The Prompting You Series

Hello everyone!

I do not know about you, but I love creative prompts. I ran a short, but successful series of them on Twitter years ago, which I then brought to my blog. Unfortunately, things did not work out the way I had planned due to the fact that an increasing number of people would not follow the rules. There was also the issue about people not having blogs and wanting to post directly on social networks. Needless to say that keeping an eye on everything was challenging!

After a long hiatus, I revived the series on Medium last year. The first three or four weeks were great, but then participation plummeted. When things came to sudden halt, Substack became my next stop. I hit another cul-de-sac right away!

I am not the kind of person to give up, though. I continue to believe that there are people who, like me, enjoy prompt-based writing. Many can be found on Vocal. That is why I think this platform could be the best place for the kind of prompts I have in mind.

So, without further ado, let me welcome you to The Prompting You Series!

The Prompting You Series is an invitation to flex your creative muscles with me. This is how things will work.

Once in a while, I will share a prompt, in the form of a theme + image + question(s), which, I hope, will boost your inspiration. Every Vocal creator is invited to participate!

Ready? Let's go!

The Prompt

Theme: The Little Things

Quote: “Blessed are they who see beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.” - Camille Pissarro

Photo: See above

Today’s prompt highlights the importance of enjoying the little moments. Why? Because when I came back to the spot 10 minutes after taking the photo, the sandal had disappeared.

In life, nothing is guaranteed. Embrace whatever comes your way, even if it is challenging and painful. Chances are that you will learn a valuable lesson. 🙂

What do you think happened to the sandal?

Rules

• Use the prompt to create any poem that strikes your fancy. If you prefer writing stories and / or essays, that is fine too! Variety is the spice of life. 😉
• When your piece is available on Vocal, let me know where I can find it in the comment section below. I will read it and leave a comment.
• Important rule: You must engage with all the Vocal creators who share their links too! I want this to be a fun and rewarding experience for everyone.
• Bear in mind that I am not a fan of erotica. The same goes for an excessive amount of swear words. I prefer stuff that is as family-friendly as possible.
• Remember that you must have permission to use the images featured in your posts. Proper credit is also mandatory.
• Do not forget to mention this prompt in your Vocal story, so other people can find it and participate.
• Last but not least: If you feel like challenging yourself even more, I recommend trying one of my poetry forms or the Flashku!

My Entry

Worn-out sandal

along nameplates

last summer.

©2019 Cendrine Marrouat

The above poem is a sixku, a form that I created in 2019.

Sixku are six-word, untitled poems which must be inspired by and contain a photograph. A reference to nature is encouraged.

The Sixku has three lines:

• Line 1 = idea 1 (one or two word(s))
• Line 2 = idea 2 (two or three words)
• Line 3 = twist, surprise (remaining words)

A seventh word is acceptable, only if it is an article or preposition (e.g. 'a', 'the', 'up', 'down'…). Do not abuse this exception, though.

Complete sentences and punctuation are optional and the use of the past tense is allowed.

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I cannot wait to read what you create!

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Thank you for reading!

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