Illustration by Ana Hinojosa.

Illustration by Ana Hinojosa.

For today’s Creative Prompt, I’d like to take this month’s theme, Awakening, literally and ask you to create something immediately after waking up. Out of necessity, I do most of my writing first thing in the morning before I go to work. This helps me in several ways: One, I feel accomplished that I’ve gotten my creative work done for the day. (For writers participating in National Novel Writing Month, this technique could help keep you on track with your goal.) Two, I’ve started my day doing what I love most, which puts me in a good mood. Three, because I haven’t been exposed to the rest of the world and its cynicism yet, my internal critic is as close to turned off as it gets! I create freely without second guessing myself.

I want you to give it a whirl this week. Set a notebook and whatever supplies you need next to your bed. As soon as you are awake, before you so much as check your phone, pour your brain out onto the page. And if you are totally unable to be creative first thing in the morning, this is the perfect excuse to take an afternoon nap! Perhaps you’ll end up writing about or sketching a weird dream. Maybe you will break through a block on a story, or painting, or poem, or collage you’ve been working on.

Whatever you come up with, send your early-morning or post-nap creation along with your first name, last initial, age, and location to [email protected] with the subject line “Creative Prompt” by Monday, November 7 at 6 PM EST.

Last week we asked you to craft characters for your own witches’ coven. Here’s what your new friends were up to…