The 1-Minute Writer

396 Microprompts to Spark Creativity and Recharge Your Writing

Leigh Medeiros

• Publisher: Adams Media
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781507209295
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Writing & Presentation Skills

One minute of daily writing is better than twenty minutes every two weeks—let this fun and helpful handbook of quick, easy writing prompts show you why short bursts of writing are essential to flexing your creative muscles to create your best work! Are you a "would-be" writer? That is, someone who wants to write, but finds themselves too busy, too tired, or just uninspired. The 1-Minute Writer has the solution to all of those problems and shows you that you can start writing—and keep the creativity going—every day, no matter how little time you have. The 1-Minute Writer includes writing prompts you can complete while standing in line for coffee, riding the subway home after work, waiting for your kid at the dentist—and everywhere in between. Each prompt has four variations: a one-minute prompt, a five-minute prompt, a ten-minute prompt, and a twenty-minute prompt. You can choose prompts based on both the time you have available and the kind of writing you'd like to do. Watch the words pour out of you when you realize just how easy writing is when you tackle it in manageable chunks! There are a lot of writing books out there—maybe you've tried some before—but none quite like The 1-Minute Writer. Let these brief prompts encourage and empower you to become the writer you've always known you are!

OBSERVATION PROMPTS

Observation Prompts call on you to be aware of your internal and external environments. They task you with looking at what’s inside of you and what’s outside of you. Though every prompt in this book taps into your creative imagination, the Observation Prompts offer a more concrete starting point, and they can be done no matter where you are, whether it’s sitting on the couch at home, riding the subway to visit friends, or eating in the school cafeteria. No matter your location, there is always something within you and around you worth exploring in previously unimagined ways. Your external environment is rich with information, from the colors, shapes, and sizes of architectural details, to the earth’s natural flora and fauna, to an abundance of manufactured objects. Your internal environment is equally as rich. Thoughts, feelings, sensations, and movements are all part of the mix when it comes to observing yourself. Many of the prompts in this section ask you to locate objects nearby; others call on you to focus on a sound; and a few others may require a small action such as getting to a window or feeling something with your hands. The beauty of the Observation Prompts is that they can be used again and again as you find yourself in new environments.

Sense-ational

1-MINUTE PROMPT:

You’re on the phone with a far-flung friend who wants to hear about where you are right now. Check out your surroundings. Capture the essence of what you see around you in just a few sentences.

5-MINUTE PROMPT:

Have you ever had a literal bad taste in your mouth? Find something nearby that’s inedible. Imagine what it would be like to give it a big, slurpy lick. How do you think it might taste? Write a product review for a food website about a newly released item that shares this flavor profile.

10-MINUTE PROMPT:

Your experimental musician friend, Lars, likes to find and record interesting sounds. Imagine what you could bang together, step on, throw, or otherwise interact with in your environment to create unique sounds. Write about your collaborative audio experiment with Lars; include details about the sound samples you collect.

20-MINUTE PROMPT:

In some not-so-distant future, humans have evolved their sense of smell to match the complexity of a dog’s. Take stock of the possible smells in your current environment, from the pleasant (like flowers) to the unpleasant (like rotting garbage). Imagine future law enforcement agents moving through your space on the scented trail of a suspect. What do they smell and how does it help or hinder their investigation?

State of the Union

1-MINUTE PROMPT:

Close your eyes and check in with your body. Start with the top of your head and scan down to your toes. Check for places where you’re holding tension. What’s your posture or pose like? Where are your muscles relaxed or contracted? Write about your current state.

5-MINUTE PROMPT:

You’re an extraterrestrial who’s been dropped into the human body you now inhabit. Wiggle around a little bit. Flex and stretch. Looking at your body from the point of view of an outsider, compose a letter to your alien family back home telling them how you’re getting along in this new “suit.”

10-MINUTE PROMPT:

Your body has its own terrain, and you can map it like a cartographer. Check in with it now. Where can you still feel an old wound? Where can you feel a lightness of being? What is the quality of your skin? How open is your heart? Imagine your body as a map that holds many unique areas of interest, from the spot on your face where a loved one kissed you, to that dry patch of skin that never goes away. Write about the actual and symbolic topography of this familiar terrain.

20-MINUTE PROMPT:

You’ve been asked to give a “State of the Union” speech about your body at a doctor’s conference. Notice where you feel aches, pains, injuries, or illness. Talk about what policies, procedures, and/or practices you might put in place in the comin...