Muse Ariadne
There's no better way to combat writer's block, challenge critical thinking skills and improve composing than by joining an online writing club that offers weekly prompts. As a result, you'll find a lot of free form here because it allows for greater freedom. We are encouraged to bring our own interpretation, which means that we can probably come up with a wide range of ways to approach each cue.
week of oct 28th: write about the sky— any aspect of it. color, feeling, temperature, shape (?), etc. write about a sky that inspires you or that exhausts you, or anything else you’d like
The sky inspires a poetic ethos- it’s fluffy like cotton candy, a body pillow or a bubble bath in a mesmerizing aqua blue color. It’s hard not to imagine that the clouds will float me, as I daydream; buffering me from all my worldly cares but it has a greater purpose. The sky can be viewed, as a canvas for nature to paint on; whether it’s radiant sunshine, thunder and lightening or a horizon- we rarely know which to expect. An incomprehensible sky shields our planet and all living things fall underneath its umbrella. It’s a reminder that something more powerful than us governs our atmosphere. The firmament sustains us by offering rain- a gift presented to Mother earth. It becomes apparent that the celestial sphere symbolizes the vastness and beauty of existence.
week of oct 20th: we do a lot of writing in this club-- this week, i'd like us all to take some time to revise something. explore something you've written for an earlier prompt and play around with it. this doesn't have to be with the intention of making it 'better'. make it new; make it different; make it truer to yourself. have fun with it
I am writing a new entry for "Week of Sept 9th: Write about something monstrous. What does it mean for something to be a monster? Is it a judgment of character, something inherited at birth/ creation, or something else?"
It’s monstrous of me to remain child-free by choice- grotesque for going against traditional family values and provoking others to become judgmental or disjointed. Firstly, let’s consider how much money it takes to properly raise a child today. According to Illinois Cares for Kids, “the average cost of raising a child in the United States in 2023 is about $15,512.52–$17,459.43 per year," which is not exactly chump change. My goal is not to live life on the wheel of consumption and having children/ grandchildren tends to keep you there. It keeps you buying commercially thus, funding a whole new generation of corporations and trust fund babies. Secondly, I would put some thought and consideration into how I would want my children to turn out. This means that if they did not fit the build; devastation would come over me. They, in turn, would be burdened with a wide set of expectations and may not respond so well either. Thirdly, I wouldn’t know how to explain this world to a child- things like justice and equitability. I wouldn’t know how to explain the fact that hard work, such as going to college may not produce the results that they had hoped for-applying oneself isn’t always enough. It’s a combination of my personal limitations, the complexities of raising a child and the weight of parenting that factor into my decision. By choosing this path, I'm being authentic to myself; in a society that often struggles with decisions like this.
week of oct 14th: tell a story you want to tell to future generations to come-- whether through a poem, a short story, an essay, a myth-like retelling, or something else
Dear Future Generations,
Social media feeds have made great strides in helping to keep us informed; since they often make us feel as though we must remain in the loop. What was once a tool has led to diminishing real time interactions, disinformation/ misinformation and increasing global hostilities; which all potentially contribute to a divided US electorate. According to The Pew Research Center, “Americans are the most negative about the impact of social media on democracy: 64% say it has been bad.” Many view social media as a tool of divisiveness; making it responsible for the decline in civil discourse however, the power to change this trajectory lies in your hands. One option is to engage with life by building communities like a book club. This can help to cultivate closely knit relationships, which counters the negative impacts of social media; while strengthening communication skills. Enjoy events like a sip and paint- find commonality in hobbies/ projects/ interests, sit in a coffee house and reflect on the possibilities that exist in this universe- expose your mind to diverse perspectives/ learn to disagree without conflict or visit with your friends- foster human connections through listening and story telling. You are free to write new chapters and build new accounts to enter into the sea of oral histories, so practice empathy. It’s important to know that you have the responsibility to reclaim some autonomy by making conscious decisions based on the trial and errors of our time.
Always,
Bisha
Week of Oct 7th: Retell a story/ moment/ memory from your own life in a way you don't usually look at it
Serial dating was a very chaotic and unpredictable time in my life but it was also a magical one. I haven’t looked at it as getting all of the ingredients I needed for a recipe until now. Oftentimes it was challenging to get all of the qualities I needed in just 1 person. Each individual had their own ideas about what a date should look like, for example. One date used large letters to write my name out in the sand at the beach; which was very intimate and spontaneous. It made me blush. One believed in romance by buying a dozen roses for me before we went out on our date. This was a classic way to express admiration and made me feel desired but turned the pressure up. Another date took me to dinner at a cozy Ethiopian restaurant, which made me feel pampered by the richness of culture. At the time; these characteristics were combined to experience opulence much like a person would experience fusion cuisine. I found myself savoring the sweet, spicy and herb flavors of each rather than finding the ideal partner.
