Writing
Freewriting Friday: Dandelions, Dreams, and Rainbows
Creative writing exercises to get your imagination jumping
“Every time you don’t follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy , loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness.”
— Sharti Gawain, from The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Instructions
- Allow yourself at least 15 minutes for a freewriting session.
- Find a place with no distractions.
- Only allow yourself to write and use this exercise as a guide.
- Only use your phone for the timer and turn off notifications.
- Move from one prompt to the next or focus on one.
Allow your mind to wander through your imagination.
Use this time to write something personal or write from the perspective of a character from a fictional story you are working on. Or write as a poem.
Music
I like to listen to instrumental or sounds from nature when freewriting.
Here is my selection for today:
First Prompt
Think back to when you were younger. Picture yourself (or as a fictional character) standing in a field of dandelions. You pick one. You blow on it and make a wish.
What is your wish? As a child, what would have been your wish?
Don’t stop and think. Write and think at the same time.
Set a timer for two minutes and write without stopping. Don’t edit.
Second Prompt
What is a recurring dream you had as a child? Or now?
Take three minutes and describe all the details you remember, involving all five senses.
If you don’t dream, write about that.
Do you wish you had dreams? Do you remember any recurring dreams from a friend or family member?
Third Prompt
When I was a kid and saw a rainbow after a storm, I imagined traveling to find the end of that rainbow, to find my pot of gold.
Take 5 minutes and write:
Imagine your journey to the end of a rainbow, what do you find? Or describe the journey to the end of the rainbow, what do you encounter?
Let your words settle. Go back and see what you have written.
Is it the springboard to a flash fiction piece or a personal essay?
You can submit your writing to any of the freewriting exercises found at Flint & Steel anytime. There are no deadlines.
Visit the submission guideline page to sign up to be a writer.