A SMORGASBORD OF WRITING PROMPTS with Emma

This is a Squad 10 workshop

It’s for the writers who don’t know quite how to start, for those who want to grab a page and scribble out unformed thoughts and possibilities. It’s for the writers who want to start finding out what their next idea might be, even though they haven’t met it yet.

Dearhearts, do you know what I think? I think it’s time to have some fun. You will not learn to edit, polish or refine your words during this particular workshop.

You will be invited to let go and spill out whatever crappy-awesome-imperfect-amazing-shit-and-pearls vomit that decides it’s time to arrive.

Who knows what will emerge? And who knows what you might do with what comes?

If that sounds like the kind of thing you need right now, then might I interest you in the

The Menu

We’ll have 2 hours together.

I’ll present you with a menu of prompts.

You’ll work like dogs.

You’ll try things out.

Get cramp in your hand from scribbling.

Play, float ideas, make a stink, find some treasure.

At the end, you’ll have a chance to reflect and share if you want.

But there will be zero pressure to do so.

And then you’ll float off, into the winter evening, tired, but with new ideas or possibilities.

What to bring

You.

Pens and paper.

A computer if you must.

Paint and glitter &/or other awesome shit, if you want to.

A decision to be brave and playful.

A decision to inhabit that wonderful, liberating creative headspace, where you dare to care deeply but still hold it all lightly.

A vow to try everything, even if you think it’s a terrible, terrible, terrible idea.

An interesting object.

Some words or an image or both from a book/film/tv/videogame/play/poem/documentary/radio-play/from real-life that you overheard /from an imaginary conversation/from something you stole and will pretend you thought of yourself/from something you think might have happened but you can’t remember/from something your mum/dad/brother/sister/twin/cousin/gran/friend/nemesis/neighbour/boss/imaginary friend once said / a stupid thing / a clever thing /about whatever from wherever/ as long as you think these words &/or image are cool/interesting/noteworthy/or in some way, not boring/ at least to you. AND you’d like to gift them to the group.

Oh and you should bring a bucketful of love for yourself and your creativity and a fuck ton of determination to support everyone else you might find yourself zooming with.

Those things are the knowables.

The rest is to be discovered.