5 Answers to “What Should I Write About?”

There she is, staring at the endless whiteness of a blank piece of paper (or the soulless stare of a blank screen). The blankness is to be filled with words and the words have to be relevant to a particular subject and make sense together. If this were a matter of re-statement, of putting in her own words the properties of noble gases or the causes of the Civil War, the task might be easier to tackle. But the assignment is some sort of personal essay and the subject is herself.

“I don’t have anything to write about!”

Nonsense. Even a 12-year-old has plenty to write about, and what’s more, it’s interesting. That’s because 12-year-olds are people, and people are inherently interesting—once they learn to focus and relate. I have a lot more to say about that in Wordsmith, but for now, a prompt or two might get the content machine pumping. So here are five possible answers to the title question:

• Write about the last argument you had with your brother or sister. Include direct quotes (with quotation marks) and facial expressions.
• Write about how you felt going up that first long incline on the roller coaster (second by second!).
• Write about the household chore you dislike most (or, the one you don’t mind so much).
• Go outside and lie down in the grass for five minutes (assuming there’s grass to lie down on). Write about what you see, feel, hear, and smell.
• Write about packing for your last family vacation.

Five possible answers. As you might gather, the possibilities are practically endless!