May 4, 2025 Writing Prompts for the Week

May 04, 2025

Happy Sunday! Do you know what happens inside of a chrysalis? When a caterpillar wraps itself into a cocoon, it makes sense to our rational minds that it grows legs and wings to transform into a butterfly. (Kind of like how a tadpole becomes a frog, right?)

But the truth is infinitely…messier.

For a caterpillar to become a butterfly, the caterpillar has to completely dissolve into, effectively, goo. Its entire body breaks down in order to become something new. I think about that process a lot when I feel like I’m dissolving into my own metaphorical primordial goo, and it gives me some hope that this is a natural part of the process and that there’s something possibly, hopefully, beautiful on the other side.

Now, onto prompts!

This Week’s Prompts*

  1. "The blackflies came early this year," he said, staring past a cluster of trees that looked ready to tumble at the hint of wind.

  2. Describe overhearing one side of a conference call in a coffee shop that clearly isn't going well.

  3. Casual wasn't ever his thing—but she could try it this once, couldn't he?

  4. "Close your mouth when you chew!" he bellowed. "You'll get indigestion."

  5. Esther's lips curled into a half grin as she peeked behind the curtain.

  6. The cards didn't lie...but they didn't exactly tell the truth, either.

  7. A few wispy hairs over his upper lip suggested this "business owner" was younger than he implied.

*How to Use These Prompts: The italicized prompts let you create your writing entirely from scratch; the non-italicized prompts are intended as your first line and jumping off point. But, at the same time, there are no rules. Write on!

Book(s) We’re Reading This Week

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Oh, this book! Think: time travel, romance, action, but without all of the tropes that usually make some of us (ME) stay far away from those themes. I devoured it over just a few days and it’s quickly become my new “Have you read…?” book. Verdicts? Fun, interesting, thought-provoking, and satisfying.

Grab it on Bookshop.org (and support local bookstores!)
Grab it on Amazon

❝

Imagination is like a muscle. I found out that the more I wrote, the bigger it got.

Philip José Farmer

🛋️ I absolutely adore looking at pictures of where famous authors wrote their works. (Does anyone else think that if they could just get their writing space right, their Great Novel would flow? Anyone?) Here’s a look at where 20 writers crafted masterworks.

👶 It's amazing to think of but children’s literature didn’t used to, well, exist. (And the early stories were pretty dark and/or gruesome.) This is a fascinating write-up about how children’s lit came to be.

🏎️ I’m not saying I’ll emulate the process, but it’s certainly interesting to read about what it takes this author to publish a new novel every three months. Dig into this article about the “most successful author you’ve never heard of” and his extreme writing method.

Top (Published) First Line of the Week

She took the carving knife from the pumpkin pine table and pointed it at the stranger, the handle hard in her hand.

From The Jackal’s Mistress by Christ Bohjalian

Grab it on Bookshop.org (and support local bookstores!)
Grab it on Amazon

What do you think about this lil' newsletter of ours?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

P.S.

If you’re considering a career change (and, well, love to write), you might be interested in hearing why copywriting is such a great career to get into right now. Yes, even with the advent of AI. In fact, especially with the advent of AI.

Some links in this email may be affiliate links and we may earn a commission if you purchase through these links. And, should that happen, thank you!