Nicole R. Zimmerman offered a group on May 20th
For this session, Nicole chose to use her “own” prompts. These prompts, while not the ones offered by AWA for use during Write Around the World, are sourced from different places. Pat Schneider, AWA’s founder, discusses using the second prompt from the list below in her book, Writing Alone and With Others.
Nicole says, “The first one is good for reducing anxiety/tuning into senses & environment; the second one is a good get-to-know-you and illustrates how hard it is to detect what’s ‘true.'”
Prompts
- 5-4-3-2-1: List 5 things you SEE, 4 things you can TOUCH, 3 things you HEAR, 2 things you SMELL, 1 thing you TASTE.
- Write a list of autobiographical facts—true things from your own life. Include at least one detail that is fictional (i.e. made up). It’s okay to pick a theme (homes I’ve lived in; jobs I’ve had; relationships). → When reading aloud, we’ll guess which is the fiction.
- Craigslist ad: “Found a purse made from Jeans. It’s full of stuff but no ID. Tell me what’s inside and you can come get it!”
- Write a letter to your past self, sharing advice or reassurance. Or, fast-forward to your future self looking back at now and do the same.
Thank you to Nicole for her leadership and for sharing these prompts! Hopefully, one of them inspires you to take some time to write.
Looking for more?
Nicole R. Zimmerman, an AWA Affiliate, leads a 6-week workshop series called Writing From Memory or Imagination. Writing sessions typically take place at The Sitting Room—a privately funded women’s community library in Northern California—and are currently held on Zoom. Participants say she is “warm, encouraging, and respectful of each person’s own voice.”
Nicole was a 2019 recipient of the Discovered Awards for Emerging Visual and Literary Artists, a program produced by Creative Sonoma. She holds an MFA in Writing from the University of San Francisco and her essays are published widely including in Creative Nonfiction. Find out more at:
Thank you for joining us to Write Around the World!
For the rest of June, watch our blog! We are sharing writing from AWA’s yearly marathon fundraiser, which happened this year all-online throughout the month of May.
We offer this series in appreciation for the incredible community of writers and workshop leaders that sustain us. If you’re inspired and would like to be part of the fundraiser, please donate!