Week of Sept 30th: Choose a few specific images and focus almost solely on them in a piece of writing of any kind
I looked at cold cream ads for women from about 1930-1949 and am offering a brief critique. All 3 ads reviewed sell women on the notion of beauty, what that should look like and how to achieve it. They suggest that, in order to have a sporty/outdoorsy lifestyle; a woman must have flawless skin. In one image, consumers are being sold on the notion that they too could be the woman in the pond’s ad- a Duchess if they just used cold cream. If pond’s is good enough for the socialite, then it’s obviously good enough for the common everyday woman. Ladies need this product in order to be happy with their looks; otherwise they are considered to be a plain Jane, as proposed by the 2nd pond’s photo. The message plays on identity politics by profiling high society women. The ads further appeal to their audience by presenting themselves like a familiar friend reassuring the buyer that they too can trust these brands. The ideal lifestyle is equated to having the right looks, which includes treating your pores, eliminating blemishes, and softening your skin; according to Woodbury De Lux. There is the suggestion that using cold cream will solve all of your problems. A woman is well on her way to success by having cleaner, clearer skin; which is what these products supposedly give you. Marketing tells us that women have to work hard on themselves to achieve a certain level of beauty.
Images
Woodbury De Lux
Pond’s
Pond's
Week of Sept 23rd: Find a news article, new or old, and write something based on it
On 7/17/24, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers gave a controversial opinion challenging the legitimacy of Legislative Bill 20, which is aimed at eliminating the two-year waiting period for those with felony convictions to reclaim their voting rights. He argued that only the Nebraska Board of Pardons had the ability to restore these rights. This opinion came right before the law was set to take effect. As a result, Nebraska Secretary of State Bob Evnen made election officials pause the registration of eligible voters with felony convictions if they hadn’t received an official pardon; which is extremely rare. Pundits like Phi Nguyen of Demos offered backlash against the decision. This moment in history was paralleled to the post-Civil War era where policies were targeted toward disenfranchising marginalized people by those wanting to hold onto their power. He also expressed some concern over the image that Hilgers aims to portray; offering one that is disgraced by attempts to undermine the 2024 US election.
Article from Demos
Week of Sept 16th: Think & write about a space you've never inhabited-- something you've watched from afar (in awe, fear, envy, etc), but never engaged in
After watching astronauts float around in space while watching documentaries; I’ve wondered how heavenly this experience must be. Not to feel the weight of one’s own body stirs a certain awe, envy, and fear; that is difficult to reconcile. Being released from the shackles of gravity must offer a new sense of freedom while gliding without a destination, which is usually only experienced by STEM experts. We’ve mostly come to know the feeling of heaviness, which we cannot take off and put back on like a suit. Nevertheless, the cosmos must offer an account with the ethereal but while this is inspiring; it also creates apprehension. Most of us know little about what lies beyond our viewing range but what we do know about is home. From space, earth must also appear to possess otherworldliness—a blue gemstone reminding us of how small we are in comparison to the expanse. This makes the celestial realm a dream—full of bold wonderment that has awakened me from my everyday senses.
Week of Sept 9th: Write about something monstrous. What does it mean for something to be a monster? Is it a judgment of character, something inherited at birth/ creation, or something else?
It is monstrous when we lose ourselves to the battle against something like sexual abuse, meaning a person has lost the fight to reclaim their identity, for example. Being horrific is the byproduct or result of a larger entity, such as rape. The mistreatment we’ve experienced can often impact us physically, emotionally, and mentally; without our permission causing us to grotesque...although there are times when I'm not sure who the monsters are: those who do it or those who sustain it. It is monstrous when abusers hide out in open spaces—safe houses like churches and schools. These are places normally thought of as safe havens. Audacity is a monster because it is often reckless and blatantly unfeeling. It is also monstrous when we lose our sense of self to something sinister like addiction, which can rob us of our family. It is monstrous when we lose control of our life or when our life becomes interrupted by something like mental illness. It is monstrous to have cancer because it eats away at healthy tissues and disrupts the body’s normal functioning; not to mention the pain. Consumerism, for instance, is also a sort of monster because we are being eroded by the onslaught of materiality. It’s fair to say that “being monstrous” can encompass a wide spectrum of accounts that break our personalities down to their lowest denomination and it is this collectivizing, over time; that is making us completely unrecognizable, as a species.
