The January Dig!
Write from your current
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.
Happy writing!
Paper/Pen - I'm not sure why I chose 'wander' to write about but I began at the outside edge of the page and wrote about wandering as I continued to circle the page working my way toward the center. It was such a great experience of free writing that I don't even remember what I said or why. (Also, the writing got so messy that I can't read it either). It surprised me to notice where there was tension as I wrote in this method - I had a cramp between my thumb and finger and also in my shoulder - strain from not letting up on the contact between pen and paper. Drove me crazy not to dot my 'I's but I did figure out how to cross my 'T's without lifting my pen - lower case 'r' seemed to be the hardest letter to make and keep recognizable. I may try this again with a different writing pattern.
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.