|
|
|
|
@@ -1,182 +1,182 @@
|
|
|
|
|
[
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt00": "You are tasked with designing a new public holiday that addresses a modern need for connection or reflection. What is its name, and on what date does it fall? Describe its rituals, symbols, and traditional foods. How do people prepare for it, and what activities are encouraged or forbidden? Write a personal account of experiencing this holiday for the first time, focusing on the emotions it evokes and the societal gaps it aims to fill."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt00": "Recall a piece of art\u2014a painting, song, film\u2014that initially confused or repelled you, but that you later came to appreciate or love. Describe your first, negative reaction in detail. Then, trace the journey to understanding. What changed in you or your context that allowed a new interpretation? Write about the value of sitting with discomfort and the rewards of having your internal syntax for beauty challenged and expanded."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt01": "Choose a street you walk down often. Today, walk it with the mission of noticing five things you've never seen before. They can be tiny: a crack in the pavement shaped like a continent, a particular stain on a wall, a hidden doorbell. Document each discovery in detail. Then, reflect on the phenomenon of selective attention. What had you been filtering out, and why? How does this exercise change your sense of the familiar path?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt01": "Imagine your life as a vast, intricate tapestry. Describe the overall scene it depicts. Now, find a single, loose thread\u2014a small regret, an unresolved question, a path not taken. Write about gently pulling on that thread. What part of the tapestry begins to unravel? What new pattern or image is revealed\u2014or destroyed\u2014by following this divergence? Is the act one of repair or deconstruction?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt02": "Imagine you could host a dinner party for three fictional characters from different books, films, or myths. Who would you invite and why? Don't just list them. Set the scene: the table setting, the menu, the lighting. Write the conversation that unfolds. What would they argue about? What surprising common ground might they find? How would their presence challenge or affirm your own worldview? Let the dialogue reveal their core natures."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt02": "Recall a dream that felt more real than waking life. Describe its internal logic, its emotional palette, and its lingering aftertaste. Now, write a 'practical guide' for navigating that specific dreamscape, as if for a tourist. What are the rules? What should one avoid? What treasures might be found? By treating the dream as a tangible place, what insights do you gain about the concerns of your subconscious?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt03": "Describe a taste you loved as a child but have since grown indifferent to or now dislike. Recreate the sensory memory of that taste with precision. What was its context? Who was with you? Now, analyze the shift. Did your palate change, or did the associations sour? Is there a way to reclaim the innocent pleasure of that taste, or is its loss a necessary marker of growing up? Explore the nostalgia and slight grief in outgrowing a flavor."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt03": "Describe a public space you frequent (a library, a cafe, a park) at the exact moment it opens or closes. Capture the transition from emptiness to potential, or from activity to stillness. Focus on the staff or custodians who facilitate this transition\u2014the unseen architects of these daily cycles. Write from the perspective of the space itself as it breathes in or out its human occupants. What residue of the day does it hold in the quiet?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt04": "Contemplate the concept of 'waste' in your daily life. Choose one item destined for the trash or recycling. Trace its journey backwards from your hand to its origins as raw material. Then, project its journey forward after it leaves your custody. What systems does it touch? What hands might process it? Write a biography of this discarded object, granting it dignity and narrative. How does this perspective alter your sense of responsibility and connection?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt04": "Listen to a piece of music you know well, but focus exclusively on a single instrument or voice that usually resides in the background. Follow its thread through the entire composition. Describe its journey: when does it lead, when does it harmonize, when does it fall silent? Now, write a short story where this supporting element is the main character. How does shifting your auditory focus create a new narrative from familiar material?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt05": "Invent a small, personal ritual you could perform to mark the transition from one part of your day to another (e.g., work to home, waking to activity). Describe each step with deliberate, sensory care. What object is involved? What words, if any, are said? How does your posture change? The goal isn't superstition, but mindfulness. Write about performing this ritual for a week. What subtle shifts in your awareness might it create? How does deliberately carving out a threshold affect your experience of time?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt05": "Describe your reflection in a window at night, with the interior light creating a double exposure of your face and the dark world outside. What two versions of yourself are superimposed? Write a conversation between the 'inside' self, defined by your private space, and the 'outside' self, defined by the anonymous night. What do they want from each other? How does this liminal artifact\u2014the glass\u2014both separate and connect these identities?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt06": "Consider a piece of music that feels like a physical space to you\u2014a song you can walk into. Describe the architecture of this auditory landscape. What is the floor made of? How high is the ceiling? What color is the light? Where are the shadows? What happens to your body and breath as you move through its sections\u2014the verses, the chorus, the bridge? Is it a place of refuge, confrontation, or memory? Explore how sound can build an environment you inhabit, not just hear."