You don't know me, yet.
Weekly Writing Prompt No. 59
Hello everyone, and welcome to the weekly writing prompt.
For those who are new to The Writing Shed, the weekly writing prompt is the core of my activity here on Substack. Paid members can find an archive of courses I’ve created and access all past writing prompts, flash fiction attempts, and essays from The Index
So have fun, enjoy the process, and write heaps.
You don’t know yet, but maybe you will someday, that I have a small mole below my left shoulder blade. I’ve only seen it in reverse, in changing rooms with multiple mirrors reflecting all the bitter disappointments of my non-conformity to the beauty norm. But I know it’s there and I know it’s part of me.
You don’t know yet, because we haven’t met, yet, that I have a small birthmark on my face. It’s almost impossible to see unless I point it out. I rarely do that, preferring instead to be told I look good without make-up.
You don’t know yet, that my eyes are blue, cornflower blue according to my mother and framed by glasses I’ve worn since childhood. I’ve sought out cornflowers and I can’t see the resemblance at all. But maybe I found them under bright clear skies and a golden sun, rather than the dulled artificial light striking a bathroom mirror.
You don’t know yet, that I prefer leggings to anything else. Comfort above grace or elegance. Big jumpers too, colourful since I forswore the all-black I wore throughout my 30’s.
You don’t know yet, that my hair is hazelnut brown and that the shafts of silver running through it come, not from a bottle, but from age, and (hopefully) wisdom and experience.
You don’t know yet, but I hope you will, that I have a ready smile, that I like people, and that I’d love to hear about you too. I’d like to learn where we fit, where we don’t and what we might do if we decided it might be nice to know.
The Prompt
How we come across to other people is largely dependent on how we see ourselves and is always in relation to how they think about the people they already know, and have experienced. Similarly, we judge ourselves and others according to what we believe we know about ourselves, and what we assume will be important to them.
Today, create a description of yourself or a character as if you, or they, were going on a blind date. How might you describe yourself without being obvious?
Please share your poetry or prose in the comments below, I love to see how differently each prompt is approached, and a wide variety of responses demonstrates possibilities to the rest of us we might not have thought of.
Remember, you never know where today’s prompt may take you in the future!
Reflect
I include a reflection opportunity with every writing prompt. Personally, it helps me to write them longhand in my bullet journal as the act of moving my hand across a page seems to create a deeper connection to my inner world. You might like to do the same to see how differently it feels, especially if you write predominantly with a device.
I know from personal experience that how I see myself depends on how I feel at any given moment. This influences whether I tend towards fact, ‘I will wear a white coat with a red carnation in the lapel’; or a more lyrical approach, ‘I have bright blue eyes sitting behind red-rimmed glasses and a big smile that reaches all the way up into my hairline’.
What did you focus on in your description? How much did your current feelings about yourself or your character influence or affect the description? Might it be different on a different day or in different circumstances?
As a coach, mentor, and counsellor I work with many people on very different journeys. Some hope to write a best-selling book, while others simply want to be healthier and happier. Each person has a unique way of starting the inner work this requires. If you’re a writer who wants to manifest your writing hopes and dreams from the practical and pragmatic to the esoteric and spiritual, or who would like to clear any subconscious self-sabotage you may be experiencing, why not work with me? To find out more head over to my website by clicking the button below.
The Weekly Newsletter
Something to reflect on …
“The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book.” — Samuel Johnson
The Weekly Writing Competition
Black Orchid Novella Award for a traditional mystery novella.
Entries must be 15,000 - 20,000 words and there are very strict rules on what and how to submit, so pay attention otherwise you may be summarily disqualified.
The competition is hosted by the Wolfe Pack and is supported by Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. Entry is free (of course!), and you can find out more here: https://nerowolfe.org
With love, light, and laughter
Linda
x
YOU DON'T KNOW ME...
You don’t know me, but the problem is
I’m not entirely sure that I do, either.
We could find me out together.
Explore the world that might explode
me into who I’m meant to be.
Oh. You want more concrete information?
No chance.
Because in my imagination
I am a poet, an explorer, adventurer, dreamer,
I am a wild-gardener, a concoction-cook,
I am a late-sleeper, a beach-comber,
a person who eats with her fingers
and doesn’t care that much
how she looks.
I am without obligation,
child-free and parentless,
I’m a book-worm let loose
in the library shelves,
I pick up sticks,
and feathers,
and wonder what it means.