Prompty Dance is your chance

Have you ever used a writer's prompt book? I haven't. Sometimes people ask me for them at the reference desk, and I am always curious about them, but very skeptical. I read one once about blog-writing and it really didn't make me think any better of the idea of a prompt book. So today, while at work, I decided to go over to the shelf and pick one out. At random. Just one that looked like it was, you know, on my level.

Here's what I picked.




I know what you are thinking. GRADES 4-6? I am young-ish, yes. But grades 4-6? Is that really on my level?

Come to think of it, if you have ever read this blog before, maybe you're not thinking that at all.

I just liked the title. Write away! So punny! If I do these prompts, will I be punny like that? I also liked the book cover. Look at that kid! He is so obviously expressing his angst over the fact that his parent made him wear that Tommy Bahama getup like he was an Older Dude instead of the young gangsta that he probably really is. I can almost make out the words on the page he is writing. "Moms just don't git it G..."

Ok, so let's try this and see if it yields any results. Because, you know how I like to just spew it forth with no thought at all? I need to branch out from that.

Exercise 1. Freewriting.

Excuse me, but I think I just said that I need to branch out from spewing it out. One thing I do not have a problem with, is freewriting. NEXT.

Exercise 2. Discovery.
This exercise basically says that you should take something that you freewrote and focus on it and keep on freewriting. Is it just me or does that sound like almost the same thing as Exercise 1? NEXT.

Exercise 3. This one says to write a little note to your teacher about something you are having trouble with in school or with learning. Got it.

Dear Writing Prompter, So far I am having difficulty with these exercises as they are telling me to do what I normally do anyway. Could you start expanding a little bit please? I am easily bored and distracted so you might want to hurry up. I'll give you two more chances.

Exercise 4. Choose a picture and write something about it.
I totally already did that! About the kid in the Jimmy Buffet shirt! SO AHEAD OF ALL THE 4-6 GRADERS OUT THERE. In your face!

Exercise 5. My Life So Far.
What? A whole autobiography? As an exercise? What do you think I am? A person who hasn't lived lots of years? Like a ten year old? A fourth through sixth grader or something? Oh. Oops. Yeah.

This writing prompt stuff is just not my thing. Maybe I should try something that is actually for my own age group, but a lot of what I am seeing on the shelf seems to be of the New Age Woman Let Us Journal About Our Moon Cycles or Let's Write a Heartsong to Our Ex-Boyfriend and Then Burn It In Sage Grass type of deal, and I am so not about that.

Oh well. Prompting books. It doesn't make me want to write. It just makes me want to sing the Humpty Dance with the word "prompty" plugged in.

Stop what you're doin' cuz I'm about to ruin, the image and style that you're used to...

I'm out,
Librarian Girl