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Creative Adjectives to Try To Describe Light

Table of Contents

Light is basically defined as something that illuminates, extends, and makes things visible. It may seem like a very dull subject to write about. But with the right  adjectives to describe light , a writer can use them to depict different moods, atmospheres, and imaginative points of view.

There are many ways you can go about describing light. And there are countless adjectives to describe it. And we’re going to talk about that and more in this article. Keep on reading to learn how to describe light interestingly and creatively!

Colorful streaks of light passing through a tube with a triangular prism.

What are Adjectives?

Adjectives are words that modify a noun by giving it additional characteristics or qualities . These characteristics can include color, size, shape, personality, and so on.

Unlike adverbs, adjectives are associated with nouns, not verbs. When people describe an object, they often resort to adjectives. For example, when you say, “That lamp is ivory,” you are saying its color is ivory.

Why Adjectives Are Important

The English language comprises countless adjectives, and for a good reason. Without adjectives, our language would be bland and not nearly as expressive.

From describing personality traits to setting the scene of a story, adjectives give meaning to our words. They are powerful tools that allow the writer to paint a picture of the story that the reader is about to experience. And it ultimately makes it feel more personal for the reader.

Creative Adjectives to Describe Light

  • Aureate:  denoting a golden and extravagant color
  • Blinding:  light that’s bright enough to obscure vision
  • Coruscating:  something that’s flashing or sparkling
  • Crepuscular:  dim or similar to twilight;
  • Dappled:  light that makes spots or rounded patches on surfaces
  • Fluorescent:  bright light that’s usually from an electric source
  • Glancing:  flashing or gleaming intermittently
  • Gleaming:  shining and radiating light
  • Glimmering:  shines faintly or unsteadily
  • Glinting:  gives out or reflects only small flashes of light.
  • Glistening:  shining with sparkling light.
  • Glittering:  Adding sparkle to the skin; also brilliant or superficially attractive
  • Glossy:  shiny and smooth, also characterizes wealth or opulence
  • Illuminating:  colorful or shining; highlighted or made clear
  • Incandescent:  light that appears warm and glowing
  • Iridescent:  rainbow-colored light
  • Lucent:  Shining, clear, or bright
  • Luminescent:  light that is emitted without the use of heat, also known as cold light
  • Luminous:  brimming with bright light
  • Lustrous:  light that is smooth or evenly lit
  • Penumbral : partially shaded
  • Phosphorescent:  light that continues to glow even after the removal of its source
  • Prismatic:  colorful light that’s produced when light passes through a prism
  • Radiant:  shining light that’s glowing brightly.
  • Resplendent:  attractive and impressive because of rich colors
  • Scintillating:  sparkling or shining very brightly, also related to a clever personality
  • Shimmering:  a reflection of soft or wavering light
  • Spectral:  composed of several colors of the spectrum
  • Translucent:  diffused light or transparent

Wrapping Up

With these creative  adjectives to describe light,  you can add much more depth to your writing. You can describe light in a way that is more meaningful and interesting. These adjectives will help draw the reader in and engage them in your writing.

Creative Adjectives to Try To Describe Light

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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creative writing describing lights

Give Light The Time Of Day In Your Story

Writers Write creates writing resources and shares writing tips. In this post, we suggest how you can use light in writing. We tell you how you can give light the time of day in your story.

How do you use light in your story? Maybe it’s something you write instinctively; perhaps you haven’t given it much thought. Light comes into your story in many ways – and if you use it consciously, it can improve your novel or story.

From first light to midnight

For a moment, play with two images in your mind. The first, a farm house, seen from a distant hill at dawn. See the soft diffusion of light around the house, the sun glancing off the roof, the shadows around the house.

Now the second image. See the same house, from the same hill, but at midnight: try to see the almost indistinct white walls in the moonlight, the  dim candle light in the small window.

As you can tell, things look different in different light and at different times of the day – even if the object itself doesn’t change. Your writing needs to capture this. Follow the light in your story.

