Greetings, writers—
One of the rules I have for these prompts is that they need to be written right before I send them out, no planning ahead or stockpiling allowed. This definitely isn’t the most efficient way to write them (that would be task-batching, thank you very much), but I have this idea that the immediacy makes them more special somehow. That it means we are on the same page (no pun intended) and engaged in a kind of end-of-the-week conversation, even if I don’t get to read your answers to my questions and/or prompts.
Another reason I always wait is that it demands a kind of low-stakes faith that I’ll be able to come up with something at the last minute. And since faith is pretty crucial to any significant writing project—yes, someday we will finish our books!—it’s good to practice having it.
But now let’s consider faith not as an important tool or skill for writers, but as a plot point. Here are three prompts to encourage you to do so. (But you could also just write “Faith” or “Trust” at the top of a piece of paper, set a timer for 20 minutes, and see what you come up with.)
Write a scene in which your character places his/her/their faith in someone and comes to learn they were mistaken to do so.
Write a scene in which your character is trying to decide whether or not he/she/they believes what they are being told.
Write a scene in which your character engages in some kind of superstition or magical thinking, either to bring something good about or to prevent something bad from happening. Does it work?
Happy writing—
Emily
P.S. See Friday Writing Prompt #008 for a lovely poem excerpt that has a little to do with faith and trust.