I’ve been thinking about what I can provide here that would be helpful to writers who are trying to Write Out Loud. One of the things that can keep me from writing is not knowing where or how to start and not being able to write just for the love of writing. Because of my Procrastination Personality, I often feel that if I am going to write, I need to know that the end result will be worth my time–in other words, I’ll get money or recognition for it. I’m starting to realize that some of my best stories come from bits and pieces that I’ve written with no expectation of results, but instead just jotted notes or a few paragraphs in response to a memory, prompt or event. Those initial writing exercises might then grow over time into complete stories, or they might not. Either way, they allow me to be creative and explore ideas, thoughts and styles of writing without the pressure of perfection.

That’s where Creativity Corner comes in. I’ve decided to start offering up a creative prompt every week that can prime your own writing pump. If you choose to participate and make your writing public by posting it on your own blog, I hope you will leave a comment and link to it here at Write Out Loud. (If you leave your own link, make sure to visit others who have linked and comment on their pieces, too.)  If you don’t have a blog, you are also welcome to share an excerpt of your response in the comments so that we can all enjoy your writing. Let’s build a creative and constructive community here and help one another grow in our writing. Will you join in?

Here’s the first prompt:

Describe your first kiss. Where were you? What did it feel like physically and/or emotionally? What were you wearing? How old were you? Who was your partner and what did he/she look like, wear, say, or do?

You can be as strict or liberal in your interpretation of the prompt as you’d like. Write whatever comes to mind. Tell the story from your own perspective, or from the perspective of a character you are writing about. However you choose to respond to the prompt, have fun and just write.