Part of the importance for me when sitting down and writing is emptying out all the clutter the world likes to through into my thoughts. (I throw some of that clutter in, too, I’ll admit.) Part of the Story Stones prompt program is taking time out to try and empty out some of that clutter to leave room for all that creative stuff we want to create.
Reflection (10 minutes) – “What are you thinking?”
Get what’s swimming around in your brain out on paper. There’s no wrong answer here. No rules. Don’t worry about spelling or punctuation. With all that stuff that gets in the way of writing what you want to write, put it down here. Give it a bit of time to have its own voice. It gives it time to be acknowledged. Don’t read it back. Don’t correct it. Just let it flow. Even if it’s repetitive.
“Own Voices”
Why are they so important? What benefit do we get from them? The world can sometimes come across as if it has a voice for you but sometimes it’s just bait to make you a consumer. For LGBT+ people, Queer Baiting can be damaging and in my opinion, not the same as real authentic representation.
What does writing do for you? How does each of your pieces allow you to express yourself?
“Let’s Get Personal”
When was a time you felt your own voice silenced?
When have you witnessed someones voice being silenced?
When was a time you felt empowered by expressing your own voice?
Prompt Questions:
How did it make you feel? How did you see it affect others? What would you have said if you’d been allowed to?
Self Publishing Checklist (Generalised):
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This is a great framework for your workshops. So much rich material here. From your “getting personal” prompt, I remember a time when I felt silenced. A certain family member visited and he is a devout Christian and conspiracy theorist who apparently has no filters. After making him a nice dinner, he proceeded to expound on his theories of how a Jewish cabal is trying to take over the world and control all the wealth. I became more and more enraged. Finally I blurted out, “Well many of my relatives were killed because they were Jewish and all their wealth was stolen, so there goes that theory!” I stormed out of the room in tears, leaving my poor husband to pick up the pieces. Feeling silenced is an awful feeling, as I’m sure you know too well.