The Return of an Old Friend

I’ve been writing online since 2008 or so, which is actually a little mind-boggling to me. I used to share without inhibition in a way that I’m almost embarrassed by now; and a day without sitting down to write at least a sentence or two felt incomplete. Granted, I had a lot more time back then, but with the help of nap schedules and a morning babysitter a few times a week, I can once again visualize the old version of myself, who makes time to sit down with a cup of coffee and put her thoughts into words.

The other day, Gideon went down for his last nap of the afternoon while Sophie kept herself busy in a corner of the playroom and I took a deep breath—in the chaos of our first week of sleep training I had almost forgotten that on the other side is a lot more time to spend at your desk, or to light a candle and clean the kitchen while a pot of soup simmers on the stove, or to make some tea and watch an episode of Mad Men while both kids are resting.

If you’ve read here long enough, you know of my love affair with a book called Old Friend from Far Away: The Practice of Writing Memoir. One of my creative writing professors in college used it for our workshops and it really stuck with me—it’s perfect when you have time but no inspiration, which is where I currently find myself.

So here are a few prompts, from my trusty and well-worn copy of Old Friend from Far Away, just like the old days, in case you could also use a little creative nudge. I used to put due dates on them but I think I know better than to set myself up for failure that way, especially before I’ve even started. But then again the thing about writing and creativity in general is that the more you do it, the easier and more natural it becomes. Let’s start with five.