Give Light The Time Of Day In Your Story

In your eyes…

The same behaviour applies to your characters. Perhaps their eyes change colour – darken or lighten – during the day. Sometimes strong emotion can change eye colour, but often it is the light coming into the iris that can change the way other characters see the colour of your character’s eyes.

Trick of light

And because of the way light behaves, it can play tricks on our minds. The watery mirage in a desert is an obvious example – but think about how a road or highway looks ‘wet’ on an intensely hot day because of the way light refracts on the surface.

Mood for thought

For me, the best light is during what is often called the ‘blue hour’ – just before dawn or just after sunset, when the edge of the sky turns a beautiful sapphire colour – it’s like a rim filling up or draining.  In twilight or pre-dawn, we find a very moody colour.

Imagine a lonely jogger finding a body on a beach just before dawn, or two characters making love in the quiet shadows after sundown. How would that enhance the mood of your story?

Paint with light in your words

These are just a few examples. In the next week, try to pay attention to how you use light in your descriptions. Look for opportunities to bring out colour, emotion and mood in your story.

Top Tip : Use The Visual Storytelling Workbook to help you write your stories.

creative writing describing lights

If you enjoyed this post, read:

  • 5 Visual Techniques To Bring Your Story To Life
  • 5 Secret Tricks To Make Your Writing Stronger
  • 3 Exercises To Help You Create The Flow From Scene To Sequel

Top Tip : Find out more about our  workbooks  and  online courses  in our  shop .

  • Anthony Ehlers , Description , Featured Post , Writing Inspiration

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Describing Words for Lightning: Examples and Adjectives

creative writing describing lights

Lightning, with its awe-inspiring power and electrifying presence, has captivated human imagination for centuries. As a natural phenomenon that combines the beauty of light and the force of nature, lightning is a sight to behold. But how can we put into words the intensity and magnificence of this electrifying display? In this article, I’ll explore a range of adjectives that can help us describe lightning in all its dazzling glory. From crackling and dazzling to fierce and brilliant, these adjectives will paint a vivid picture of the electrifying beauty that is lightning. So, let’s dive in and discover the perfect words to capture the essence of this natural wonder.

Table of Contents

How to Describe lightning? – Different Scenarios

Lightning in the night sky.

  • Dazzling : The burst of light from lightning illuminates the night sky, creating a dazzling spectacle.
  • Ethereal : Lightning’s glow against the dark backdrop of the night sky gives it an ethereal quality.
  • Electrifying : The sudden bright flash and crackling sound make lightning an electrifying presence in the night.
  • Dramatic : Lightning’s dramatic presence can’t be denied as it lights up the entire horizon.

Lightning in a Thunderstorm

  • Fierce : Lightning strikes with fierce intensity, lighting up the sky during a thunderstorm.
  • Powerful : The powerful bolts of lightning command attention during a storm, symbolizing nature’s force.
  • Crackling : The crackling sound that accompanies lightning adds an element of excitement and anticipation.
  • Magnificent : Lightning’s magnificent display during a thunderstorm captivates our senses.
  • Dynamic : Lightning in nature is a dynamic and ever-changing spectacle, painting the sky in vibrant colors.
  • Majestic : The majestic bolts of lightning stretch across the sky, showcasing nature’s grandeur.
  • Enchanting : There’s something enchanting about the way lightning dances across the horizon, captivating our gaze.

Describing Words for lightning in English

When it comes to describing lightning, there are a variety of words that capture its awe-inspiring nature. Here are some adjectives that can be used to paint a vivid picture of this incredible natural phenomenon.

