothing too exciting. How was yours?”

Jordan dove into another action packed day at work. I leaned over to try hear her above the extractor fan. She was speaking with her hands again and sat facing me at the table.

“I got called into a meeting to get shouted at” she said. “But I navigated it well and showed them it wasn’t our teams’ fault. The PA’s of the partners haven’t added them to the list. And we can’t do anything until they do. We need a clearer line of communication.”

I was stirring the spaghetti, catching most words through the concert of white noise from the fan.

“So you weaselled around getting shouted at?” I said

“Pretty much ” She said.

We laughed.

I got back to stirring the dinner. Blanking out.

— —

Thanks Eddie and Cheryl for the kickstart.

Oh … and here are the 15 prompts:

1. Write about a time when you realized you were mistaken.

2. Write about a lesson you learned the hard way.

3. Write about a time you were inappropriately dressed for the occasion.

4. Write about something you lost that you’ll never get back.

5. Write about a time when you knew you’d done the right thing.

6. Write about something you don’t remember.

7. Write about your darkest teacher.

8. Write about a memory of a physical injury.

9. Write about when you knew it was over.

10. Write about being in love.

11. Write about what you were really thinking.

12. Write about how you found your way back.

13. Write about the kindness of strangers.

14. Write about why you could not do it.

15. Write about why you did.

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Easy Read