This week’s prompts are inspired by the bug, ever present and often willfully ignored. Sometimes cute, sometimes scary, sometimes a dot and sometimes a swarm, bugs makes us feel most every emotion, from amazement to annoyance. From entomology to etymology, take a few minutes (or more) to appreciate the minute among us.
As you write (or draw or sing or dance), put away your ego and pride. Also put away any thoughts of perfection or judgement. This is all about getting your creative gears grinding, this is all about planting a seed, this is all about the process. Be free—as free as the bee.
- Respond to an insect image that strikes you, in prose or verse.
- Consider the various bugs of winter: from a benign sniffle to a full-blown flu. Write about a childhood memory of being sick.
- Write a scene (real or imagined) involving entomophagy, either intentional or accidental.
- Moths have a remarkable sense of smell, the result of receptors covering their antennae. Write a moth-inspired piece in which both smell and the attraction of light play a central role.
- Punch Buggy is either a beloved car-ride tradition, or an infuriating backseat distraction, depending upon whom you ask. Invent a new car game, and write a scene or poem in which it appears.
- Perform a honeybee-inspired waggle dance and, in words, explore your reaction to the experience.
- Think about something, or someone, that bugs you (e.g., the squeaky door hinge, the guy on your block who refuses to shovel his sidewalk), and make a list of things you could do today in order to get over it.
- Depending on the person (and the bug), bug bites can manifest as a near-benign irritation or a life-threatening episode worthy of immediate medical attention. Write a real or imagined scene involving a bug bite.
- Write about a putting a bug in someone’s ear—literally or figuratively.
- Our developers work hard to seek out bugs in our software. Find a bug in one of our new features? Let us know!
Did you miss earlier prompts lists? Here they are. Remember: the best way to write regularly is to write regularly. There are no tricks are shortcuts. Let’s put our pen to paper as often as we can—whether we’re working on a longer project or whether we’re between lightening strikes of inspiration.
Like what you’ve written? Put it away for a week, then revisit, and revise, revise, revise. Maybe it’s an essay. Maybe it’s a short story. Maybe it’s a poem. Maybe it goes in the wastebasket (hey, it happens sometimes, and that’s okay). But if your caterpillar of a piece goes through a metamorphosis and turns into a beautiful butterfly, submit. If you have feedback, or ideas for prompts, please get in touch.