This summer’s unforeseen gift was time spent with several of my oldest (longest) friends. One was a long-planned study week with graduate school friends.
This group first met half a lifetime ago, eager to study, and new to adulthood. Over the years we’ve driven across states for one another—to rejoice at weddings, pray in hospital waiting rooms, and show up at funerals. While we are still learning about ourselves and one another as we grow older, our friendship is built on a shared reservoir of memories swirling with people, places, jokes, and prayers.
I love the way friends tell old stories, all filling in details that lead to new stories. One person will start with a specific memory; others add sights, sounds, smells, and tastes, which take you completely elsewhere and launch you onto another story.
A good writing prompt does that too. It’s like throwing a baited fishhook into a pond of stories. You may cast your line out in search of striped bass, but after patient waiting (or writing) you end up catching something else—a speckled trout, a catfish, or even an old boot.
Reel it all in, and enjoy the fishing.
a writing prompt
Think of an old friend with whom you are still in touch, or wish you were. Write as if you were telling them the story of a shared memory. Begin with: “Remember when….”
See what else your fishing brings you.
