We’ve made it to Day 21 of 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes — a writing challenge in which participants are encouraged to free write for five minutes flat on a one-word prompt each day in October.
Visit this page to find a number of writing challenge participants and read their work as well!
My personal series during this challenge has been 31 Days of Writing Tips. Find the full Table of Contents with links to other posts here.
Today’s writing prompt is: PERSON
Perhaps you remember being assigned writing exercises like this during your school days — using human characteristics or attributes to objects that are not human.
Some common examples I remember from my own childhood include “the wind howled” and “the trees danced.”
I don’t know about you, but I don’t naturally write with personification unless I’m intentionally thinking about it. However, taking this extra step toward being descriptive in our writing can have a very positive effect.
It may not feel natural or easy at first, but start playing around with metaphors. Try personifying objects that aren’t usually given lifelike characteristics.
If you can, push yourself to go beyond “the wind howled” and “the trees danced.”
Here’s a beautiful example from Alia Joy:
“[The words] oozed out and dripped down my fingers, my keyboard devouring them greedily, the page filling with story, a receptacle for my language of hope.”
Doesn’t that make you want to write better? It certainly inspires and motivates me.
Go back to your work in progress and search for ways you could incorporate personification to make your writing come alive and your reader more engaged.
Read more posts in this series HERE
Looking for more writing inspiration?
Try The Five-Minute Writing Prompt Journal or The 31-Day Writing Prompt Journal for freewriting exercises in paperback form.
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