I have the amazing privilege of living within walking distance of the sea. If I need to reconnect with nature I can be standing next to the untamed wilderness of the ocean in minutes. I can be face to face with its beauty and its danger.
This week’s creative prompt is waves. 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 creative work, personal development and even a little self-care.
The word waves can mean many things. It can be the waves upon the water, a friendly gesture or a way of upsetting the status quo. All variations on frequencies and ripples in different settings and situations. And if we think in terms of frequencies, then everything we can see is down to waves.
Definitions include…
wave (singular of waves)
— verb: move one’s hand to and fro in greeting or as a signal, move (one’s hand or arm, or something held in one’s hand) to and fro, convey (a greeting or other message), instruct (someone) to move in a particular direction by moving one’s hand, move to and fro with a swaying motion
— noun: a long body of water curling into an arched form and breaking on the shore, a ridge of water between two depressions in open water, a shape regarded as resembling a breaking wave, a sudden occurrence of or increase in a phenomenon, feeling, or emotion, a periodic disturbance of the particles of a substance
Wave(s) can be used as a verb and noun
Related
move to and fro, move up and down, wag, waggle; swing, shake, swish, sweep, swipe, brandish, flourish, flaunt, wield, flick, flutter, ripple, flutter, undulate, stir, flap, sway, swing, waft, shake, quiver, oscillate, move, gesture, gesticulate, signal, sign, beckon, indicate, motion, nod, bid, vibration, oscillation, undulation.
Antonyms
stillness, calm, unmoving, static
waves, for me, are something moving, there is motion.
Let the prompt ‘waves’ 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
Writing prompt
A Fiction Writing Prompt exploring the word waves to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore. It’s time to let your creative writing skills free.
I face the Waves, but would I cross them or be engulfed?
Writing Prompt Expanded
When I look at the sea I can feel so much potential. There is energy from the waves themselves, the thoughts of travelling across them and the danger of riptides and currents. When I look at the waves I feel inspired.
That’s what inspired this prompt. We begin with the waves in front of your protagonist and their potential. Let’s explore…
- Why is the character looking at the waves?
- What has led them to this point in their life?
- Are the waves literal or metaphorical?
The context for this prompt is entirely up to you. It is set in the first person as this can make it easier to describe feelings and emotions, however, feel free to change this. The challenge here is to capture and describe the two potential outcomes, one positive and the other not so, from the perspective of the protagonist.
Enjoy and may the words wash upon the page like waves upon the shore.
Quick fiction writing
Set a time limit, use the following random prompts and write a short piece of fiction.
- Character: albatross
- Place: above the ocean
- Item: floating branch
Journal prompt
I am a bit of a worrier. When I stand on the beach and see the waves I can let the feelings of being overwhelmed and the fear of the unknown take hold. Exploring my fears and worries in my journal often follows a visit to the beach. And journaling is the perfect place to dream of travelling across the waves to distant shores and lands where dreams become realities. Again, either literal or metaphorical.
Three ideas for your journal
- explore your metaphorical waves that appear before your dreams
- draw, paint or collage a representation of waves
- draw wavy lines and make them into a background for your art journal
Theory of General Creativity
I now have ‘waves’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. The uniqueness of each wave is an inspiration, each can have a different frequency or amplitude, an almost limitless range.
- capture waves with your camera, either on the sea or items waving in the air
- paint the sea with its waves, but are they calm or wild?
- explore the building of an emotional wave in songwriting or poetry
Let ‘waves’ 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, a moment in your journal, 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
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