For Ron and anyone interested in writing prompts and/or the workshop experience, I highly recommend Writing Alone and with Others by Pat Schneider. After reading the comments on Ron’s query for prose exercises, I recalled what Schneider said about “hot” and “cool” exercises, the former suggesting tone or content and the other, not so much because there are so many options. Bill Kennedy’s exercise (see “Comments” under Ron’s “Help!” post) falls on the hot side, for example, but the classic prompt to write about an object chosen from a group toward the cool because the variety of objects provides a range of topics and tonalities. One writer might select a hair brush and write about a first hair cut. Another might select the same and explore the indignities of chemotherapy.
Good to consider this writing “temperature” in directed-writing sessions and good to write with Ron. Don’t forget the lute.