  • Dazzling : Lightning can be described as dazzling when it lights up the sky with its brilliant flashes. It’s like nature’s own fireworks display, captivating anyone who is lucky enough to witness it.
  • Ethereal : There’s something ethereal about lightning, as if it exists in a realm beyond our own. Its mysterious beauty adds an element of enchantment to the night sky.
  • Electrifying : Lightning is truly electrifying, both literally and figuratively. Its powerful bolts of electricity can be felt in the air, and they never fail to leave us in awe of nature’s immense energy.
  • Dramatic : There’s no denying that lightning is dramatic. The sudden crackling sound followed by a flash of light can create a sense of excitement and drama in the atmosphere.
  • Fierce : Lightning can also be described as fierce, symbolizing the raw power of nature. Its bolts can strike with intensity and force, leaving a lasting impression on all who witness it.
  • Powerful : Lightning packs a powerful punch. Its bolts can reach temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun and carry immense amounts of electrical energy.
  • Crackling : The sound of thunder accompanying lightning is often described as crackling. It’s like the sky itself is rumbling, adding to the intensity of the moment.
  • Magnificent : Lightning is undeniably magnificent. Its vast and striking displays can leave us truly mesmerized by the wonders of the natural world.

These adjectives help us capture the essence of lightning in various situations, whether it’s the dazzling display in the night sky, the fierce power of a thunderstorm, or the dynamic beauty of nature in action.

To summarize, lightning can be described as dazzling, ethereal, electrifying, dramatic, fierce, powerful, crackling, and magnificent. Each of these descriptive words helps convey the awe-inspiring nature of this natural wonder.

Remember to keep these words in mind when you teach kids about lightning and expose them to the wonders of the world around us.

Adjectives for lightning

Positive adjectives for lightning with 12 example sentences.

When describing lightning in a positive light, there are several adjectives that can capture its awe-inspiring nature. Here are twelve examples along with their usage in sentences:

Negative Adjectives for lightning with 5 example sentences

While lightning can be a captivating natural phenomenon, there are also times when it is described using negative adjectives. Here are five examples along with their usage in sentences:

As a teacher, you can use these adjectives to teach students about lightning and its various qualities. By exposing them to the wonders of the natural world, you can inspire curiosity and a deeper appreciation for the beauty and power of lightning.

Synonyms and Antonyms with Example Sentences

Synonyms for lightning.

When it comes to describing lightning, there are many synonyms we can use to convey its unique characteristics. Here are some alternative words you can use to capture the awe-inspiring nature of lightning:

  • Dazzling: The lightning was dazzling as it lit up the night sky.
  • Ethereal: The ethereal glow of the lightning created an otherworldly atmosphere.
  • Electrifying: The electrifying burst of lightning sent shivers down my spine.
  • Dramatic: The dramatic display of lightning illuminated the dark storm clouds.
  • Fierce: The fierce bolts of lightning danced across the horizon.
  • Powerful: Witnessing the powerful strikes of lightning reminded me of nature’s might.
  • Crackling: The crackling sound of lightning echoed through the thunderstorm.
  • Magnificent: The magnificent lightning bolts were a sight to behold.
  • Dynamic: The dynamic energy of the lightning filled the air with excitement.
  • Majestic: The majestic lightning arced across the sky, captivating everyone’s attention.
  • Enchanting: The enchanting lightning display mesmerized us with its beauty.
  • Brilliant: The brilliant flashes of lightning illuminated the landscape.

Antonyms for lightning

While lightning can be described in positive terms, it’s important to also acknowledge its potentially negative aspects. Here are some antonyms that can be used to describe lightning in a different light:

  • Menacing: The menacing lightning intimidated us with its ominous presence.
  • Terrifying: The terrifying lightning bolts sent fear coursing through our veins.
  • Destructive: The destructive nature of the lightning caused damage to trees and structures.
  • Intense: The intense bursts of lightning created a tense atmosphere.
  • Alarming: The alarming lightning strikes reminded us of the power of nature.

Remember, using these adjectives when teaching children about lightning can inspire curiosity and a deeper appreciation for its beauty and power.

