Writing Prompt Story Starter: Trying Something New
As I mentioned in the Behind The Scenes piece I wrote recently, every day is different, here on the “Friend”.
We’re still working from home. That means we’re unable to access the office at all, or even our building, for any reason, for the moment.
Working from home has brought lots of new ways of working. As we can’t access the postal submissions in the office, we’ve recently introduced a new system, only for authors who have never been published in the “Friend” – details are available in our Submission Guidelines.
We’ve also been accepting submissions from our established authors by email, during the working from home period, too, where previously, the only emailed submissions permissible were from overseas authors, and rewrites.
So far, both systems are working well.
We’ve become a lot more reliant on technology to help us stay in touch when we’re working remotely. Last week, I hosted The People’s Friend Facebook Live for the first time, as Digital Ed Iain is on holiday, and also took part in a recording for “The People’s Friend” podcast, “Reading Between The Lines”. And I’m not alone – Alan has written about his experience taking part in an online ‘Zoom’ session with the U3A on our website, too.
In our home lives, too, it’s been needs must for many of us; unable to see family and friends, we’ve become acquainted with technology that otherwise might’ve remained alien to us.
So, this week’s story starter is – trying something new. Especially something that initially may feel far from our comfort zones!
Zoom calls and Teams messages, emails and texts.
Podcasts. Listening to the radio. Brings back happy memories of ‘The Archers’ and ‘Woman’s Hour’, when I stayed with grandma in the holidays. And the Shipping Forecast!
Trying new hobbies. Making new friends. Making a change. “Duc in altum’”– throwing your nets out in deep water and trusting that something good will happen.
Puts me in mind a wee bit of the boysenberry ice cream scene in “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner” – something new or different may be every bit as good, or better, you just have to give it a go!
Hope this helps spark a story this week.