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt06": "Imagine you are a diver exploring the deep ocean of your own memory. Choose a specific, vivid memory and describe it as a submerged landscape. What creatures (emotions) swim there? What is the water pressure (emotional weight) like? Now, imagine a small, deliberate act of forgetting\u2014letting a single detail of that memory dissolve into the murk. How does this selective oblivion change the entire ecosystem of that recollection? Does it create space for new growth, or does it feel like a loss of truth?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt07": "Describe your ideal sanctuary\u2014not a grand fantasy, but a realistically attainable space you could create. Detail its location, size, lighting, furnishings, and most importantly, its rules (e.g., 'no devices,' 'only music without words,' 'must contain something living'). What specific activities would you do there? What state of mind does this space architecturally encourage? How would visiting it regularly change the rhythm of your weeks?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt07": "Recall a conversation that ended in a misunderstanding that was never resolved. Re-write the exchange, but introduce a single point of divergence\u2014one person says something slightly different, or pauses a moment longer. How does this tiny change alter the entire trajectory of the conversation and potentially the relationship? Explore the butterfly effect in human dialogue."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt08": "Describe a skill or piece of knowledge you possess that you learned in an unconventional, self-taught, or accidental way. Detail the messy, non-linear process of that learning. Who or what were your unlikely teachers? Celebrate the inefficiency and personal quirks of your method. How does this 'uncurated' knowledge differ in feel and application from something you were formally taught?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt08": "Spend 15 minutes in complete silence, actively listening for the absence of a specific sound that is usually present (e.g., traffic, refrigerator hum, birds). Describe the quality of this crafted silence. What smaller sounds emerge in the void? How does your mind and body react to the deliberate removal of this sonic artifact? Explore the concept of oblivion as an active, perceptible state rather than a mere lack."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt09": "Think of a skill or piece of knowledge you possess that feels almost instinctual, something you can do without conscious thought (like riding a bike, typing, or a native language's grammar). Deconstruct this automatic competence. Describe the first clumsy attempts to learn it, the plateau of frustration, the moment it 'clicked' into muscle memory. Explore the duality of this knowledge: how it is both a part of you and a separate tool. What does this ingrained ability allow you to forget, and what freedom does that forgetfulness grant?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt09": "Describe a skill or talent you possess that feels like it's fading from lack of use\u2014a language getting rusty, a sport you no longer play, an instrument gathering dust. Perform or practice it now, even if clumsily. Chronicle the physical and mental sensations of re-engagement. What echoes of proficiency remain? Is the knowledge truly gone, or merely dormant? Write about the relationship between mastery and oblivion."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt10": "Choose a natural element you feel a kinship with\u2014fire, stone, water, wind, or earth. Personify it deeply: give it desires, memories, a voice. Write a monologue from its perspective about its ancient, slow existence and its observations of human brevity and frenzy. Then, write about a moment in your life when you felt most aligned with this element's essence. How does connecting with this primal force alter your sense of time and scale?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt10": "Choose a common word (e.g., 'home,' 'work,' 'friend') and dissect its personal syntax. What rules, associations, and exceptions have you built around its meaning? Now, deliberately break one of those rules. Use the word in a context or with a definition that feels wrong to you. Write a paragraph that forces this new usage. How does corrupting your own internal language create space for new understanding?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt11": "Imagine you could preserve one hour from your recent memory in a vial, to be re-experienced fully at a future date. Which hour would you choose? Describe it not just as events, but as a full sensory immersion: the light, the sounds, the emotional texture, the quality of the air. Why is this particular slice of time worth encapsulating? What fears or hopes do you have about opening that vial years from now? Write about the desire to hold onto a fleeting feeling, and the wisdom or melancholy that might come from revisiting it."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt11": "Contemplate a personal habit or pattern you wish to change. Instead of focusing on breaking it, imagine it diverging\u2014mutating into a new, slightly different pattern. Describe the old habit in detail, then design its evolved form. What small, intentional twist could redirect its energy? Write about a day living with this divergent habit. How does a shift in perspective, rather than eradication, alter your relationship to it?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt12": "Contemplate the concept of 'enough.' In our culture of more, what does sufficiency feel like in your body and mind? Describe a recent moment when you felt truly, deeply 'enough'\u2014not in lack, not in excess. It could be related to time, accomplishment, possessions, or love. What were the conditions? How did it settle in your posture or breath? Then, contrast this with a sphere of your life where the feeling of 'not enough' persistently hums. Explore the tension between these two states. What would it take to cultivate more of the former?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt12": "Describe a routine journey you make (a commute, a walk to the store) but narrate it as if you are a traveler in a foreign, slightly surreal land. Give fantastical names to ordinary landmarks. Interpret mundane events as portents or rituals. What hidden narrative or mythic structure can you impose on this familiar path? How does this reframing reveal the magic latent in the everyday?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt13": "Recall a piece of bad advice you once received and followed. Who gave it and why did you trust them? Walk through the consequences, large or small. Now, reframe that experience not as a mistake, but as a necessary detour. What did you learn about yourself, about advice, or about the gap between theory and practice that you couldn't have learned any other way? Write the thank-you note you would send to that advisor today, acknowledging the unexpected gift of their misguidance."