Describing lightning can be a captivating and exhilarating experience. Throughout this article, we have explored a range of adjectives that can be used to vividly depict the nature of lightning. From positive words like dazzling, ethereal, and electrifying to negative terms such as menacing and intense, these adjectives allow us to paint a complete picture of the awe-inspiring power and beauty of lightning.

By incorporating these adjectives into our descriptions, we can engage our readers’ senses and evoke a deeper appreciation for the magnificence of lightning. Whether we are teaching children about the wonders of nature or simply seeking to convey the intensity of a thunderstorm, these adjectives serve as powerful tools to capture the essence of lightning.

Remember, when using these adjectives, it is important to provide context and create vivid imagery through example sentences. This will help to enhance the reader’s understanding and create a more immersive experience.

So, the next time you witness a lightning storm, don’t just describe it as “bright” or “loud.” Instead, reach for these descriptive adjectives and let your words ignite the imagination of your audience.

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creative writing describing lights

Describing Light – words to make you think…

Every type of light has a name. Understanding light means knowing its description.

Every type of light has a name. Understanding light means knowing its description.

Understanding of light lies in knowing the right words

A new entry in the Photographic Glossary about the language of light… Light; words for light; the vocabulary of light; language of light

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Learn Adjectives

Meaning, Types & Examples

Adjectives for Light – Words to Describe About Light

August 21, 2023 by James Jani Leave a Comment

Light is an essential part of our lives. It is the source of energy and life. It is also a source of beauty and inspiration. We use adjectives to describe light in many different ways. In this article, we will explore some of the most common adjectives used to describe light.

adjectives for light

Adjectives for Light | Words For Light

Bright – Bright light is intense and luminous. It is often used to describe the sun or a lightbulb.

Vivid – Vivid light is strong and vibrant. It is often used to describe a light that is particularly noticeable or eye-catching.

Soft – Soft light is gentle and subtle. It is often used to describe a light that is not too harsh or overwhelming.

>>>>> Similar Post : ” List of Powerful Adjectives for Pie “

Dim – Dim light is faint and subdued. It is often used to describe a light that is not very bright or noticeable.

Glowing – Glowing light is warm and radiant. It is often used to describe a light that is particularly beautiful or calming.

Flickering – Flickering light is unsteady and intermittent. It is often used to describe a light that is not constant or reliable.

Shimmering – Shimmering light is sparkling and iridescent. It is often used to describe a light that is particularly dazzling or captivating.

Glaring – Glaring light is harsh and blinding. It is often used to describe a light that is too bright or overwhelming.

Dazzling – Dazzling light is brilliant and luminous. It is often used to describe a light that is particularly striking or impressive.

Glimmering – Glimmering light is faint and twinkling. It is often used to describe a light that is not very strong or noticeable.

Radiant – Radiant light is bright and luminous. It is often used to describe a light that is particularly beautiful or inspiring.

Light is an essential part of our lives. It is the source of energy and life. It is also a source of beauty and inspiration. We use adjectives to describe light in many different ways. In this article, we explored some of the most common adjectives used to describe light. From bright to glimmering, these adjectives can help us to better understand and appreciate the beauty of light.

>>>>> Similar Post:   ” List of Adjectives for Veterans Day “

What is the difference between bright and vivid light?

Bright light is intense and luminous, while vivid light is strong and vibrant. Bright light is often used to describe the sun or a lightbulb, while vivid light is often used to describe a light that is particularly noticeable or eye-catching.

What is the difference between soft and dim light?

Soft light is gentle and subtle, while dim light is faint and subdued. Soft light is often used to describe a light that is not too harsh or overwhelming, while dim light is often used to describe a light that is not very bright or noticeable.

What is the difference between glowing and flickering light?

Glowing light is warm and radiant, while flickering light is unsteady and intermittent. Glowing light is often used to describe a light that is particularly beautiful or calming, while flickering light is often used to describe a light that is not constant or reliable

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Adjectives for Halloween

I am James Jani here, a frequent Linguist, English Enthusiast & a renowned Grammar teacher, would love you share with you about my learning experience. Here I share with my community, students & with everyone on the internet, my tips & tricks to learn adjectives fast.

