darren r hill

Welcome to this week’s complete creative prompt. We begin with a single creative prompt word and expand it to inspire fiction writing, journaling and a host of other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some focus to our creative work.

This month sees my birthday. This is a bitter-sweet time for me. It’s a celebration for another year survived, and with the pandemic, my gratitude is doubled. However, it is also a time when I reflect and consider the things I have not managed to do. I can get a little melancholic at this time, so I make an extra effort to look for potential and what might come into being in the year ahead. Therefore, this week’s creative prompt is:

Birth — the beginning or coming into existence of something

this is the general definition of the word and I love the idea of potential in this meaning

Let the prompt ‘birth’ 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 in some fiction and our journal…

Fiction Writing Prompt

The Fiction Writing Prompt aims to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

Now, at last, everything would change. This was the moment, the birth of…

Writing Prompt Expanded

ABBA once sang ‘I have a dream’. Martin Luther King’s famous speech contained the same words. Many people dream of a better future, fight for hopes, rights, their children’s future. Many world-changing movements begin with a call to change, with a dream, a description of a different future. Although not all dreams and movements lead to improvement.

This prompt is all about dreaming of a change to come. The change begins with a specific moment. The moment has arrived, and the future is given birth.

• What is the event or action that creates the birth?
• How does your protagonist and other characters feel?
• Is the future being birthed positive or negative?

The writing perspective is down to you. The birth event could be witnessed by one person or many. Your challenge is to imagine a future, then pinpoint and describe the event that triggers it all, the genesis event, the birth. Plotting events is a key writing skill. Being able to plot from an ending back to a beginning, or birth is also helpful. So enjoy and have fun, imagine a future and give birth to it at a single moment.

Journal prompt

Journaling allows us to hold conversations on paper. From private diaries to creative art journals, we pour out our deepest thoughts. Our journals are great places to dream and plan. We can give birth to ideas, intentions and other projects. For those who may be about to have a literal birth, recording precious moments and feelings can form part of your regular journal practice.

Questions to answer, thoughts to explore or images to create in your journal:

• Write three steps to take to birth one of your dreams?
• What is the most amazing thing you have given birth in your life?
• Write birth at the top of a page, and then dream in words or images below.

Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘birth’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. Now, I seem good at birthing ideas. It is the nurturing and developing of ideas that I struggle with. However, that doesn’t mean I should stop giving ‘birth’. Having a bank of ideas is always useful for the times when giving birth isn’t possible. Always be on the lookout for inspiration, you never know what it will give birth to.

Let ‘birth’ 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.

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

Welcome to this week’s complete creative prompt. We begin with a single word, a creative prompt, and expand it to inspire fiction writing, journaling, and a host of other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some focus to our creative work.

Whenever a disaster, natural or otherwise, strikes — and with the nature of 24-hour news we are never far from hearing — after the initial shock we often want to know whether anyone was at fault. Our upset and anger and confusion need a little direction. We’re also quick at pointing the finger. We don’t like to consider how much we may be at fault. Therefore, this week’s creative prompt is:

Blame — assign the responsibility for a bad or unfortunate situation or phenomenon to (someone or something)

this is a general verb definition, but I do like the use of the word phenomenon… it feels a little supernatural

Let the prompt ‘blame’ 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…

Fiction Writing Prompt

The Fiction Writing Prompt aims to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

Was it our fault for entering the house? Or should we blame the person who summoned the ghost?

Writing Prompt Expanded

We all, to varying degrees, have a sense of justice. When something goes wrong, we want to know why and who is to blame. Quite often, there is no single source of blame. Things are very rarely black and white. And in this writing prompt, things are very unclear, perhaps even ghostly transparent.

This prompt is all about exploring the concept of blame within a stressful environment. How often do characters in books and films argue about blame instead of getting out of harm’s way? A few thoughts to help.

• Why did the group go to the house?
• Why do different characters choose different things to blame?
• Is it the sight alone of the frightening ghost, or does the ghost act menacingly?
• And was it literally summoned?

The prompt is a bit more prescriptive this week. The setting is a house, there is a group of people and, apparently, there is a ghost. However, beyond those things, where the story goes is down to you. Scare yourself and your readers with the ghostly apparition, and perhaps let the group turn on each other as they cast blame. But remember, if you don’t decide to write anything, you only have yourself to blame. Have fun and enjoy.

