This week’s creative prompt is Veil. Each week we begin with a single word and expand it to inspire writing fiction, journaling and other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some inspiration for our creative work.

Definitions

veil — a thing that serves to cover, conceal, or disguise

Veil can be used as a noun or a verb.

Related

covering, cover, screen, shield, curtain, layer, film, mantle, cloak, mask, blanket, shroud, canopy, cloud, blur, haze, mist

surround, swathe, enfold, cover, cover-up, conceal, hide, secrete, camouflage, disguise, mask, screen, shield, cloak, blanket, shroud, enwrap, canopy, overlay; obscure, shade, shadow, eclipse, cloud, blot out, block out, blank out, obliterate, overshadow, enshroud, mantle, becloud, obnubilate.

antonyms unveil, expose, uncover

Veil refers to covering or concealing something, however, the uncovering or revealing aspect is our focus this week.

Let the prompt ‘veil’ inspire you in any area of creativity that you are interested:

• writing fiction
• journaling
• art journaling
• songwriting
• photography
• painting
• composing
• blog posts
• art therapy
• anything that could use a little nudge to begin

Let’s expand the word a little further…

Writing prompt

A Fiction Writing Prompt exploring the word veil to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

Now, just once every year, at the thin time, the veil is withdrawn.

Writing Prompt Expanded

It’s Halloween or Samhain. All Souls’ Day follows All Saints’ Day. We remember the dead. We celebrate the dark. The thin places are thinner. The veil between the living and the dead is all but non-existent.

Here is your opportunity to write something scary. Although, I would like to add that I don’t think the dead, spirits or what may or may not be on the other side of a thin place are inherently evil or frightening. However, we don’t want my opinions to get in the way of scary fiction.

• Where is the veil that is being removed?
• Why is this specific place a thing place?
• How is the veil withdrawn?
• What is revealed beyond the veil?

The context for this prompt is entirely up to you. Once you have created the setting, the challenge is to build the anticipation. Draw your reader into the situation, get the hairs on their neck to stand on end, and then reveal what lies beyond.

Enjoy and may your words appear on the page as you remove the veil.

Quick fiction writing

Set a time limit, use the following random prompts and write a short piece of fiction.

• Character: the oldest lady you could possibly imagine
• Place: boat
• Item: lace

Journal prompt

Religions, philosophies, and everyone on the street has an opinion on what lies beyond the veil of life. I’m not a fan of the popular version of Halloween, it commercialises and trivialises a serious aspect of life. I find the pagan Samhain, and the Christian Saints’ and Souls’ days much more enlightening. They represent and symbolise the thin times when the separation of life and death is more easily crossed. Of course, pumpkins, bats, and skeletons are symbols too!

Three ideas for your journal

• use a piece of fabric or even paper to hide, or veil, something in your journal
• use a piece of lace as a stencil in your art journal
• write about what ancestors or saints you would like to know more of at this thin time
  

Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘veil’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week.

• capture the dark places with your camera
• if a creative project is stuck, use veil as a metaphor; cover and then remove
• perhaps your waiting is too busy, your music too cluttered, veil different parts
  

Let ‘veil’ inspire your music, photography, and painting this week.

Finally…

As always, these creative prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story, something a little more grandiose, or any creative project or idea.

As mentioned before, this isn’t a ‘challenge’ but the prompts can be used that way if you want. If you do create anything using them, I would love to see or hear about it. Leave a link in the comments below, or tag me #thecreativeminimalist on any social platform.

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Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

This week’s creative prompt is Autumn. Each week we begin with a single word and expand it to inspire writing fiction, journaling and other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some inspiration for our creative work.

Definitions

autumn — the season after summer and before winter

Autumn is a noun.

Related

fall, autumnal,

Autumn specifically means a season in the calendar year, it is a predominantly British term, so feel free to use your words, e.g., fall

Let the prompt ‘autumn’ inspire you in any area of creativity that you are interested in:

• writing fiction
• journaling
• art journaling
• songwriting
• photography
• painting
• composing
• blog posts
• art therapy
• anything that could use a little nudge to begin

Let’s expand the word a little further…

Writing prompt

A Fiction Writing Prompt exploring the word autumn to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

It was the autumn of life, but as the golden colours of the leaves showed, there was a beauty to be found.

Writing Prompt Expanded

Nouns, as I was told at primary school, are naming words. You give something a name and that is it. Simple, something is what it is. However, autumn is a wonderful example of using a word’s meaning as a metaphor. No longer is autumn, or fall, just a season each year, but it is also a season that can be applied to almost anything.

This prompt relates autumn to a period of life. The end is nearing, and yet there is plenty to seek and find. It looks at finding a positive from a seeming negative.

