This is a writing prompt stolen from Jovan Mays. He gives about ten prompts for kids to start writing their stories, and this one stuck with me. I've used it repeatedly. I like it becasue the answer is different every time. Depending on your state of mind or situation, it's hopeful or dark. But even the dark becomes hopeful, because it's a prompt and I make them write at least three sentences, avoiding "When they find me I will be dead", or "When they find me I'll be with my dog." I need more guys, so do you.
So in my upper level class, we're working towards writing original monologues. I gave them several prompts, and they shut down. So we focused on this one. To help them along, I also wrote, I didn't realize this image was in me, but it's delightful so I'm sharing. My response:
When they find me, I will be struggling to balance the salad I just bought at the bodega with the ceramic 1970's lamp I found at the Goodwill so that I can open the lobby door. It's an easier door to open than the stage door, where the giant beast key tends to stick. All of my treasures would end up on the ground if I came in that way. The front door is tended to more frequently and opens easily as the house crew needs to be able to get in without any glitches. I usually come through the stage door, so they have to unlock it themsleves, even though they can see me in the lobby, I tend not to unlock that door. I will enter the dark lobby and walk, in the dark, to the box office where I'll leave the lamp and the salad. I will continue in the dark to the house, as per my ritual, and bellow "Mom's home, party's over". I will stand and laugh at my own joke, yet I will wait ten seconds before turning on the house lights so the ghosts have time to clear the stage. As I turn back to the lobby, I will trip over them, they, the one who found me, and ask why were they looking? I am not lost. I did not go missing. I am exactly where everyone expected me to be. They will smile and shrug, and as far as I am concerned, they are dismissed. However, they stay, hovering, as I go about my tasks to warm up the space. Since I now have an audience, I feel compelled to narrate.
"The SM will be here in ten minutes, but they already do everything, and I think it's nice for me to come in first and warm everything up and start the coffee. Well, nice or control freak, either one, I'll take either one, it's my theatre, my responsiblity, my home, my church. I want to be here. It's not a job, it's a choice."
That was my response to the prompt yesterday. It's complelely different than any response I have written in the last two years, all of which revolve around the shit storm of 2016-2020. It's nice to see that shaken loose, to know that on an unconscious level, at least, I've let it go.
ANYWAY, it's cool. And a great prompt and you may wish to try it. I find it to be good for my mental health, and, as it turns out, also revealing.
Scene.
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