Madelyn Rosenberg

Yipes: How did the season get by us so fast? The first thing you should do this week is make a list of anything you still want to do. Splash around in a creek? Find the best lemonade? Is there anything left on your list? And the second thing you should do is make a list of anything you still want to write.

Summer jam: Do you have a summer jam? A song you loved from this summer? Or even one you wrote yourself? What is it and why?

Reviews: What’s the best thing you’ve read lately? Write a review in a few sentences, but as always, even a few choice words are okay. (How often do you see movie reviews that just say “Exhilarating!” Sometimes, when you find the right word, it just takes one.)

Weather: What’s it like outside today? Describe the weather in as much detail as possible. Give me a metaphor. Is the air thick? How thick? What’s the grass doing? The birds? The sky? And while we’re on the sky, why don’t you go outside and sketch a cloud? (Unless you’re reading this at night. If it’s night, sketch the moon.)

I wonder: Here’s an easy way to construct a poem that will also help you figure out, when you look back on it later, what you were curious about this summer, when you were at this age, this time, this place. Start each sentence with the words “I wonder.” Then, write down all of the things you wonder about at this moment in time.

That’s fair: Summer fairs are often held in August. Did you go to one? Give us 10 words or phrases about the fair that will help set the scene. Did you see any crazy fair food? Then fashion a poem about a crazy fair food. It can be short, sweet and funny.

Tom Swifties: Have you ever heard of Tom Swifties? They’re simple sentences that play with words and puns. I wrote a blog post about them awhile back and I’d love for you to try some. Go here to learn more.

Share: If you completed any of these prompts and would like to share it, write it out in the comments.

Finish up: If you started a story, try to finish it. If you kept track of something (t-shirts, best ice cream, etc.) look back over your results. You can even try a list of summer favorites.

Keep going: Even if you’ve only done a few of these prompts, remember: It’s a start. And I hope you’ll remember, too, that just because summer’s ending doesn’t mean you have to stop writing in your journal. (It doesn’t mean you have to stop playing putt putt or drinking lemonade, either.)

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Firefly: Have you spent enough time looking at fireflies this summer? Spend some time in your backyard looking at them tonight. Jot down a few descriptive words. And then, you guessed it: write a short poem.

Rate your camp: Did you go to any camps this summer? Write down a couple of things about it that you remember. Would you go back to this camp? Was it worth your time? Why or why not? What was the best thing? What was the worst?

Recipe Time: I’ve been obsessed with these Mexican Popsicles known as paletas. They’re spicy and icy and incredibly refreshing. We’ve been buying them at Pleasant Pops but this summer we decided to make our own. So this week’s challenge is to make yourself a popsicle. Even if you don’t have molds, you can do it in some paper cups. (Partially freeze, then add stick, then continue freezing.) Either make up your own recipe or find one on line you’d like to try. Copy the recipe in your journal. The first one I tried was Mexican chocolate, my favorite. Super simple. The recipe I used is here.

Letter to the President: This week, write a letter to the president. Draft in your notebook, final copy in the mail or email.

Peace: There’s been lots in the news lately about hate, especially toward people we think are different. So for this prompt, I’m just looking for a list: write about things that all people have in common.

Future: What do you want to be when you grow up? Why? For adults: Same question, though if you’re happy with where you are, write down what you wanted to be when you were small, and why.

Story Time: Keep going! Stuck? Play the what if game, where you consider different options for your character until you find the one that works.

Bugs, again: Go outside and find a bug. Describe the way it walks. You can draw another picture if you’d like.

Week 1 prompts are here.

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If I Ruled the World: Here’s a chance to get down some of your thoughts about your part of the universe, arranged in poem form. Your first line is: If I ruled the world. After that, it’s up to you. You can be serious or hilarious. What kind of laws would you create? If you could make people do anything, what would you have them do? What’s your recipe for a better world?

Listen up: One thing that I sometimes struggle with in my own writing is describing the way things sound. Here’s a chance to practice. For a few minutes today, stop wherever you are and try to describe what you hear around you. The whistle at the pool. The cry of a little kid. The precise sound of a bird or cicada.

Rock Star: For this week’s letter, write a letter to a musician you admire. Or, if you want more flexibility than that, how about writing to someone you think of as a rock star, famous or not?

Story time: Add three paragraphs on your story!

Summer is: Similar to the color poem from early on, this is a poem that begins with the words “summer is.” Start most of your lines that way. Everything else is up to you. For example: Summer is sweat and snow cones. Summer is math packets and marshmallows and mosquito bites. (Or: Summer is business as usual. Summer is an endless line of traffic…)

Boredom: Are you ever bored? Write down some words (complete sentences not necessary) that describe the good things about boredom. Try it again with the bad things. Now write out a list of things to do when you are actually bored.

Dog Days: They call these days “the dog days” of summer. Can you think of any other expressions that describe the weather or time of year? Now, try making up one of your own! Make sure you write down what it means.

Week 1 prompts are here.

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