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt13": "Imagine a place from your childhood that no longer exists in its original form\u2014a demolished building, a paved-over field, a renovated room. Reconstruct it from memory with all its sensory details. Now, write about the process of its erasure. Who decided it should change? What was lost in the transition, and what, if anything, was gained? How does the ghost of that place still influence the geography of your memory?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt14": "You are tasked with composing a guided audio meditation for a stranger experiencing intense anxiety. Write the script. Use your voice to lead them through a physical space\u2014a forest path, a quiet beach, a cozy room. Describe not just visuals, but textures, sounds, temperatures, and the rhythm of breathing. What reassurance would you offer without being trite? What simple, grounding observations would you point out? Craft a verbal sanctuary meant to hold someone's fragile attention."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt14": "You find an old, functional algorithm\u2014a recipe card, a knitting pattern, a set of instructions for assembling furniture. Follow it to the letter, but with a new, meditative attention to each step. Describe the process not as a means to an end, but as a ritual in itself. What resonance does this deliberate, prescribed action have? Does the final product matter, or has the value been in the structured journey?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt15": "Recall a piece of clothing you once owned and loved, but have since lost, given away, or worn out. Recreate it stitch by stitch in words\u2014its fabric, its fit, its smell, the way it moved with you. Narrate its life with you: the occasions it witnessed, the stains it earned, the comfort it provided. What did wearing it allow you to feel or project? Write an ode to this second skin, and explore what its absence represents."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt15": "Imagine knowledge and ideas spread through a community not like a virus, but like a mycelium\u2014subterranean, cooperative, nutrient-sharing. Recall a time you learned something profound from an unexpected or unofficial source. Trace the hidden network that brought that wisdom to you. How many people and experiences were unknowingly part of that fruiting? Write a thank you to this invisible web."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt16": "Test prompt"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt16": "Imagine your creative or problem-solving process is a mycelial network. A question or idea is dropped like a spore onto this vast, hidden web. Describe the journey of this spore as it sends out filaments, connects with distant nodes of memory and knowledge, and eventually fruits as an 'aha' moment or a new creation. How does this model differ from a linear, step-by-step algorithm? What does it teach you about patience and indirect growth?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt17": "Observe the sky right now, in this exact moment. Describe its color, cloud formations, light quality, and movement with meticulous attention. Then, let this observation launch you into a reflection on scale and perspective. Consider the atmospheric phenomena occurring beyond your sight\u2014jet streams, weather systems, celestial motions. How does contemplating the vast, impersonal sky make you feel about your current concerns, joys, or plans? Write about the tension between the immediacy of your personal world and the silent, ongoing spectacle above."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt17": "You are an archaeologist of the future, excavating the site of your own desk or kitchen counter. Treat the mundane objects you find as sacred artifacts. Create a detailed cartography of their arrangement. What does their spatial relationship suggest about the rituals of their user? What story does the wear pattern on a specific spot tell? Write your excavation report, inferring a civilization's values from its domestic debris."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt18": "Choose a machine or appliance in your home that has a distinct sound\u2014a refrigerator hum, a heater's click, a fan's whir. Close your eyes and listen to it for a full minute. Describe its rhythm, pitch, and constancy. Now, personify this sound. What is its personality? Is it a loyal guardian, a complaining old friend, a distant observer? Write a monologue from its perspective about the life it monitors within these walls. What has it learned about you from its unchanging post?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt18": "Create a cartography of a significant year in your life, but map it as a celestial chart rather than a landmass. What were the major constellations (events, people) and how were they arranged? What were the dark spaces between them? Trace the orbital paths of your passions and fears. Now, imagine drawing navigation lines between these stars to create a new constellation with a name that defines that year's core lesson. What shape does it form?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt19": "Recall a public space you frequented often in the past but have not visited in years (a library, a park, a diner, a store). Reconstruct it from memory in vivid detail. Then, imagine returning to it today. Describe the inevitable changes\u2014the renovations, the new faces, the faded paint. But also, hunt for the one thing that remains exactly, miraculously the same. How does the coexistence of change and permanence in this space make you feel about the passage of your own time?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt19": "Consider the mycelium of your social world\u2014the vast, often invisible network of connections, acquaintances, and weak ties that underpin your community. Choose one person you know only peripherally. Imagine the intricate web of relationships and experiences that connects you to them, however faintly. Write a speculative biography of this person based on the subtle, subliminal cues you've gathered. How does this exercise in connection alter your sense of isolation or belonging?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt20": "\"newprompt3\": \"Recall a teacher, mentor, or elder who said something to you in passing that you have never forgotten. It might have been a compliment, a criticism, or an offhand observation. Reconstruct the scene. Why did their words carry such weight? How have you turned them over in your mind since? Explore the power of brief, seemingly casual utterances to shape a person's self-concept.\","
