1-MINUTE PROMPT:
Locate something nearby that’s too large to hold, like a tree or an apartment building. Imagine you could actually pick it up and run your hand along its surfaces. What would it feel like?
5-MINUTE PROMPT:
Locate something nearby that has a soft texture. Then locate something soft within you. Write about these two kinds of softness, one physical and one more abstract.
10-MINUTE PROMPT:
Find something with a physically bumpy texture in your environment. Think of a memory or experience you once had that could be described as emotionally bumpy. Write a free verse poem about these two kinds of bumpiness.
20-MINUTE PROMPT:
There are smooth things in your environment and jagged things. Make note of them. Consider that there are smooth or jagged things inside of you, be they memories, emotions, or physical attributes. Make note of those too. Use your observations on these tangible and intangible smooth and jagged things to create the backstory of a complex character. How did this character become so complicated? What motivates this character? What makes this character angry? What is this character’s mission in life?