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Dianne Jacob, Will Write For Food

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10 Food Writing Prompts to Try

April 14, 2020 by diannejacob 4 Comments

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image for post on food writing prompts.Now that you have more spare time, how about a fun writing exercise? Think of it as a break from making sourdough bread, or searching for toilet paper.

People love food writing prompts. Readers give me good feedback about my food writing exercises in each chapter of Will Write for Food. And when I give out a prompt during
a live class, students get going. They hunch over their paper and scribble away, absorbed in their task. Many want to keep writing when I say it’s time to stop. 

So now it’s your turn. I found these prompts below in a file drawer I cleaned out. I’d give credit if I knew who created them! These questions are interesting to me because they’re not the usual. They create emotion in the writer. Provoking emotion in readers is a sign of good writing — maybe that will be a natural consequence of your experience? 

Memories are some of the most rewarding subjects to write about, regardless of whether they’re good or bad. That’s because we love to write about ourselves. We are experts on our own behavior and back story. We have endless fascinating material. Now’s your chance to get some of it down.

So pick one or two of these. Allow yourself to write whatever comes up. Remember that food writing can be sensuous. Try to engage touch, taste, hear, see and smell. Set a timer if you like, for maybe 10 minutes. 

Need a reason to write? Try a few of these food writing prompts:

  1. What do you eat to remember?
  2. What do you eat to forget?
  3. Which food is your enemy?
  4. Which food is a symbol of your childhood? 
  5. What must you consume in a ritualized manner?
  6. Which food have you forbidden yourself from eating and why?
  7. Which food defines you?
  8. What do you eat to bring up bittersweet memories?
  9. What do you eat too much of, every time?
  10. Which food gives you the strength to go on?

If you tried this, did something unexpected come up? Let me know about your experience.

* * *

You might also like:

  • Q&A: How Pie guru Kate McDermott Found her Voice
  • Speaking Your Truth
  • Molly Wizenberg: “Let Your Writing Speak for Itself, and Be Proud of It”

(Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash.)

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: food writing, Food writing prompts, prompts for writing about food

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sally - My Custard Pie says

    April 14, 2020 at 8:13 pm

    Thanks Dianne, I’ve put these prompts in my diary starting tomorrow to do one every day. I have a feeling I’ll be asking for more at the end of 10 days. Brilliant idea.

    Reply
    • diannejacob says

      April 19, 2020 at 1:23 pm

      I’m so impressed, Sally! I hope it leads to something useful.

      Reply
  2. Jean | Delightful Repast says

    April 15, 2020 at 9:33 am

    Dianne, I love that first paragraph! I haven’t bought a single roll of toilet paper since all this started because I already had some. And I’ve baked bread, including wild yeast sourdough, all my life. But oddly enough, just yesterday my husband asked for a bread lesson! So today I will have him at my side, duplicating everything I do, to make a large loaf of classic white sandwich bread. I was stunned! Must try a few of these intriguing prompts.

    Reply
    • diannejacob says

      April 16, 2020 at 10:45 am

      At last, Jean, you’re joining the crowd. I’m sure there will be a photo on Instagram, right? I put mine up the other day, except I purchased my loaf.

      Yes I hope you will try the prompts. They are not the usual.

      Reply

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