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt20": "Imagine you are a cartographer of your own mind. Draw a map of a recent emotional landscape, labeling its features: the Swamp of Indecision, the Peak of Sudden Joy, the Quiet Forest of Contentment. What are the borders and territories? What hidden paths connect them? Now, consider the mycelial network of thoughts and memories beneath the surface, unseen but connecting everything. How does mapping the internal terrain change your relationship to its weather?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt21": "\"newprompt0\": \"Write a detailed portrait of a tree you know well\u2014not just its appearance, but its history in that spot, the way its branches move in different winds, the creatures that inhabit it, the shadows it casts at various hours. Imagine its perspective across seasons and years. What has it witnessed? What would it say about change, resilience, or stillness if it could speak? Let the tree become a mirror for your own sense of place and time.\","
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt21": "\"Examine the syntax of a city block you know well. Read its buildings like sentences, its intersections like punctuation, the flow of traffic like grammar. What is the block's dominant tense (past, present, future)? Its mood? Now, rewrite one element\u2014change a shop's sign in your mind, imagine a tree where there is concrete, slow the traffic to a standstill. Describe the block under this new syntactic rule. How does re-parsing a familiar place change your relationship to it?\","
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt22": "Describe a memory you have that is tied to a specific smell. Don't just tell the story of the event; focus on describing the scent itself in as much detail as possible\u2014its texture, its weight in the air, its nuances. How does conjuring that smell now make you feel in your body? Let the description of the aroma lead you back into the memory's landscape."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt22": "\"Describe the velocity of your thoughts first thing in the morning as you lie in bed before rising. Are they slow and viscous, or do they race ahead to the day? Trace the arc of this mental speed as you move through your morning routine. What actions slow it down? What triggers accelerate it? Write about attempting to deliberately modulate this internal tempo. How does controlling the speed of thought affect your anxiety, creativity, or presence?\","
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt23": "Write a letter to your 15-year-old self. Be kind, be blunt, be humorous, or be stern. What do you know now that you desperately needed to hear then? What mystery about your future life could you tantalizingly hint at without giving it all away? Don't just give advice; try to capture the voice and tone you wish an older, wiser person had used with you."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt23": "\"Recall a conversation where the emotional velocity shifted dramatically\u2014from calm to stormy, from slow to fast, or vice versa. Map this shift. What was the catalyst word, glance, or silence? Describe the before and after as different climates. How did you navigate the change in pace? Write the dialogue not as it was spoken, but as you felt it in your body\u2014a script of accelerations and decelerations. What does this teach you about the thermodynamics of human interaction?\","
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt24": "You find a forgotten door in a place you know well\u2014your home, your workplace, your daily park. It wasn't there yesterday. You open it. Describe what is on the other side using only sensory details: sight, sound, temperature, smell. Do not explain its purpose or origin. Simply document the experience of crossing that threshold."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt24": "\"Stand perfectly still in a busy place (a park, a train station, a street corner). Observe the velocity of the world flowing around you\u2014people, vehicles, pigeons, leaves. Describe this flow as a force of nature. Now, focus on the small, still points within the chaos: a statue, a person sitting on a bench, a building's corner. Write about the experience of being a temporary still point. How does this shift in perspective affect your sense of self within the collective motion? What echoes of past stillness does it evoke?\","
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt25": "Make a list of ten tiny, perfect moments from the past month that no one else probably noticed or would remember. The way light fell on a spoon, a stranger's half-smile, the sound of rain stopping. Elaborate on at least three of them, expanding them into full vignettes. Why did these micro-moments stick with you?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt25": "\"You are given a box labeled 'Syntactic Fragments.' Inside are torn pieces of paper, each with a phrase that seems part of a larger, unknown set of rules (e.g., 'if the moon is high,' 'always counter-clockwise,' 'except on Sundays'). Arrange a few of these fragments into a new, personal rule for living. Write the full 'rule' they inspire, and then describe a day lived deliberately according to this strange, assembled syntax. What new logic emerges? How does it alter your perception of order and meaning?\","
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt26": "Invent a mythological creature for a modern urban setting. What does it look like? What is its behavior and habitat (e.g., subway tunnels, server farms, air vents)? What folklore do people whisper about it? What does it symbolize\u2014anxiety, forgotten connections, hope? Describe a recent 'sighting' of this creature in vivid detail."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt26": "\"Find an artifact of velocity in your world\u2014a worn-out shoe sole, a smoothed-down stair railing, a particular bend in a path where the grass is beaten down. Examine it as an archaeologist would. What story of repeated motion, pressure, and passage does it tell? Who or what created this evidence of speed or frequent travel? Write from the perspective of the path or object itself, chronicling the countless transits it has silently witnessed and absorbed.\","
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt27": "Choose an object in your immediate line of sight that is not electronic. Write its biography. Where was it made? Who owned it before you? What conversations has it overheard? What secrets does it hold? What small damages or wear marks does it have, and what story does each tell? Give this ordinary item an epic history."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt27": "\"Describe a moment when you felt a sudden, overwhelming sense of velocity\u2014not just physical speed, but the feeling of life accelerating, decisions piling up, or time slipping through your fingers. Where were you? What triggered this sensation? Explore the contrast between the frantic pace and your desire for stillness. How did you respond? Did you try to brake, or did you surrender to the momentum? Reflect on what this experience taught you about your relationship with time and urgency.\","