Journal prompt

Journaling allows us to hold conversations on paper. From private diaries to creative art journals, we pour out our deepest thoughts. Blame is serious. If we are blaming others for something, then we really need a good reason. If we are blaming ourselves, we need to make sure it is to take responsibility and make some changes. Blame has negative connotations and yet if responsibility is accepted, and actions changed, blame becomes the first step in being better people and improving the world we live in.

Questions to answer, thoughts to explore, or images to create in your journal:

• Write any bad decisions or choices you think you have made. Now write I blame myself over the top. Finally, paint or collage over what you have written. Don’t blame yourself, but commit to learning from what happened.
• Do you find it easier to blame others or yourself? Why?
• Have you ever been wrongly accused and blamed for something, and how did you feel?
  

Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘blame’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. Not only that, but I am always blaming myself for not finishing my creative projects. I find it easier to make excuses and blame myself instead of just getting on and creating. And blaming my tools, be they digital or not, is far easier than learning how to use them correctly or fixing them when broken. I think I need to stop blaming and do.

Let ‘blame’ 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 other creative projects.

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

Welcome to this week’s complete creative prompt exploring water. We begin with a single creative prompt word and expand it to inspire fiction writing, journaling and a host of other creative activities. These creative prompts, are to give me, and anyone else who wants to join in, some focus to our creative work.

I am blessed in many, many ways. I have to admit, I am also privileged in all I have and where I find myself. Being in this position means I find it easy to take my blessings and privileges for granted. Keeping a gratitude journal or at least a simple list of things I am thankful for helps to remind me. One of the greatest blessings I currently enjoy is being close to the sea. In just a few minutes I can be listening to the lapping, or crashing of waves and breathing in the briny sea air. Therefore, this week’s creative prompt is:

Water — a colourless, transparent, odourless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms

this is a general definition, but I love the way despite having no colour or smell and lacking opacity it is so important to life

Let the prompt ‘water’ 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…

Fiction Writing Prompt

The Fiction Writing Prompt exploring water aims to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

I tried to focus my eyes. Was this yet another mirage, or had I finally found some water?

Writing Prompt Expanded

We have already seen in its definition that water is essential to life. Humans can survive for some considerable time without food, but without water, we soon lose our ability to function. Our protagonist is in such a position. It’s your challenge to explain why they find themselves in such a situation.

This prompt is all about describing how our character finds themself in this precarious position but using language that shows their faculties are struggling.

• Why are they desperately in need of water?
• What was the previous mirage they saw?
• How is the lack of water affecting their other senses, mind and body?

Being able to describe a character who is challenged is a valuable skill. Most of our writing calls upon our experience. However, it is unlikely that many of us have found ourselves in desperate need of water. One way of approaching this is to exaggerate the feelings and memories we do have. Our amplified written feelings of need should be able to resonate with our readers. Our description of desperation should be indistinguishable from the real thing, similar to the mirage in the prompt.

Have fun, but don’t forget to drink your water as you draw from the creative well.

Journal prompt

Journaling allows us to hold conversations on paper. From private diaries to creative art journals, we pour out our deepest thoughts. If you work in an art journal, you’ll probably use water a lot. It helps mix colours, merge colours and can be a base for various mediums to act interestingly.

As metaphor water can be used in many ways, and some words that relate directly are, flow, soak, saturate, refresh, erode, and even cry.

Questions to answer, thoughts to explore or images to create in your journal:

• When was the last time you cried real tears, and why?
• What shapes can you draw that remind you of water?
• On some decent paper, add a wash of water and then add drops of ink or watered-down paint to create interesting shapes?

Theory of General Creativity

I now have ‘water’ written on the board above my computer. I am confident it will inspire me on my creative journey this week. Water was one of the four ancient elements. As such, it is part of the myth and magic of Alchemy. This medieval practice, of mixing and changing the elements and base metals, has many similarities to creativity. We take, we mix, we create. Whatever creative ventures we embark on, water can play an essential part, just like it does for life as we know it.

Let ‘water’ 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 ideas and ventures.

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