Imagination Questions Just for Fun

Today as I was searching for an old file on my computer, by chance I stopped and looked at a different old file. You know it’s like when you are cleaning out drawers or closets and you keep coming across things that grab your attention. Before you know it you have spent most of your time looking at this or that instead of getting anything done. Well, that’s me sometimes when I’m trying to locate something among my many saved files.

I did find what I was looking for, but I also spent some time thinking about this other file I found, Writing Prompts for First Graders. It showed a date years ago that I had saved it. I know why I did. That was back when I had written several books for young readers and was often asked to speak at elementary schools. I had in mind to give some of the kids ideas to do some writing of their own. I’m sure I found this online at a picture book writer’s site, but alas, I didn’t keep the link or that information. But the writer had some fun ideas for kids and had obviously written a very imaginative story for them about magical kingdoms under the sea.

I read through her writing prompts and had to smile at the images it brought to mind. So, I thought why not share some of them with you.

The first thing you have to imagine is being a first grader. That’s me in my first grade school picture. I had on a favorite dress my aunt made for me. She was a wizard with a needle. I had one dress, not this one but a different purple one, that I loved so much that she remade it three times when I outgrew it. It finally ended up as a sundress.

But back to our imaginations. I’ll start with an easy one for you.

If you could have any pet, what would you have and why? Where would it sleep!?

Would you be imagining having a dragon for a pet? I don’t think I would have imagined anything like that. When I was a first grader, the pet I wanted most was a dog. A dog of my very own. He could be big or little, with long hair or short. Just so he was a dog that I could love and that could love me. I would want it to sleep right beside my bed. Not that such a thing would have ever happened in my house when I was a kid. Dogs were for outside. But now I have pets, dog pets, that are for inside.

So, if you didn’t have to worry about taking care of the pet, getting it food, paying the vet bills, or whatever else, what pet would you want? Can you imagine having an elephant in your backyard? It could help you wash the car or water the garden. You could ride on it and feel on top of the world.

Imagine you woke one morning and found you could fly. 

This is one that most all kids imagine and sometimes dream about happening. Wouldn’t it be extra nice to just jump up and off you go floating around up there with the clouds or fluttering between flowers like butterflies or swooping between trees like birds? If it was muddy, you could just take off into the air and zoom right over the mud. You would be bound to get to places faster. And you could go up high and see for miles.

Do you think people would tell you it was too dangerous to be flying around here there and everywhere? If so, would you do some flying anyway? I can’t imagine not doing some flying if such was possible. Maybe if you were a kid, your parents could put a kite string on you to keep you from floating completely away. Do you think that worry about floating away could be what might be too dangerous?

But who among us hasn’t imagined being Superman or woman? Cape and all.

Okay. One more to make you think.

If you had a secret friend, what would he or she be like?

If I had a secret friends, she would have to be funny and ready for adventure. She would always be pestering me to do something fun, something that might be a little scary or who knows what. She would push me to be braver and better.

Actually, I wrote a teen book once about a girl who did have an imaginary/secret friend. A Kindred Spirit.  I let my imagination go a little wild in that one but it was a fun story to write.

Now, I suppose, in ways, I have lots of secret friends–all those characters I have written about through the years and all of you I meet here online. Not exactly secret, but when I was a kid, I would have never dreamed that I could have friends all across the country and in other countries too who read my words and talk with me online. Sometimes I wonder if I’m dreaming.

Which one of these writing prompts has you imagining? And what are you imagining? Share it with us.

You can meet some of my imagined friends soon in A Chance for Kallie Mae. You can check it out online and still have time to get that great preorder deal from Baker Book House of 40% off and free US shipping along with getting some extras, a bookplate and bookmark (while supplies last.)

Also, if you want to check out Goodreads, you can enter a giveaway for A Chance for Kallie Mae. Ten winners will get a print book copy. Here’s the link.