The Surat Warrior Writers recently held our second writing retreat in Khanom, Thailand. It was held over Valentine's Day and we decided to call it "Love In Letters." The theme of our retreat was falling in love with your craft, in our case, writing, and many of the activities revolved around letter writing. Below is a list of open-ended letter-writing prompts that we used for a larger movement and writing activity.
For the movement portion of the activity, we went on a 20-minute walk and recorded or took pictures of three things that stuck out to us for any reason as we wandered. We then incorporated those three things into a letter after pulling one of the following prompts. (For an example from Warrior Christine, click here.) Letter Prompts Letter from your writing to you Bad love letters Funny Hallmark love letters Take a love letter and keep rewriting it with different tones “Poison Pen” Letter (hate mail, usually sent anonymously) Letter to yourself 10 years ago/15 years ago/20 years ago Letter to your body Letter to your passion Letter to Society Letter to a parent or a parental figure Letter of appreciation to your body Letter to an enemy Have some letter writing prompt ideas to add to the list? Leave a comment or send us a message through the contact page!
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At our most recent retreat this month, we decided to switch things up a bit with a new (to use) small group writing exercise. Each group had a bag of Scrabble tiles (you could also use Bananagrams or Boggle tiles) they they distributed among the group members. We chose to set a timer for 15 minutes and go around the group until the time ran out. The first person played a word, and just like in Scrabble, each person added to the words in play. At the end of the 15 minute period, we wrote down the words we played and used those words to write with. You can choose a genre here (short story or poem), but we left it open ended. It's always fun to see the different pieces that come out of the same words or prompts when writing in a group!
This was our second time doing this group exercise. Begin with one person writing a descriptive passage. The second person rewrites the passage in plain language. The third (without seeing the initial passage) rewrites it descriptively. The pattern continues until everyone has written. Compare the passages and see how they evolve!
(1 - Descriptive) Like a rocket, Janie came bursting through the plush, green bushes that framed her father's otherwise barren backyard. Tongue hanging out the side of her sweet candy lips, brows clenched in concentration, Janie's doe eyes locked onto her tiny flying target; shaded in hues of gold and blue, the most magnificent monarch butterfly - thick and tangible - danced in the disappearing light. Dusk, damp and impending, wrapped around the summer sky. (2 - Nondescript) Janie stood in her father's garden looking at a butterfly. (3 - Descriptive) The breeze was cool, but warmer than she'd felt in months. Spring had come late this year, but now the signs were everywhere. The birds, whose singing had woken her up each morning, no longer sounded forlorn. Instead, their chirps brought a notion of hope to her window. This morning, she's followed them outside, walking down the stairs in her slippers and into her father's garden. The patches of snow had almost melted away, and planting would begin in earnest soon. Maybe he would ask her to join this year. She noticed a butterfly flittering from plot to plot and made a wish. (4 - Nondescript) There was a cold wind, but it was warmer than the months of winter had been. The birds woke her and she went outside to the garden. The snow was almost gone and it would soon be time to plant again. She hoped her father would ask her to help. She saw a butterfly and made a wish. (5 - Descriptive) Light and breezy, the air was cool to the touch. But in comparison to the harsh cold of November and December, it almost brought color back into her pale cheeks. She felt herself flush as the melodious tunes of her winged friends outside her window brought her out of a dreamless slumber. Meandering through the house her pace quickened as she got closer to the garden. The season for planting was quickly approaching, and her anticipation to participate this year was increasing as each day of winter faded away. She desperately wanted to help this year, to show that she was capable and blessed with a green thumb. As the butterfly - blue, iridescent, purple - fluttered onto her shoulder. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and wished for her father to ask for help. This year. This would be her year! Thanks to Warriors Christine, Mikey, Cati, Jill and Esther for their writing in this piece! |
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