A month of lists - ‘Listuary.’

I thought we might have a month of list making. (You know how much I like a list!) Some lists become poems. Some lists spark an idea. Some lists help us get our lives in order. Some lists remain just that: lists.

As always, use the prompts in any way that suits you. Write lists of words and phrases. Add further details if you wish. Abandon the list and follow your thoughts to expand an item, whether it is the first or fortieth on your list. Stretch one list out over several days. Start a list of your own.

I have taken the theme, A Book of Myself, mostly choosing prompts that invite you to think about yourself and where you are at the moment. I have also drawn upon Shaun Usher’s terrific book, Lists of Note. It is an endlessly entertaining collection of lists. I have quoted extracts from some of them here.

Of course, you can translate any prompt into fiction, or use it as a springboard for writing about someone else. I think I might write a story called ‘The eleven coats of Edith Peasenhall.’

-Jeni Smith.

Want more lists or quick prompts to get you going? Have a look at our Starting Prompts to help you flex those writing muscles.