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt28": "Describe your current emotional state as a weather system. Is it a still, high-pressure fog? A sudden, sharp hailstorm? A lingering, humid drizzle? Map its boundaries, its intensity, its forecast. What terrain does it move over\u2014the mountains of your responsibilities, the plains of your routine? How does it affect your internal climate?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt28": "Analyze the syntax of a recurring dream or nightmare. What are its consistent elements (settings, characters, actions) and its variables? What is the underlying grammatical rule of this dreamscape? Write a new 'scene' in this dream's language, adhering to its strange logic. What might this internal syntax be trying to construct or communicate?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt29": "Recall a time you were deeply embarrassed. Write about it from the perspective of a sympathetic observer who was there\u2014or invent one. How might they have perceived the event? What context or kindness might they have seen that you, in your self-focused shame, completely missed? Reframe the memory through their eyes."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt29": "Find an object in nature that serves as an artifact of a process\u2014a smooth stone (water's work), a seashell (a creature's former home), a fallen leaf (a season's turn). Describe it as evidence. What story of transformation, pressure, or time does it tell? Write from the perspective of the elemental force that created it, explaining its methodology."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt30": "What skill or craft have you always wanted to learn but haven't? Immerse yourself in a detailed fantasy of mastering it. Describe the feel of the tools in your hands, the initial frustrations, the first small success, the growing muscle memory. What does the final, perfected product of your labor look or feel like? Live in that imagined\u6210\u5c31\u611f."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt30": "Recall a phrase or sentence someone said to you long ago that has become a kind of mental echo, recurring at unexpected times. Why has it stuck? How has its meaning morphed with each repetition in your mind? Write a letter to the person who said it (you don't have to send it) explaining how their words have lived on inside you, far beyond their original intent."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt31": "Write a dialogue between two aspects of yourself (e.g., Your Ambitious Self and Your Tired Self; Your Cynical Self and Your Hopeful Self). Give them distinct voices. What are they arguing about, negotiating, or planning? Don't just state positions; let them bicker, persuade, or sit in silence together. See where the conversation goes."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt31": "Listen for an echo in your physical environment\u2014your voice in a stairwell, a sound bouncing off a building. Describe its decay, its distortion. Now, consider an echo in your life: a piece of advice that returns to you, a pattern repeating, a consequence of an old action rippling forward. Personify this echo. What message is it trying to deliver through its repetition?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt32": "Describe your childhood home from the perspective of a small animal (a mouse, a squirrel, a bird) that lived there concurrently with you. What did this creature notice about your family's rhythms, the layout, the dangers, and the treasures (crumbs, cozy materials)? How did it perceive you, the giant human child?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt32": "Describe a conversation you had where the words spoken were just the surface syntax. What was the true dialogue happening beneath\u2014in the pauses, the glances, the body language? Decode that subtext. Write the exchange as two columns: the spoken words on the left, and the real, unspoken meaning on the right. What does this reveal about the art of human communication?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt33": "List five paths your life could have taken if you'd made one different choice. Briefly outline each alternate reality. Then, choose one and dive deep: write a journal entry from that version of you today. What are their worries, joys, and regrets? How is their voice similar to or different from your own?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt33": "You are handed a key to a room you didn't know existed. Describe the threshold: the door's material, the lock's sound, the feel of the key turning. Cross into the room. What does it contain? Focus not on fantastical treasures, but on things that feel intimately, unsettlingly familiar, as if they've been waiting for you. What does this space ask you to remember or acknowledge?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt34": "Think of a person you see regularly but do not know (a barista, a neighbor, a commuter). Invent a rich, secret inner life for them. What profound private mission are they on? What hidden talent do they possess? What great sorrow or hope are they carrying today as they serve your coffee or stand on the platform? Write from their perspective."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt34": "Imagine you discover a forgotten artifact in your attic or basement\u2014a ticket stub, a faded postcard, a broken toy. Describe it with the reverence of an archaeologist. What story does this object tell about a past version of you or your family? Now, write the narrative of the day it was first acquired or used. How does this echo of a former life resonate with your present? Consider the weight of memory that physical objects can hold."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt35": "What is a belief you held strongly five or ten years ago that you have since questioned or abandoned? Trace the evolution of that change. Was it a sudden shattering or a slow erosion? What person, experience, or piece of information was the catalyst? Describe the feeling of the ground shifting under that particular piece of your worldview."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt35": "Recall a time you were an outsider, entering a group or situation where you didn't know the rules. Describe the sensory details of that space and the subtle cues you missed. How did you learn to navigate? Did you assimilate, remain on the periphery, or leave? Reflect on the wisdom gained from being the novice, and the empathy it might foster for other outsiders you encounter."