1-MINUTE PROMPT:
Humans have had tools for nearly three million years, but it’s only in the last couple hundred that we’ve designed them for personal hygiene. Think of the tools you use to keep yourself groomed: the toothbrush, the hair comb, the washcloth, and more. Pick one of these tools and describe the experience of using it.
5-MINUTE PROMPT:
Think of a kitchen tool that you have a particular affinity for, whether it’s a special coffee mug or a favorite frying pan. Use this tool in a scene that takes place in a kitchen. Write it from the point of view of a baby watching a parent.
10-MINUTE PROMPT:
We have lots of tools for communication. Think of one that you use regularly, such as a computer or smartphone, and pair it with a communication tool you’ve never used, such as skywriting or Morse code. Create a scene from a silent film script where two characters have a back-and-forth conversation using these tools.
20-MINUTE PROMPT:
What’s a tool that you rely on that you wish you didn’t have to? Perhaps it’s something like jumper cables for your old truck or reading glasses for diminishing eyesight. Using aspects of your own interactions with this tool, see if you can symbolically connect its functionality to a larger aspect of your life in a memoir excerpt.