Writing Prompts

by Liam Rust

I really enjoyed the prompts we did on the last day before break, so I decided to expand on one of them, or at least the general idea of it.

Something from a person in North Dakota that would make someone living in California jealous.

A picture of the Badlands from North Dakota, similar to where this takes place.

She opened the door, and the cold, crisp breeze flew through her hair. The sun peeks just over the horizon. The road lay ahead of her, and she started along it, not going anywhere in particular.

The nice thing about North Dakota is that there's almost no one around. You can go for miles in any direction before you see a sign of life. This gave her room to think.

She walked for a long, long time, just thinking. Nothing to distract her except for the beautiful mountains and the wind when it got too cold. Her hoodie gave her a warm hug, keeping her cozy in the chill. She wasn't thinking of anything in particular. It was a trance state, like when you're trying to sleep, when you ponder everything. And it was nice.

She got home and opened the door. Her family was awake by then, and they were all gathered in the living room, eating and talking and laughing. The fireplace radiates warmth, but most of it is from the hearts in the room. North Dakota appears harsh, barren, and cold, but really, it's calm, loving, and warm.

As a little bonus, here's a little definition essay for "school."

Sparta High School, where we go.

School is a place to learn, but to a student, there's a lot more. It's where you see your friends. It's why you have to get up at the ungodly hour of 6:00 AM. It's a stressful place on days when you have tests and deadlines. It's a relaxing and fun place when you don't, and when you can have fun with friends or in class doing activities. It's what most students' lives revolve around. And though it's stressful in the moment, when I look back on things most of the time, I tend to have a good feeling about it.