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt36": "Describe a common, mundane process (making tea, tying your shoes, doing laundry) in extreme, almost absurdly epic detail, as if you were writing a sacred manual or a scientific treatise for an alien civilization. Break down every micro-action, every sensation, every potential variable. Find the profound in the procedural."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt36": "Write a review of today as if it were a product, a film, or a restaurant. Give it a star rating. Detail its pros and cons, its pacing, its standout features, and its flaws. Who would you recommend it to? Be both brutally honest and strangely objective. How does framing your lived experience as something to be critiqued change your perception of its value?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt37": "You are given a suitcase and told you must leave your home in one hour, not knowing if or when you'll return. You can only take what fits in the case. Describe, in real-time, the frantic and deliberate process of choosing. What practical items make the cut? What irreplaceable tokens? What do you leave behind, and what does that feel like?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt37": "Describe a piece of furniture in your home not by its appearance, but by its function in your emotional geography. Is your bed an island of respite? Is your kitchen table a stage for negotiation? Is a certain chair a vessel for contemplation? Narrate a typical interaction with this piece. What secrets has it absorbed? If it were to be replaced, what intangible quality would be hardest to replicate?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt38": "Write about water in three different forms: as a memory involving a body of water (ocean, river, bath), as a description of drinking a glass of water right now, and as a metaphor for an emotion. Move seamlessly between these three aspects. Let the fluidity of the theme connect them."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt38": "Document the journey of a single breath. Start with the intention to inhale. Follow the air's path into your body, the expansion, the microscopic exchange. Then, trace the exhale out into the room, imagining its dispersal into the wider atmosphere. Where might its molecules travel next? Anchor yourself in this most fundamental rhythm. How does focusing on this autonomic process alter your sense of time and connection to the biosphere?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt39": "What does silence sound like in your current environment? Don't just say 'quiet.' Describe the layers of sound that actually constitute the silence\u2014the hums, ticks, distant rumbles, the sound of your own body. Now, project what this same space sounded like 100 years ago, and what it might sound like 100 years from now."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt39": "Describe your shadow at three different times today: dawn, noon, and dusk. Note its length, its sharpness, its behavior. Personify it. Is it a loyal follower, a stretched parody, a separate entity with its own agenda? Write a monologue from your shadow's perspective. What does it think of your daily pursuits? What does it see that you miss? Explore the duality of being both the caster and the cast."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt40": "Create a recipe for a dish that represents your current life phase. List ingredients (e.g., \"two cups of transition,\" \"a pinch of anxiety,\" \"a steady base of routine\"). Write the instructions, including the method, cooking time, and necessary equipment. Describe the final product's taste, texture, and who it should be shared with."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt40": "Contemplate the concept of 'repair.' Choose something in your environment that is broken, frayed, or worn\u2014a relationship, an object, a habit. Describe the damage with forensic honesty. Now, instead of replacing or discarding it, imagine meticulously repairing it. What tools and materials would you need? What skills must you learn? Describe the slow, patient process of restoration. How does the value of the thing change when it bears the visible marks of its mending?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt41": "Recall a dream from the past week, however fragmentary. Don't interpret it. Instead, expand it. Continue the narrative from where it left off. Describe the dream logic, the landscape, the characters. Let it become a story. Where does your dreaming mind take you when given free rein on the page?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt41": "Imagine you are tasked with archiving the contents of a single drawer in your home for a future museum of ordinary life. Select the drawer and catalog each item with the care of a curator. For each object, write a brief label explaining its function, origin, and emotional significance. What story does this collection tell about its owner? What might an archaeologist in 2224 misinterpret? Reflect on the biography of a life told through these accumulated fragments."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt42": "Make a list of everything that is blue in your immediate environment. Describe each shade specifically (slate, cobalt, robin's egg, faded denim). Then, choose one blue object and write about its journey to being here, in this blue state, in front of you. How did it get its color? What has it reflected?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt42": "Document the sounds of a single hour in your life, from the most prominent noise to the nearly inaudible background hum. Create a soundscape in words. Then, imagine composing a piece of music based on this sonic profile. What instruments would you use? What would the tempo and mood be? How does listening to your life as music change your perception of its rhythm and harmony?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt43": "Write a eulogy for something you've lost that isn't a person\u2014a habit, a version of a city, a relationship dynamic, a part of your identity. Acknowledge its virtues and its flaws. Say goodbye properly, with humor, regret, and gratitude. What did it give you? What space has its departure created?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt43": "You are asked to contribute an item to a time capsule that will be opened in 100 years. The item should represent the essence of daily life in your community now. What do you choose, and why? Write the explanatory note that will accompany it. Consider the mundane artifacts that future historians might prize. What message are you implicitly sending about what you value, fear, or find ordinary?