By Allison Lynn Flemming

Post #2 – Where to Find Your Easter Ideas

In our first post, we explored all the many genres and formats that are open to Easter-inspired writing.

But where do you find great ideas to fill all those empty pages?

Here’s a list of prompts to get your imagination flowing!

Scripture:

• Each Gospel has its own telling of the Easter story. You can write about which one you love, which one challenges you, or what you’ve learned from each version.
• How does it feel to read the Easter Gospel in different translations? What can you learn about the story by doing this?
• Which person do you most identify with in the Easter story and why?
• What would it have been like to be there in the garden with the women that first Easter morning? Put us in the moment by invoking sights, sounds, and even smells.
• Easter also ties into Holy Week and the sightings of the risen Christ after that first Sunday. Choose a story that inspires you and tell us why.

Worship:

• What are your favourite Easter worship traditions?
• What are some specific traditions in your denomination or your home church?
• Holy Week can include many different services, including Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Share your experience of these services.
• Did you grow up in one denomination and now worship in another? What was your first Easter like in that new tradition?
• Likewise, did you have a time when you left your faith? What was it like to return to Easter after a time away from the church?
• Do you have a favourite Easter prayer? If not, why not try writing one?

Music:

• Which is your favourite Easter hymn or worship song and why?
• Some of our traditional hymns have great stories behind their creation. Research one of these stories and rewrite it in your own words.
• Many denominations sing songs of the resurrection year round, and some only sing them at Easter. Which is your preference and why?
• Try your hand at writing a new Easter song or hymn! Easy trick: take your favourite hymn. Count the number of verses, number of lines per verse, and the number of syllables per line. Now, you have a song structure! Write a lyric to fit that structure, and you’ll be able to sing it to the original hymn’s tune.

Food, Crafts, and Traditions:

• What is your favourite Easter treat? This could be something from the Easter meal or a favourite kind of chocolate bunny. You can write out the recipe or simply share your love for your favourite dish.
• What are your memories of dyeing Easter eggs when you were a child? Did this happen at home, school, or church? Did you ever accidentally break your eggs?
• Who made your Easter dinner when you were growing up? Was it a parent, a grandparent, or a favourite cousin? What are your memories of that person?
• Does your culture have a specific Easter tradition? Do you celebrate Orthodox Easter? Do you dye Ukrainian pysanky? Give us a how-to, share the history of the tradition, or write about your family’s version of the tradition.
• Do you have a disaster story of the first time you tried to cook Easter dinner? Remember, not all stories need to be serious! We all enjoy a holiday laugh.

Gifts:

• Did the Easter Bunny leave you a basket when you were a child? What was in it?
• Do you and your family exchange Easter chocolates? Which is your favourite to receive and which one do you always want to regift?
• Try your hand at writing Easter greeting cards. What verse would you write for a church friend? What verse would you write for someone who doesn’t attend church but loves the new life of spring?

Community:

• Do you decorate your house for Easter? Write about your favourite seasonal piece, or how your neighbours react to your decorations.
• How is Easter celebrated in your hometown? Write about the community parade, photos with the Easter Bunny at the mall, egg-dyeing classes, or the special displays put on by local businesses.

Publishers and readers alike want great Easter-themed writing! They need your stories, your thoughts, your curiosity, and your imaginings.

To paraphrase Anne Shirley of Green Gables,

I hope these posts have given you lots of “scope for the imagination!”

Singer, writer and worship leader, Allison Lynn Flemming, is drawn to the power of story to grow hearts and communities. Allison and her husband, Gerald Flemming, form the award-winning music duo, Infinitely More. Publications include Faith Today, 20+ Guideposts contributor, 16x Chicken Soup for the Soul contributor. www.InfinitelyMore.ca