BY MONIQUE QUINTANA
In any season, the garden as space is a constant source of creative inspiration. Some gardens are rocky and monochromatic, some subdued, and some bright. In each garden is a cyclic narrative, containers of our vast memories and dreamscapes. Here are a few writing prompts inspired by botanical things.
Agave
Write a revelation that happens in the time it takes the character to sew a tiny garment.
Blue Hibiscus
Write about a quarreling household that is preparing for an unprecedented season of frost. How do they find a moment of peace and grace?
Manzanita
Write a character that discovers a strange shape when they cut open a piece of fruit.
Wormwood
Write a trail of childhood objects on a rocky footpath for a beloved to find.
Mugwort
Write about a talisman that has protected your character’s family from a particular creature. What happens when the talisman doesn’t work for your character?
Summer Snapdragon
Write a character that notices a drastic and mysterious change in the landscape outside their window. What do they learn from the mystery?
Monique Quintana is a contributor at Luna Luna Magazine and her novella, Cenote City, was released from Clash Books in 2019. Her short works has been nominated for Best of the Net, Best Microfiction, and the Pushcart Prize. She has been awarded artist residencies to Yaddo, The Mineral School, and Sundress Academy of the Arts. She has also received fellowships to the Squaw Valley Community of Writers, the Open Mouth Poetry Retreat, and she was the inaugural winner of Amplify’s Megaphone Fellowship for a Writer of Color. She blogs about Latinx Literature at her site, Blood Moon and lives in the sleepy little town of Fresno, CA. You can find her at moniquequintana.com