Midweek Writing Prompt: Frozen Moment (9/17/14)
In my classrooms and workshops, I strive to create safe, welcoming writing communities where individuals feel free to explore ideas, stories, and concepts without judgment. After all, we need those spaces to get started. The judgment – of editors, professors, critical friends – will come later. But in the beginning, we need that soft, friendly embrace where anything is possible and everyone loves you. Let’s go there together.
When my schedule allows, I will post writing prompts for you to play with. I encourage you to write something and to share those initial efforts in the comment section, or even your response to the prompt – tell us what happened when you sat down to write. After all, some of these prompts will lead you down a path toward publication – I’ve seen that happen often enough to be confident in that statement.
Give it a try! 🙂
Writing Prompt: Frozen Moment
Think about a photo in your cell phone. Maybe it’s something you snapped today or last week or last year. But it is one image that comes immediately to mind when you read these directions. Now close your eyes and think about that shot. Who or what is in the photo? What are the colors? Is it night or daytime? Where was it taken? What action was taking place just before the shot? Just after the shot? Now open your eyes.
Photographs freeze a moment in time, but are always subjective because the moment is seen through the photographer’s eye and bias. Step back and see the moment as an observer and write the scene in third person.
See what thaws out. 🙂
Amanda Morris, Ph.D. 