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt44": "Describe your hands. Not just their appearance, but their capabilities, their scars, their memories. What have they held, built, comforted, or torn down? What do their specific aches and strengths tell you about the life you've lived so far? If your hands could speak, what would they say they want to do next?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt44": "Describe the process of waiting for something important. Break down the physical sensations: the checking of clocks, the fidgeting, the way the room seems to change. Chronicle the internal monologue that cycles through hope, doubt, rehearsal, and resignation. How do you pass the time? Find meaning in the liminal space of anticipation itself, separate from the outcome you await."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt45": "Imagine you can overhear the conversation of the people at the table next to you in a caf\u00e9, but they are speaking in a language you don't understand. Based on their tone, gestures, pauses, and expressions, invent the dialogue. What crucial, funny, or tragic misunderstanding are they having? What are they *really* talking about?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt45": "You receive a package with no return address. Inside is an object that seems intimately connected to you, but you cannot recall ever owning it. Describe the object with forensic detail\u2014its weight, its material, any inscriptions. How does handling it make you feel? Write the story of its imagined journey to your doorstep. What mystery does it represent, and will you try to solve it or simply let it be?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt46": "What is a piece of art (a song, painting, film, book) that fundamentally moved you? Describe the first time you encountered it. Don't just analyze why it's good; describe the physical and emotional reaction it provoked. Has its meaning changed for you over time? How does it live inside you now?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt46": "Describe your relationship with a particular type of weather (e.g., thunderstorms, fog, blistering heat). Do you seek it out or avoid it? Recall a specific, vivid encounter with this weather that left a mark on you. How does your body respond to its approach? Personify this weather as a recurring character in your life story. What role does it play\u2014antagonist, comforter, catalyst for change?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt47": "You have one day completely alone, with no obligations and no possibility of communication. The power and internet are out. How do you spend the hours from waking to sleeping? Detail the rituals, the wanderings, the thoughts, the meals. Do you enjoy the solitude or chafe against it? What arises in the quiet?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt47": "Recall a time you were profoundly lost, either literally or metaphorically. Describe the landscape of that disorientation\u2014the fading landmarks, the growing panic or curiosity, the quality of the light. How did you eventually find your way, or decide on a direction? Explore what that period of being untethered taught you about navigation, trust, and the value of sometimes not knowing where you are going."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt48": "Personify a negative emotion you've been feeling lately (e.g., anxiety, envy, restlessness). Give it a name, a form, a voice. Write a character profile of it. What does it want? What does it fear? What flawed logic does it operate under? Then, write a short scene of you having a cup of tea with it, listening to its perspective."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt48": "You are tasked with designing a new public holiday that addresses a modern need for connection or reflection. What is its name, and on what date does it fall? Describe its rituals, symbols, and traditional foods. How do people prepare for it, and what activities are encouraged or forbidden? Write a personal account of experiencing this holiday for the first time, focusing on the emotions it evokes and the societal gaps it aims to fill."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt49": "Describe a city you've never been to, based solely on the stories, images, and snippets you've absorbed about it. Build it from imagination and second-hand clues. Then, contrast that with a description of your own street, seen with the hyper-attentive eyes of a first-time visitor. Make the familiar alien, and the alien familiar."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt49": "Choose a street you walk down often. Today, walk it with the mission of noticing five things you've never seen before. They can be tiny: a crack in the pavement shaped like a continent, a particular stain on a wall, a hidden doorbell. Document each discovery in detail. Then, reflect on the phenomenon of selective attention. What had you been filtering out, and why? How does this exercise change your sense of the familiar path?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt50": "Think of a crossroads in your past. Now, imagine you see a ghost of your former self standing there, frozen in that moment of decision. What would you want to say to that ghost? Would you offer comfort, a warning, or just silent companionship? Write the encounter. Does the ghost speak back?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt50": "Imagine you could host a dinner party for three fictional characters from different books, films, or myths. Who would you invite and why? Don't just list them. Set the scene: the table setting, the menu, the lighting. Write the conversation that unfolds. What would they argue about? What surprising common ground might they find? How would their presence challenge or affirm your own worldview? Let the dialogue reveal their core natures."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt51": "What is a tradition in your family or community\u2014big or small\u2014that you find meaningful? Describe its sensory details, its rhythms, its players. Now, trace its origin. How did it start? Has it mutated over time? What does its continued practice say about what your family values, fears, or hopes for?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt51": "Describe a taste you loved as a child but have since grown indifferent to or now dislike. Recreate the sensory memory of that taste with precision. What was its context? Who was with you? Now, analyze the shift. Did your palate change, or did the associations sour? Is there a way to reclaim the innocent pleasure of that taste, or is its loss a necessary marker of growing up? Explore the nostalgia and slight grief in outgrowing a flavor."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt52": "Choose a year from your past. Catalog the soundtrack of that year: songs on the radio, albums you loved, jingles, background music. For each, describe a specific memory or feeling it evokes. How does the music of that time period color your memory of the entire era? What does it sound like to you now?