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- September 14, 2025 Writing Prompts for the Week
September 14, 2025 Writing Prompts for the Week
Happy Sunday! I just glanced at the clock and noticed that it’s 11:11. Taking note of repeating numbers as they appear on clocks and license plates is one of my favorite harmless little superstitions. After all, who does it hurt to believe that the universe is giving me a little “atta girl!” every once in a while?
But the thing about little superstitions is that they don’t have to be popular; in fact, they might be that much better if they’re personal. Examples, well, maybe it’s a good sign if you reach into your sock drawer and pull out your red pair. Maybe it’s a good sign if you hit three green lights on the way to work. It’s a good sign if you hear a Boys II Men song in the grocery store.
Believing in a little benevolence from the universe might be what we need to get us through sometimes. What little signs are a universal wink to you?
And, with that, how about a few prompts:
This Week’s Prompts*
"Scrambled eggs, bacon, toast—d'ya want some home fries with that, honey?"
Leavensburg wasn't the kind of home town you go back to.
Out of the dark, one tiny hand reached up toward mine.
Describe the oddest wedding ceremony you can think of.
Winds blew in from the west for seven days, bringing with them all manner of toil, trouble, and terror.
Bunny 11 was the softest, bar none.
His eyes searched her face in a way that looked like flirtation to the assembled crowd.
*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 River is Waiting by Wally Lamb
I’m torn on this one. While the story is interesting, it felt like it lacked a strong narrative. Kind of like Lamb had started writing and just wanted to see where it goes. And not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with that but…I don’t know. You’ll have to let me know what you think. Plot-wise, the protagonist of the book starts out accidentally committing a terrible act and spends the rest of the novel coming to terms with it. (Any more than that would be a spoiler, I think.)
Grab it on Bookshop.org (and support local bookstores!)
Grab it on Amazon
The final test for a novel will be our affection for it, as it is the test of our friends, and of anything else which we cannot define.
Links We Like (And Think You Will, Too)
🍪 Is this our most important link yet? It might be: The Girl Scouts are coming out with a new cookie flavor. Get your checkbooks ready, America.
🐣 Incubating isn’t just for eggs (and the resulting fuzzy little chicks) anymore. In the four stages of creativity, here’s why the Incubation Stage is so darn important.
🌌 Zowie, the sky is sure an amazing place. Not sure you agree to that magnitude of emotion? Check out these photos from 2025’s Astronomy Photographers of the year award.
Top (Published) First Line of the Week
The summer when Sally Samuelson was eight, her brother Ellis graduated from high school and a few days later, he and his best friends, Heck Stevens and Ben Klosterman, drove up the coast in Heck’s ‘64 Rambler American.
From Bug Hollow by Michelle Huneven
Grab it on Bookshop.org (and support local bookstores!)
Grab it on Amazon
If you could win one award in your lifetime, which one would you want it to be? |
P.S.
Wondering what a professional copywriter’s portfolio looks like? Here are a few prime examples. Not there yet? Everyone starts somewhere. Check out the other links on the site to learn more about breaking into the industry.
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