Birthdays
Writing about birthdays
Today is my birthday, hence today’s prompt on birthdays! I have always enjoyed my birthday, even though I’m not all that fond of how growing older affects me physically.
This week, I invite you to write about birthdays: your own, a fictional character’s, or in general. Since I’m an Aquarius, and Aquarius is the sign associated with innovation and technology, I’ve asked ChatGPT to help me come up with eight writing prompts about birthdays. I’ve edited these prompts a bit, as they originally focused mainly on fiction writing, but I think these will also work for a personal essay, journal entry, or poem. Let me know what you think.
The Unexpected Gift: Write a short story about a character who receives a surprising and unexpected birthday gift that changes their life. Explore the impact of the gift on their relationships, goals, or perspective, and delve into the emotions that come with this unexpected turn of events.
The Time-Traveling Birthday (two options): a. If you could time travel on your birthday, is there a specific time period you would visit? Would you want to witness the events surrounding the moment you were born, or would you go into the future? b. Create a story where the protagonist experiences a unique birthday celebration involving time travel. Explore how revisiting past birthdays or glimpsing into future ones influences their understanding of life, relationships, and personal growth.
Birthday Wishes Gone Awry: Develop a story where a character's birthday wishes mysteriously start coming true, but not in the way they intended. Explore the consequences of their wishes and how they navigate unexpected outcomes. What lessons do they learn about the power of words and intentions?
The Milestone Celebration: Write a reflective piece about reaching a significant milestone birthday (e.g., 10, 18, 21, 30, 50). What were the major takeaways from your life experience at that time? What did you anticipate going forward?
The Surprise Party Planning Gone Wrong: Has someone ever thrown you a surprise birthday party? Or have you thrown one for someone else? What were the challenges involved? What unexpected twists and turns unfolded during the planning process?
A Birthday in a Different Culture: Write a story where the protagonist celebrates their birthday in a culture different from their own. Explore the unique traditions, customs, and rituals associated with birthdays in this unfamiliar setting. How does the experience broaden their understanding of celebrations and relationships?
The Birthday Time Capsule: If you created a time capsule on your next birthday, filling it with items, letters, or memories that represent your life history, what would you put inside?
The Forgotten Birthday: Create a story or a character monologue where someone forgets their own birthday. Explore the emotions, realizations, and actions that follow as they come to terms with the oversight and decide how to salvage the day. What unexpected surprises or moments of self-discovery might arise from this forgotten birthday?
Recommendation: set a timer for 25 minutes and see what comes up. You can write by hand or type it out—whatever writing method works for you.
Have fun writing!