Welcome to the place that is dedicated to getting you writing (again?). Maybe you have absolutely no idea where to start but have always wanted to try being a writer. Maybe you want to write the great American novel or you thought you'd write a poem about hidden life of a grain of sand. Maybe you just need a little inspiration to get you started or you find yourself just a little stuck. Maybe you find yourself trying to break out of your comfort zone or mix things up at work. Whatever your reason for landing here, practicing a little creativity can impact your life in ways you didn't expect.
But let's be honest. Creativity is a muscle and it needs exercise to work properly. That's where this series comes in. With any luck, this series will get your creative juices flowing and get you thinking in ways you hadn't before. Throughout the summer, we posted a couple of prompts every week. We cut back a little during the school year but will attempt to post at least one prompt a month. If you are interested in more, not only are there prompt sites online, we also have a prompt booklet you can get from us and enough creative people on staff to maybe come up with an idea you can run with if you come in and ask.
It's everywhere: At book club, around the watercooler, in the bathroom, over a cold beer, over a warm one, between friends, behind backs... gossip shapes how we view the world. Think of just how much "fake news," factual or manufactured, accurate or not, is out there. How often has a politician dictated what is reality and what fantasy? How many times have you told or been told part of a story of someone you know or have heard about but that you (or the other conspirator) weren't exactly a part of? The world revolves around a constant global game of telephone. Whether we want to admit it or not, we all participate, some more than others, but we all do.
Gossip is often viewed in a negative manner. It isn't always, but certainly can be, and it can have far reaching ramifications. It's even been a focal point of numerous television shows. Two blockbuster examples would be Gossip Girl and Bridgerton... and the books that they were based upon. Entire columns of newspapers, blogs, and the like are devoted, not to news or global happenings, but to gossip. Even some of the news on both sides of the political aisle can look like gossip rather than hard-hitting pieces designed to inform the public.
If gossip is so far reaching and everywhere, maybe it's time to consciously participate. The following prompt will get you started. See where it takes you. This young librarian wouldn't be surprised to find that hidden sides of your characters sprang to life as you dredged those details up.
So here's your prompt: Write an entire piece as if you were sharing gossip.