Okay. So now you’ve got the paper, and now you’ve got the pen. What’s next?

If you’re anything like me, you’ll spend at least five to ten minutes staring at the blank page before getting up to make yourself your second cup of coffee for the day. (Black with a splash of cream.) Mug in hand, you’ll sit back down and stare at it some more. Scratch your head. Reach for your cell phone to see if your sister, brother, mother, partner, whathaveyou has texted you their dinner recommendation for the evening. Eventually, you’ll set your phone down, lean back, sigh.

Why is the first sentence always the hardest? It could be that there’s too much to process, like a room full of kids all wanting your undivided attention. Which one do you pick? Or, if you have anxiety, like me, you might start hearing that evil little whisper that asks: your life’s so boring, what do you even have to write about?

But the truth is, there’s a lot to write about. Maybe you’re not ready to write about yourself, and that’s okay. So write about someone you know (or knew). We cross paths with many people in our lives. Some we want around, some we don’t. Either way their presence is there, and so, perfect ammo for the pen. Explore what these people mean to you. How they impacted your life (for better or worse). What about them made you remember them even if they’re no longer in your life. What traits in them do you see in yourself, or wish you didn’t see?

Immediately, I think about my grandmother. (She’s still with us and will most likely outlive me.) A strong independent Latina who loves pan dulce and Pedro Infante. Who baby sat my siblings and I when mom was away at work, and who makes the meanest chiles rellenos I will ever have. I think of my grandmother and I think of love, of food, and of her strong weathered hands. A retired field worker, a single mother, a mean cook (even though she hates cooking), and a dedicated gardener. She means more to me than I can even say. She is also one of the most stubborn people I have ever met, with a blunt mouth and no patience for rudeness. Traits I also have in myself. Personally, I wish I inherited her ability to cook, but I don’t even like to wash the dishes.

Anyway, a few potential prompts to start with can be:

• Who are the top five people in your life?
• Who do you wish was still around?
• What person do you admire most, and why?
• Who is someone you will never forget, and why?
• Who is someone you cannot live without? (Pets count, too.)
• Write about your grandmother, or another parental figure that means the world to you.

If you have any other prompt ideas, please share them down below! Have a peaceful Sunday!