Have you ever visited Poets & Writers?
The most important and underrated factor in a writer’s success is discipline.
Its really very simple: If you want to be a writer … focus on the writing! However, finding the time and inspiration to write is not always easy. That’s where creative writing prompts and exercises can help. The Time Is Now offers a weekly writing prompt (poetry, fiction, and a creative nonfiction prompt) to help you stay committed to your writing practice throughout the year.
This week the creative nonfiction prompt read like this:
Research the origins (Latin, Greek, biblical, or otherwise) of your first name and develop an alter ego for yourself based upon those origins. If your name is Alex, for example, whose origin, Alexandros, originates from the Greek root “to defend,” your alter ego could be “The Defender.” Free-write for twenty minutes from the perspective of that alter ego, writing about anything that comes to mind–and see what kind of patterns, ideas, or thoughts emerge.
The origin of my name is Old Norse, above is a picture of the first page of Codex Upsaliensis of Snorra Edda
This is fascinating – I’m sure I could use it in some way too! I like the kind of random nature of it as well. Thanks for the link, Sigrun.
There are lots of good ideas here, in all three categories.
I see your challenge and will take it.
Great!
Off topic, but I had to share this with you: Maggie Smith as Virginia Woolf in Edna O’Brien’s play Virginia: http://damemaggiedaily.livejournal.com/278521.html
Thank you!
I sent this post out on Twitter, which I guess means I “tweeted” it, but your post is such a refreshing take on writing prompts. Also another V. Woolf aside here to say I have begun the Briggs biography and am enjoying it immensely.
Karen
Fantastic!
Did I tell you I’m going to Spain next week to start writing an essay on “To the Lighthouse”?
Oh, I did not know. That is so wonderful, Sigrun! I hope we get to read posts about the experience as well as the essay. Again, terrific!
Karen