Are you stuck for a different writing prompt for your students? I love to visit art museums, and on a recent weekend trip to Boston, I visited the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. I find that I am drawn paintings with light used in surprising or unusual ways. In the painting above, similar to one that I saw in Boston MFA, the glare of an unseen window shines on the wall next to another window where the woman sits. Questions come to mind: who is she? why is she at the window? is someone coming? does she want to leave? All of these can lead students to writing a short story or poem. Students can also imagine themselves in the room: have they ever had to wait a long time for someone or something to arrive? In the modern day, students are accustomed to instant answers and immediate deliveries. The concept of waiting is often lost in today’s world. A simple writing prompt of “waiting” will bring about creative and unusual pieces from your young writers. Pairing “waiting” with a work of art such as Holsoe’s could add even more thoughtfulness to their responses. What works of art inspire your writing or teaching?
