Past Prompts

Sure, we’re all writers here, but why do we write? For relaxation, for pleasure, to keep others informed, for creative expression? Or as Joan Didion famously said, "I write entirely to find out what I'm thinking, what I'm looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear." Think back … about the role writing has played in your life. Share your Why We Write stories forward. Start Writing Read Stories

Words often fail to have the same meaning when translated into another language. Sometimes the result is frustrating, as in trying to assemble something made in China with directions that have been translated into fractured English. Often, the result is funny, as the translation changes the intended meaning of a phrase. Think back … what experiences have you had with something that was lost in translation? Have you or someone you know struggled to communicate in a foreign country? Do you know foreign-born people whose words were misunderstood, mistranslated, or not translatable? Share your Lost in Translation stories forward. Start Writing Read Stories

On this Father’s Day weekend, our thoughts turn to our fathers, as they did to our mothers last month. Fathers can also be sources of advice, wisdom, or warnings, as well as family stories. Think back ... to some memorable account, caution, or counsel that your father gave you that has stayed with you all these years. Share your What My Father Told Me stories forward. Start Writing Read Stories

As children, we couldn’t wait for each birthday to come, but now some of us might dread this sign of advancing age. Think back ... to your most memorable or special birthday. Was it Sweet Sixteen? Twenty-one? Or sixty-five and eligible for Medicare? How did you celebrate then? How do you view birthdays now? Share your Special Birthdays stories forward. Start Writing Read Stories

In the British Underground, the signs on the platforms say Mind the Gap (between the train and the platform). But the gap we are minding is the generation gap. Remember when we said "Don't trust anyone over 30" ... back when we were under 30? Think back ... What did you think of your parents and their generation when we were young? Were they squares? Sell-outs? Did they understand you at all? Did your thinking change as time passed? Are you closer to your children now than you were to your parents then? Share your Mind the Gap stories forward. Start Writing Read Stories