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt52": "Contemplate the concept of 'waste' in your daily life. Choose one item destined for the trash or recycling. Trace its journey backwards from your hand to its origins as raw material. Then, project its journey forward after it leaves your custody. What systems does it touch? What hands might process it? Write a biography of this discarded object, granting it dignity and narrative. How does this perspective alter your sense of responsibility and connection?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt53": "Write instructions for a stranger on how to be you for a day. Include the essential routines, the internal dialogues to expect, the things to avoid, the small comforts to lean on, and the passwords to your various anxieties. Be brutally honest and surprisingly practical. What would they find hardest to mimic?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt53": "Invent a small, personal ritual you could perform to mark the transition from one part of your day to another (e.g., work to home, waking to activity). Describe each step with deliberate, sensory care. What object is involved? What words, if any, are said? How does your posture change? The goal isn't superstition, but mindfulness. Write about performing this ritual for a week. What subtle shifts in your awareness might it create? How does deliberately carving out a threshold affect your experience of time?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt54": "Describe a moment of unexpected kindness, either given or received. Don't frame it as a grand gesture. Focus on a small, almost invisible act. What were the circumstances? Why was it so potent? How did it ripple out, changing the temperature of your day or your perception of someone?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt54": "Consider a piece of music that feels like a physical space to you\u2014a song you can walk into. Describe the architecture of this auditory landscape. What is the floor made of? How high is the ceiling? What color is the light? Where are the shadows? What happens to your body and breath as you move through its sections\u2014the verses, the chorus, the bridge? Is it a place of refuge, confrontation, or memory? Explore how sound can build an environment you inhabit, not just hear."
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt55": "You discover you have a superpower, but it is frustratingly mundane and specific (e.g., the ability to always know exactly what time it is without a clock, to perfectly fold fitted sheets, to find lost buttons). Explore the practical uses, the minor heroics, the unexpected downsides, and the peculiar loneliness of this unique gift."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt55": "Describe your ideal sanctuary\u2014not a grand fantasy, but a realistically attainable space you could create. Detail its location, size, lighting, furnishings, and most importantly, its rules (e.g., 'no devices,' 'only music without words,' 'must contain something living'). What specific activities would you do there? What state of mind does this space architecturally encourage? How would visiting it regularly change the rhythm of your weeks?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt56": "Go to a window. Describe the view in extreme detail, as if painting it with words, for five minutes. Then, close your eyes and describe the view from a window that was significant to you in the past (your childhood bedroom, a previous office, a grandparent's house). Juxtapose the two landscapes on the page."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt56": "Describe a skill or piece of knowledge you possess that you learned in an unconventional, self-taught, or accidental way. Detail the messy, non-linear process of that learning. Who or what were your unlikely teachers? Celebrate the inefficiency and personal quirks of your method. How does this 'uncurated' knowledge differ in feel and application from something you were formally taught?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt57": "What is a question you are tired of being asked? Write a rant about why it's so irritating, reductive, or painful. Then, flip it: write the question you wish people would ask you instead. Answer that new question fully and generously."
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt57": "Think of a skill or piece of knowledge you possess that feels almost instinctual, something you can do without conscious thought (like riding a bike, typing, or a native language's grammar). Deconstruct this automatic competence. Describe the first clumsy attempts to learn it, the plateau of frustration, the moment it 'clicked' into muscle memory. Explore the duality of this knowledge: how it is both a part of you and a separate tool. What does this ingrained ability allow you to forget, and what freedom does that forgetfulness grant?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt58": "Describe a hobby or interest you have from the perspective of someone who finds it utterly baffling and boring. Then, defend it with the passionate zeal of a true devotee. Try to convey its magic and depth to this imagined skeptic. What is the core beauty you see that they miss?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt58": "Choose a natural element you feel a kinship with\u2014fire, stone, water, wind, or earth. Personify it deeply: give it desires, memories, a voice. Write a monologue from its perspective about its ancient, slow existence and its observations of human brevity and frenzy. Then, write about a moment in your life when you felt most aligned with this element's essence. How does connecting with this primal force alter your sense of time and scale?"
|
|
|
|
|
},
|
|
|
|
|
{
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt59": "List ten things you would do if you were not afraid. They can be grand (quit my job) or small (sing karaoke). Choose one and vividly imagine doing it. Walk through every step, from decision to action to aftermath. How does the air feel different on the other side of that fear?"
|
|
|
|
|
"prompt59": "Imagine you could preserve one hour from your recent memory in a vial, to be re-experienced fully at a future date. Which hour would you choose? Describe it not just as events, but as a full sensory immersion: the light, the sounds, the emotional texture, the quality of the air. Why is this particular slice of time worth encapsulating? What fears or hopes do you have about opening that vial years from now? Write about the desire to hold onto a fleeting feeling, and the wisdom or melancholy that might come from revisiting it."
|
|
|
|
|
}
|
|
|
|
|
]
|
