The trouble with writing as a profession is you cannot point to it and say, “This is writing.” The word writer conjures the famous image of Charles Dickens seated at a desk, quill in hand furiously scrawling. That is not always the case.

Writing Prompt

Take a walk and think about what you are writing; at least 20 minutes no matter what the weather. Let your mind wander, do not try to guide your thoughts at all. Or do what I like to do before and after a writing session, sit in a rocking chair listening to music noodling over what was written and what comes next. Go back to work and see what happens.

If you are not working on a project, write in first person present about whatever was on your mind in the time of solitude. Or use any image on this page as a starting point and write in first person present.

Please let me know if this happens.

Solitude

In Cannery Row John Steinbeck calls the time of day depicted in the Solitude photo The Gloaming, the last light of day when people reflect on their lives and are inspired to see hope. In the cold after a heavy snow it is as if everything stopped in awe of nature and is at peace; tough, cold soft and pastel. Perfect solitude.

The Photo

The assignment for Photography 101 was to take a picture of solitude using The Rule of Thirds. Whenever I hear the word solitude there is always fresh snow on the ground and it is cold.

The Rule of Thirds is when the photo frame is divided into thirds both horizontally and vertically and the points of interest are placed near the points of intersection. Like this:

The points of interest in this photo are close to the grid lines; the shadow of the tree starts on the right line and the foot prints cross the photo close to the top grid line. In another shot where the foot prints are on the top grid line, the ball of the sun can be seen and it overwhelms the photo.

 

If you write something based on this prompt copy and paste a link to this page in the post (This creates a ping back and I will be notified so I can read  your work.)  Use the tag FranklyWritePrompt so I  and others will be able to find it. Or you can send it to me using the form on the Submit page.