Saturday, June 18, 2011

Light Bulb Lab: Mining your Memories


Meg Medina's new book, Tia Isa Wants a Car, sprang from the memory from her childhood. Your memories are a great source of ideas for your writing. Think about all the experiences, emotions, and thoughts that make up you. That's a lot of writing material! 

When you write stories with a child as the main character, you'll need to dig through the layers of adulthood and remember what it's like to be a kid. Here are some great writing prompts to help you:

     Write about the first family car that you can 
    remember.

     Did you ever live with a relative or have a relative live 
     with you? Was it fun or annoying or both?

     Who were your favorite cousins? What events stand 
     out about them?

     Write about the most unusual family vacation you can 
     remember.

     Write about a time you felt misunderstood as a child.

     Write about the most eccentric neighbor from your 
     childhood. What seemed strange to you about him or 
     her?

     What style of clothing did you wear when you 
     were a child or a teenager? Did your mother ever 
     make you wear something you hated? Did you ever 
     insist on wearing something that your mother hated?

     How was your hair cut or styled when you were a 
     child? Did you ever have a really bad haircut?

Have you ever used your memories as a spring board for your writing? Tell us about it!

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