Chapter 1: Embracing National Identity

Welcome to the 25th installment of our weekly writing prompts for 2024! This week holds special significance for those in North America, as July 1 marks Canada Day, while July 4 celebrates American Independence Day. These holidays are often filled with festivities — think fireworks, refreshing beverages, barbecues, and children playing in sprinklers.

This week’s prompts invite you to reflect on the essence of independence, national pride, and community. They are designed to resonate universally, so feel free to join us even if you are far from North America!

Before diving in, let’s review a few quick guidelines:

1. How This Works: Utilize these prompts to craft poetry, fiction, essays, creative non-fiction, or articles. They are open to interpretation! Don’t forget to link back to the prompt at the conclusion of your work.
2. Submission Opportunities: If you use any of these prompts, you can share your creations here at PW, submit to any publication that welcomes external prompts, or even self-publish. If you choose to submit elsewhere, please include a link to the prompt and tag PW editors to ensure we see your story!
3. Open to All: You are not limited to PW prompts for submissions. We welcome contributions from both seasoned and new writers, whether they are inspired by our prompts or entirely original.
4. Submission Guidelines: Make sure to use the appropriate Reader Interest Tags when submitting to PW. Select only one from the following: Poetry, Fiction, Essay, or Articles. You may choose other tags as you see fit.
5. Draft Submissions Only: After finishing your piece, instead of hitting Publish, select the three dots (…), choose Add to Publication, and submit it to Promptly Written. This will place it in our queue for publication.

You can choose from prompts for any day of the week, but feel free to tackle them out of order — select the ones that resonate with you the most! Submissions are welcome anytime during the week or even later.

If you’re new to PW or it’s been a while since you wrote for us, please check our updated 2024 Submission Guidelines.

Let’s get started!

Monday Reflections

I encourage you to ponder what it means to belong to a nation — to be a citizen, whether by birth or by choice, and to contribute to a community. Reflect on the lyric from "O Canada": "My home and native land." What does having a 'native land' signify? Explore the perspectives of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, your own family history, and various interpretations of 'home.'

Do you identify as 'patriotic'? What does patriotism signify for you? If you don’t align with that sentiment, do you still celebrate your country's Independence Day? Consider President Harry Truman's assertion that "America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand." Do you find this statement inspiring? Use it as a springboard for your thoughts on how America was established.

Imagine being born in a different nation than your own. How would that alter your life and identity? What does it mean to belong to a 'nation'? Is that distinct from being a 'citizen'?

Reflect on these two quotes:

• "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel." — Samuel Johnson
• "True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else." — Clarence Darrow

What action could you take today to enhance your local community?

Tuesday Twosomes

Delve into the following word pairs and let them inspire your writing — either together, separately, or in contrast. Transform your insights into a poem, short story, or essay:

• Nationalism vs. Patriotism
• Mother-tongue & Motherland
• Homeland vs. Hometown
• Govern vs. Rule
• Celebrate vs. Commemorate
• Pomp & Circumstance
• Fireworks vs. Bonfires
• Hot Dogs vs. Hamburgers
• Citizen vs. Alien
• Expat vs. Immigrant

Wild Wednesday

Let’s break away from heavy themes and explore quirky word combinations to invigorate your narratives or poetry. Incorporate all elements from the prompts:

• A speeding train; the word INFLATE; a magic potion
• No fewer than three farm animals; the color GREIGE; an unread book
• A therapist; the word METER; four bad jokes
• The moon; a stray cat; the word LOVESEAT
• An unhappy housewife; a candlestick; the color MAUVE
• A remote cabin; the word DISCRIMINATION; two coffee cups
• A sports injury; the color ORANGE; a bookcase; sunscreen
• A sewing kit; hydrogen peroxide; a ticking clock
• The word SOIL; a stained-glass window; a hymn

Throwback Thursday

Infuse nostalgia into your writing! Choose one of these vintage images as a prompt for a story, poem, or creative non-fiction essay (consider using ekphrastic methods if you wish):

Freedom Friday

"Freedom" and "independence" carry complex meanings for different individuals. Reflect on these quotes and let one inspire your poem, story, or essay:

• "Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." — Martin Luther King, Jr.
• "Independence is happiness." — Susan B. Anthony
• "Every human has four endowments — self-awareness, conscience, independent will, and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change." — Stephen Covey
• "True independence and freedom can only exist in doing what’s right." — Brigham Young
• "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction..." — Ronald Reagan
• "Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest." — Denis Diderot
• "May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right." — Peter Marshall
• "I know of no country in which there is so little independence of mind and real freedom of discussion as in America." — Alexis de Tocqueville
• "It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them." — Mark Twain

Safe Saturday

Engage with these classic prompts that offer a comforting writing experience when the other prompts feel overwhelming. Your responses can take the form of poems, lists, stories, creative nonfiction, journal entries, or artwork:

• What destinations are on your travel bucket list? Describe the places you dream of visiting.
• What historical period fascinates you the most?
• If you could time travel, what advice would you give your younger self?
• What are your top three relaxation methods?
• Tell a story through journal entries.
• Recall your dreams from the previous night, aiming to capture every detail, no matter how absurd.
• Write from the perspective of something small, like a mouse, about a significant issue like climate change.
• Identify your favorite writing spot and compose a poem or essay about it.
• Write a love letter to something other than a person: a pet, a place, the moon, your favorite chair, or even the world.

Random Words Sunday

As is our tradition, here’s a list of ten random words for Sunday’s prompt. Select five or more of these words (modifications are permitted) to inspire a story, essay, or poem:

• Communal
• Treasured
• Agent
• Local
• Fortunate
• Canteen
• Freedom
• Spoon
• Elect
• Burst

Bonus Prompt

Imagine a new nation emerging in today’s global landscape. Perhaps a tiny country declares independence near Canada, or a state secedes from the USA (think Alaska or California). What would life be like for someone from that newly independent place? Write a story from the perspective of a character before, during, or after their nation’s declaration of independence.

And there you have it! Another week of writing prompts to inspire your creativity. I eagerly await your submissions, so don’t forget to tag me, Dr. Casey Lawrence, if you use any of them!

Not yet a contributor to Promptly Written? Check out our updated submission guidelines to get started!

If you’re enjoying my work, consider exploring my debut novel, Out of Order, available as an eBook and paperback through JMS Books. Not ready to buy a book? You can still support me by buying a coffee or subscribing to my stories on Medium!

Praise for Out of Order by Casey Lawrence. Image created using Canva.