I started my writing class this week!! It’s Creative Nonfiction Writing by Gotham Writers and I’m incredibly excited to start it. In between the weekly class I’ll be practice my writing with prompts on here. This is a prompt that was used for a 15 min free write during class and I thought I would edit and expand upon it.
The whole prompt its: Think of your strongest childhood memory. Describe it in as much detail as possible. What happened? What can you see? Smell? Hear?
One of my strongest childhood memories is one of the times that my dad come home from one of his work trips. He travelled a lot and was usually gone for two weeks at a time. He would arrive home on the Friday of the second week.
I was small, I was young but I was really small for my age. The smallest kid in my grade.
My dad came home and I went running up to him. We had this thing where he would flip me. Two different ways. First, while he held onto my hands or wrists, I would run up his chest and flip over to the ground. Then, he would let go and I would turn around, bend over and stick my arms between my legs, reaching behind me. He would grab my wrists and lift me up, flipping me.
I would laugh the entire time, as would he. After exhausting both of us by asking to do the flips a couple of more times, he would give me my gift. A roll of wintergreen LifeSavers. Always a roll of wintergreen LifeSavers.
I remember my dad’s smell. I remember the feel of his sturdiness. The softness of the flannel shirt he was wearing. I remember laughter. I remember this strong sense of being loved and being safe. Of all being right again with the world since he was home again.
Charlotte on Books 