Welcome to the January Dig!
The Dig is a monthly set of writing prompts to help you “dig” deeper into the current of your own creativity and benefit from its flow.
Respond to one or more of these prompts in whatever form tickles your fancy—journaling, poem, story, essay . . . the possibilities are endless.
Be playful with the prompt, or serious . . . or seriously playful. Practice old ways of writing, or try a fresh new approach. Write alone, or with a friend.
Most of all, write for yourself. Write what you enjoy, even if it’s occasionally difficult. Write what’s true—in the soul sense.
#1: A one-word writing prompt
Write anything in response to this word: CLUE.
Did you know . . . This word derives from “clew,” meaning a ball of yarn. In Greek mythology, Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of yarn to help him find his way out of the Minotaur’s labyrinth. Theseus unravelled the yarn behind him as he went so that he could easily reverse his steps. Because of this, “clew” came to mean something that points the way, especially when we use it to work backwards in order to deduce meaning or solve a crime. The modern-day spelling dates from the 15th century.
#2: For this prompt, you need paper and pen!
Let’s get your creativity flowing down through your arm, your wrist, your fingers!
Write a poem, story, or journal entry without ever lifting your pen (or pencil) off the paper. Your subject? One of your favorite people.
Don’t worry about what your writing will look like on the page. Give yourself permission to be messy. You can’t “mess up”!
#3: A crossword prompt
First, print out this crossword puzzle and solve it (solution also provided).
Now write creatively, using as many of the words from the puzzle as possible. Or you might wish to choose a single puzzle word as inspiration.
Want to share?
Share your work with other Diggers. Swap ideas. Ask questions. Reveal insights.
CLUELESS
As a Hospice volunteer,
when I sit with someone who is actively dying, I:
- introduce myself
- look about the room for clues to their essence while they were
actively living
- watch them breathe
- touch their arm
- pray and imagine their soul and their body kissing each other good-bye
- hold the space
- fall in love with a stranger
Oh, how we cling to our bodies without even thinking about it,
then one day or over many days, it is time to say good-bye.
This sitting with someone,
it is called Transitions,
body and soul in liminal space about to become something
new.
It is sacred space.
What an honor for me to be a conduit.
To be present during this time.
I love it when I find clues to their authentic self,
whether through photos or art about the room,
or a family member who wants to share their story.
But even when I remain clueless to who they are,
this fellow human is experiencing something universal.
I almost prefer it.
When I am clueless we are one.
I loved playing the board game CLUE when I was a child. I still have my original board. The only piece I had to replace was the lead pipe. Although you now can look up the characters (and some have changed) I'm writing down how I thought they were when I was a child. I realized that I don't remember anything about Mr. Boddy - the murder victim - so I started speculating about him. We'll see where this character study goes.