Way Back

by Gail Balentine

          There is often curiosity among would-be writers, and readers in general, regarding how a writer decides what to write about. Almost anything can spark your imagination, but a tried-and-true method used by many writers is called a ‘writer’s prompt’. These are words, phrases, or beginnings to stories designed to stimulate a creative response. Here’s how one prompt worked for me.

Recently, when I drove my car into a crowded parking lot, I needed to do quite a bit of maneuvering to get it parked, safe from opening and closing doors. As I shut off the engine, I breathed a sigh of relief and then heard a small voice from way, way back in my mind say, “All done!”. That voice stirred up long-stored memories.

The next day, I saw the following prompt: When the kids were small …. and I knew exactly what I was going to write about.

When our oldest daughter was very young, she would say “All done!” Whether it was her playing with a toy and then wanting to go on to something else or eating a meal, she signaled the end of the event with a simple “All done.” As she grew up, she always saw to details and finished whatever she started, so we teased her as a teenager by calling her ‘Julie McCoy’, after the cruise director character on Love Boat. Today, at home and work, she is an organizer in every sense of the word. Coincidence?

Our second daughter’s first word was “Hi!” and she said it to everybody – family, strangers, cats, dogs, goldfish. Since she had bright red hair and huge blue eyes that grabbed attention, most people stopped and spoke to her when she spoke to them. It got to a point where I had to leave her home with my husband when I wanted to run a quick errand. She has always been involved in group activities and, if you asked her today to describe herself, the words “people person” would pop up first. Are we born a certain way?

I was curious to see how our son would differ from his sisters. What would his first/favorite word be? Well, surprise, surprise, there was no special word or words. He was then, and is today, very quiet. Often, I’d wonder if he was really paying attention at all. Today, I don’t have to wonder because, when we talk about specific events or people in the past, he uses his razor-sharp wit to share specific, insightful details that I, as a writer, wish I had noted or described in that way. From where do these core basics come? And how?

Hard to believe some days, but I was a ‘kid’ once, too. My mother told me that when I was an infant I slept for long periods, woke to eat, and then slept again with very little awake time or fussing in-between. The love of food is definitely still there. Not sure about the ‘little’ fussing –  I certainly have my days. The thing I wonder about wistfully is the ease with which I slept then as I deal with frequent insomnia today.

Prompts can help you recall the past, give you a method of sorting out how you feel about an issue, send you off on a new fictional adventure, help you notice – really notice – something you pass by every day. Where they take you is limited only by your imagination. Here’s one for you: I love the color _______ because _____. Try writing a response to the prompt – you might enjoy it!

******