Using writing prompts is so much fun. A prompt can really help to get the pen moving! I’ve been producing writing prompts and inspiring writers for quite a few years now, and it occurred to me that I need to find a way to connect all the dots. I create a monthly fiction writing prompt for my Write Club community which I publish here on my blog, and a I write a weekly fiction prompt for The Ink Well community on Hive (this one under the community persona). Two different communities, with no cross-over… well, except that a few writers are involved in both writing communities.
So anyway, it occurred to me that it would make sense to write a short recap blog post here on my site each time I post a writing prompt in The Ink Well. The Ink Well community has the distinction that it is part of the Hive platform which is a social media and blogging site built on a blockchain, which means writers earn cryptocurrency for blogging — and that crypto can be converted to standard currencies.
It’s a worldwide phenomenon, and there are actually people living on their earnings in some places, which is really kind of mind-blowing. The technicality is that you must be a member to be active in the community and see comments and so on. The good news is that anyone can join. (If you’re so inclined, there’s info on that at the bottom of each blog post. See the link in the next paragraph, for example.)
Without further ado, The Ink Well fiction prompt for the week is “in mother’s house.”
I thought of this prompt when a song came to mind that once brought tears to my eyes, shortly after my mother passed on. I was at an event with my toddler daughter, to hear some music by a group that performed for children and they sang a song, titled Music in My Mother’s House, which was written by Stuart Stotts in 1985, and has been performed countless times by musicians and choral groups since.
In fact, you can listen to any number of them on the Rise Up and Sing website.
The lyrics are inspiring, but moreover they resonated with me, as they described my mother’s house, and the music everywhere — her piano playing, the grandfather clock, the windchimes. The first time I heard it, I was overcome with grief and cried all the way through the song.
As a writing prompt, “in mother’s house” seems to me a way to tap into whatever home means to a writer.
From the sounds of wind chimes to the clatter of pans in the kitchen, those sensory experiences of home are a great place to pull from in a piece of fiction. As I wrote in the prompt:
There is something so powerful about memories of home, whether it is the aroma of cooking, the beauty of a garden, or the memories held in photobooks and scrapbooks — and most often it is the mark of a mother and homemaker.
What story will you tell? Perhaps your character has been away for a very long time traveling. Or maybe your character has grown up, gotten married, and has not found time to visit. But when returning home, the memories flood back in, perhaps with some sadness or nostalgia.
I hope you’re inspired!
Looking for Writing Resources?
I love to share tips and ideas about creative writing! Here are two treasure troves for you:
- You can find many of my tips and resources on my website, in the On Writing section.
- I also share writing tips in The Ink Well community on Hive. See the complete catalog for the full list of articles.
Have fun and keep writing.
About Jayna Locke
Jayna Locke is a Minnesota writer who has had a lifelong love of fiction. Her short stories have appeared in a range of literary journals, including Great Lakes Review, Portage Magazine, and Bright Flash Literary Review, as well as several anthologies. Her collection of short stories, Somewhere in Minnesota, is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kirk House Publishers. She is reachable through her contact form at bit.ly/ContactJayna or on X at www.x.com/@jaynatweets.