• Why is the narrator at the autumn of life?
• What is the beauty to be found?
• How does the narrator feel?

The context for this prompt is entirely up to you. You could be writing about the life of the narrator/protagonist, of someone else, or even a civilisation or organisation. The challenge is to see the positive despite the situation.

Enjoy, and may your words be as colourful as the leaves upon the trees.

Quick fiction writing

Set a time limit, use the following random prompts and write a short piece of fiction.

• Character: merchant
• Place: desert, no greenery just sand
• Item: an autumn leaf

Journal prompt

Autumn, along with spring, mean change to me. Spring is all about birth and growth, while autumn is about winding down. Nothing is permanent, life is all about change. However, I often find myself writing the same thing in my journal; some things don’t change. Let’s see if using autumn as a prompt can move me forward.

Three ideas for your journal

• Find a fallen, autumnal leaf, press it (it needs to be flat) stick it in your journal and decorate. Mod Podge or clear sticky-tape should help preserve the leaf.
• Make a leaf stamp (cut a leaf shape not a potato) and get printing with bright, vibrant colours.
• How do you feel about autumn/fall? Do you miss summer? Do you yearn for winter? Or do you bask in this season of change?

Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘autumn’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week.

• Capture the wonderful colours of autumn with your camera
• Do you have any creative projects approaching their autumn?
• What feeling does autumn elicit in you… create it

Let ‘autumn’ inspire your music, photography, and painting this week.

Finally…

As always, these creative prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story, something a little more grandiose, or any creative project or idea.

As mentioned before, this isn’t a ‘challenge’ but the prompts can be used that way if you want. If you do create anything using them, I would love to see or hear about it. Leave a link in the comments below, or tag me #thecreativeminimalist on any social platform.

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Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

This week’s creative prompt is Soar. Each week we begin with a single word and expand it to inspire writing fiction, journaling and other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some inspiration for our creative work.

Definitions

soar — fly or rise high in the air, maintain height in the air without flapping wings or using engine power, increase rapidly above the usual level

Soar is a verb.

Related

fly up, wing, wing its way; take off, take flight, take to the air; ascend, climb, rise, glide, plane, float, drift, hang, hover, rise rapidly, escalate, spiral upwards

Soar denotes action, and yet it also has that element of drift, of minimal energy.

Let the prompt ‘soar’ inspire you in any area of creativity that you are interested in:

• writing fiction
• journaling
• art journaling
• songwriting
• photography
• painting
• composing
• blog posts
• art therapy
• anything that could use a little nudge to begin

Let’s expand the word a little further with some specific prompts…

Writing prompt

A Fiction Writing Prompt exploring the word soar to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

It was more than flying. I could now soar and wonder at everything below.

Writing Prompt Expanded

This week, William Shatner went to the edge of space. The actor had pretended to fly between stars for much of his career. Although he didn’t get close to warp speed, he did manage to see something very few of us ever have. When he returned to earth and spoke of his ordeal, he was moved to tears. The wonder of what he saw took his words away.

This prompt is all about describing what you see and why you can see it. Describing a situation and explaining how it makes your protagonist feel is integral to good writing. Here are a few questions to help.

• Where are you?
• How are you able to soar and not just fly?
• How does the ‘soaring’ affect your other senses?

The context for this prompt is entirely up to you. It could be set in space, or closer to earth. The main point is that ‘soaring’ enables the wonder to take place.

Enjoy, and may your words capture the wonder of the situation.

Quick fiction writing

Set a time limit, use the following random prompts and write a short piece of fiction.

• Character: Grandmother
• Place: Hilltop
• Item: hang glider

Journal prompt

I had originally chosen the word ‘flying’ for this week’s prompt. However, it became clear that I wanted something more. Where I currently live, I often glimpse seagulls soaring high above. I wonder what they can see, and dream about what it would be like to soar so high and take in the earth below.

Three ideas for your journal

• draw a ‘map’ of where you live as seen by a soaring bird
• describe in words or collage where you would like to soar
• write about how you can fly/soar to the top in your chosen profession/pastime

Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘soar’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week.

• look up to see what is looking down
• imagine your art/music soaring and let that guide your creativity
• don’t limit your ideas, let them soar

Let ‘soar’ inspire your music, photography, and painting this week.

Finally…

As always, these creative prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story, something a little more grandiose, or any creative project or idea.

As mentioned before, this isn’t a ‘challenge’ but the prompts can be used that way if you want. If you do create anything using them, I would love to see or hear about it. Leave a link in the comments below, or tag me #thecreativeminimalist on any social platform.

---

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox

If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest