Postcrossing Blog

The writing prompts invite postcrossers to write about a different topic on their postcards’ messages every month. These are just suggestions though — if you already know what you want to write about, or the recipient gives you some pointers, that’s great too!

This month’s prompt is a suggestion that I found myself pondering—have you ever daydreamed about going to the Olympics? It was never a dream I was interested in, because I was really no good at sport except maybe rounders.

For me, if I was being realistic, obviously I’d get nowhere near the Olympics at all. Even as a kid I wasn’t really into any sports that could’ve led in that direction. I wasn’t a bad sprinter, and I was pretty speedy on my bike, but I didn’t pursue either of those in any kind of structured way.

If I could wish myself into some aptitude and just pick a sport that I think looks cool, I’d have to head to the Winter Olympics and go with figure skating, though! I was always mesmerised by that as a kid, and in my teens/early twenties I had an online friend who was obsessed with skaters like Johnny Weir (I remember his exhibition skate to Lady Gaga’s Poker Face very well!).

Of course it’s not realistic—I think I’ve only ever been skating three times in total! So now it’s over to you: what sport would you do in the Olympics? Do we have any actual Olympians on Postcrossing? We’d love to hear from you, on your postcards this month or in the comments!

The writing prompts invite postcrossers to write about a different topic on their postcards’ messages every month. These are just suggestions though — if you already know what you want to write about, or the recipient gives you some pointers, that’s great too!

This month’s writing prompt about flavours! Different countries have different cuisines and can shape different preferences, or at least that’s what I’ve heard! I wonder if it’s true. So if you’re not sure what to write on your postcards this month, how about this?

I’m going to cop out straight away: I like all of them! It really depends on my mood. I pretty much alternate between sweet and salty when it comes to snacks, I suppose: my usual choice would be between something sweet like chocolate or a biscuit, or something salty like salted popcorn or maybe crisps (AKA potato chips in some countries) or tortilla chips.

That said, I’d also never say no to a sour treat like Haribo Tangfastics or sour Skittles…

Though I do like all three, I suppose I could rank them, and I thiiink it’s probably sweet > salty > sour… or maybe sweet = salty > sour. But I wouldn’t like to lose any of those options, haha! I don’t know if this was shaped by being British: growing up we ate Indian and Chinese food as well (or at least British-friendly versions of those, since I know the recipes are often adapted in the UK!), and I’ve developed a love of Mexican food as an adult… but I’m definitely curious if other people rank things differently and think that’s due to what they ate growing up!

Alright, now it’s your turn: what do you prefer? And do you think that’s influenced by the cuisine/s you grew up with? Feel free to answer in the comments if you like, but you can also use this prompt to help you fill out that blank space if you’re not sure what to write on your postcards this month.

The writing prompts invite postcrossers to write about a different topic on their postcards’ messages every month. These are just suggestions though — if you already know what you want to write about, or the recipient gives you some pointers, that’s great too!

This month’s writing prompt is a fun one! Though I confess it’s a bit of a headscratcher for me, though I did come up with an answer! So if you’re stuck for what to write on your postcards this month, how about this?

I don’t watch a lot of media, even animated media, and while I know cartoon characters I watched when I was a kid, I don’t particularly want to meet Road Runner or Wile E. Coyote, however hilarious they are. That said, as I was musing this one my eyes lit upon a manga I’ve been loving lately, and I remembered that it’s been made into an anime… So that definitely counts, right?

So I’d love to meet the main hero of A Gentle Nobleman’s Vacation Recommendation, Lizel! He’s a nobleman from a fantasy world who ends up travelling accidentally to a different fantasy world, which he treats as a chance to have a fun holiday, making friends and exploring the world… and going to any bookshop he sees! He’s even more of a reader than I am, racing through books at speed, though I think we have similar acquisition tendencies (more books is always better!).

I think I could have a great time hanging out with Lizel: we’d go to a bookshop, grab a whole stack each, and find somewhere comfy to devour and discuss them. Not that I need the excuse: I’d do that anyway!

So now I’ve come up with something, perhaps it’s your turn! Is there a cartoon character you’d love to hang out with? You can share in the comments here, or use it as a prompt when the postcards you send are feeling a little too blank, if you like!

The writing prompts invite postcrossers to write about a different topic on their postcards’ messages every month. These are just suggestions though — if you already know what you want to write about, or the recipient gives you some pointers, that’s great too!

This month’s writing prompt was suggested by a member on the forum, and I had to have a bit of a think about how I’d answer! So we’re very curious about this one… what’s something you wish you had the courage to do?

In general, I’m pretty content with my life and don’t have a lot of regrets. That’s not to say I’m not scared of doing stuff—there are a lot of things I found difficult to start doing, like the volunteering work I did with the Royal National Institute for the Blind in the UK, or high-end raiding in Final Fantasy XIV, or applying to a dream university for further study. But I had to have a good think about something I still haven’t done because I was scared.

In the end, I think my answer is: more travel! I’ve been to France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Canada and the US, and of course I’ve travelled within the UK. But I’m a bit of a homebody and I don’t travel a lot, even though there are places in the world I’d love to visit, like Germany, Greece and more of Italy… Since I mention in my profile that my wife and I like to visit zoos when we travel, I’ve had a lot of postcards suggesting destinations, and it’d be great to visit some of them, too!

It’s not impossible that I’ll travel again in future: maybe I’ll pluck up the courage someday. Where would you recommend I go, as a bookish person who likes museums?

And of course… if you’re stumped for what to write on your postcards this month, you can take this as your theme! We’d love to read your answers on the blog as well: what have you wanted to do that you’re scared to actually try?

The writing prompts invite postcrossers to write about a different topic on their postcards’ messages every month. These are just suggestions though — if you already know what you want to write about, or the recipient gives you some pointers, that’s great too!

Have you ever thought about what a biography of you would be called? Or what the individual chapters might be called? We got an interesting prompt on the forum from Simi_91 asking about that:

For me, I definitely think that the title of my memoir/autobiography or a biography of me would have to be something to do with books. For some reason I always think about the nursery rhyme, 'The House That Jack Built'… something like 'The Person That Books Built’ seems pretty apt. Books have always been a massive influence on me, after all.

I even wonder if the chapters should be named after specific books. Given that I ultimately ended up doing a degree in Infectious Diseases because of David Quammen’s book Spillover, for example, maybe the title of the chapter that just ended in my life should be 'David Quammen’s Spillover', and end with my graduation. It’d certainly make the point about how important books are to me, and previous chapters would include 'J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings' and (when I was much younger) 'Hazel Edwards’ There’s a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake’!

As for the current chapter, well, that probably remains to be seen, really! My friends are taking bets on what I might study next and when, but I might just take a little break and spend lots of time reading everything I can get my hands on. Inspiration might be just another book away…

We’re very curious to hear ideas on what you’d call the current chapter in your own lives! You can comment here if you want to share more widely, and/or use it as a prompt for something to write on your postcards if you’re stumped!