and even more prompts...

Pretty much every one of us has had schooling of some sort. For many, that meant attending a public school each year for a set number of years. We've had all sorts of experiences and went through every emotion possible in those "hallowed halls."

So, in keeping with the start of another school year, today's prompts center in on that setting. Use your own experiences or those of people you know and let the following prompts lure readers back to those school days they've forgotten...

Remember, this is practice and practice is something we should do often. To that end:

1. Choose one prompt as a 5-10 minute warm-up write. Use this time to relax and get your head in the writing game, so to speak.

2. Choose a second prompt for a longer writing, 30-45 minutes. Tie the prompt to a work in progress or start fresh. Be cognitive of the choices you're making as you're writing. Note the techniques you use, the sentence structure, the arrangement of words.

3. Reflect. This is the step we most often ignore and yet it's the step where the learning takes place. After you've done both writings, take another 10 minutes and, in writing, record what you did, how you did it, what you learned, what you need to change either in your process or your writing. Don't skip this step!

Prompts

• Your son or daughter waits for the bus on the first day of school - ever. Determine the age of both the child and the parent and write the dialogue the two have as they wait.

• Your protagonist witnesses a fight at school (but does not become involved). Write a scene where he/she is describing what happened to an authority figure.

• The substitute teacher (whom your protagonist has never had before, nor ever heard of) enters the classroom and begins teaching the wrong subject, or giving incorrect information. How does your character react? How do others in the room react?

• Your protagonist witnesses a bully intimidating another classmate. Your protagonist doesn't like either person involved in the incident. Show the incident through your protagonist's eyes. Be sure to include his/her actions regarding the incident.

• It's time for public speaking! Your protagonist has written and practiced a beautiful speech to deliver before the class. Except he/she has forgotten the written speech at home. It is his/her turn next. What happens?

Enjoy the prompts and leave a tip!

Diana

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