First make two lists: Five things that are slippery and five things that are sticky.

Then write about a character who is trying hard to remember something or trying hard to forget something. Incorporate as many images from your lists as possible. Or write whatever comes to mind using words from your lists.

Make a list of all the different hair cuts or hair styles you have had going back as far as you can remember. Pick one hair cut, and start writing.

Write about someone or something that haunts you.  It could be a person, a moment or an experience.  It doesn’t have to be good or bad (or it could be both) - just something that always stays with you and pops up at random moments. Write as fast as you can for ten minutes.  Don’t worry about what you’re writing or whether it makes sense.

Thanks to NYWC workshop leader Melanie O’Harra for contributing this prompt!

Write about a symbolic object from your childhood - a ruby necklace your aunt always wore, the gun your father kept in the bedside table, a train set you loved, the neighbor’s trampoline that you coveted - any object that has become larger than itself. Explore what it meant to you then and what it means to you now.

Thanks NYWC Workshop Leader Tamiko Beyer for contributing this prompt!

Jumpstart your writing with this craft tip.

“Hear that, girls? The rats are playing.” “I thought you knew that when I said now I really meant in ten minutes.” “Your mood is falling faster than the Dow Jones”  Random snippets. Unfortunate truths. Comical observations. Snippets of other people’s conversation can often help jump start your writing.

This quarter’s Tip Jar suggestion is to take a few minutes and eavesdrop on other people’s conversations. Record some choice sentences and phrases. Then, pick one and use it as a place to start your writing. This is an excellent way to create dialogue.