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The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus , a companion to The Emotion Thesaurus , releases May 13th.

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WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®

Helping writers become bestselling authors

Creating Mood In A Scene Using Light and Shadow

August 22, 2016 by ANGELA ACKERMAN

What’s one of the first things a person does to set the mood at home for a romantic evening? She turns down the lights. This simple adjustment is a big step toward creating a calm, receptive atmosphere. Just as the amount and quality of lighting will influence the way people feel in real life, we can adjust the mood for both characters and readers in our stories by playing with light and shadow.

Most everyone has familiar places that they’ve visited in daylight. But enter that same place at night and it becomes unfamiliar, with a totally different feel. By changing the amount and quality of light in a given place, you can shift the mood without changing the setting. For example, consider an example from a classic, L. M. Montgomery’s description of Birch Path, a recurring location in her Anne of Green Gables series:

AGG1

      It was a little narrow, twisting path, winding down over a long hill straight through Mr. Bell’s woods, where the light came down sifted through so many emerald screens that it was as flawless as the heart of a diamond.

One can easily envision this scene under the trees. The green-tinged sunlight gives the scene a lighthearted, cheerful feel, and though the season isn’t mentioned, late spring or summer is inferred, simply by referencing the light.

But the same path traveled later in the day by a character in another frame of mind can look and feel vastly different. Here is Birch Path again, traveled by a more mature Anne in the third book of the series:

AGG2

  Anne felt lonelier than ever as she walked home, going by way of the Birch Path and Willowmere. She had not walked that way for many moons. It was a darkly-purple bloomy night. The air was heavy with blossom fragrance—almost too heavy.

The darkly-purple light, combined with Anne’s loneliness and the cloying odors, give the scene a heavy, melancholy feel that wasn’t there before.

(Do keep in mind this example is sourced from a classic, and when writing for a modern audience, we’d need to be careful about wandering too far down the flowery language path–pun intentional!)

Because light and shadow lies within the realm of universal symbolism , people tend to respond to light in a feral way: well-lit areas are deemed safer, putting us at ease, while darker spots have more weight and feel heavier both on the body and the spirit. When setting the mood for a scene, carefully consider the lighting. How much light is there? Where does it come from? Is it hard or soft, comforting or blinding? Is it constant and totally revealing, or does it allow for shadows and hidden places? Questions like these will serve as a guide for how to light a scene in order to set the desired mood.

Keep in mind however that light and shadow may represent something entirely different if one has taken the time to set up personal symbolism . Light itself may represent pain, exposure, risk, or danger to a character who lives safely below ground, or by the necessity of survival, is only able to come out at night. One needs only to look at vampire, werewolf, and demon fiction to see this played out within a story.

TIP: Should you adapt the universal symbolism of light and shadow to something personal which fits the personality of your point of view character or the reality of the world upon which the story is built, make sure to set this up so the meaning is always clear to readers.

Want more ideas on how to set the mood? Save this checklist to Pinterest.

The Setting Thesaurus_Mood Building

Becca and I have a love affair with powerful description , the kind that does so much more than paints a picture for readers. Creating Mood is only one of ways setting can make your scenes rich and more meaningful.

If you’d like to find out how to also use it to characterize the story’s cast , reveal critical backstory naturally and effectively, steer the plot , reinforce emotion , provide tension & conflict , poke at your protagonist’s emotional wounds and gosh, SO MUCH MORE, we hope you’ll check out our new Urban Setting and Rural Setting Thesaurus books.  🙂

The Setting Thesaurus Duo

Happy writing!

And, if you’d like more information on creating mood, visit Jami Gold’s terrific blog. 🙂

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers , a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

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Reader Interactions

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February 17, 2021 at 9:17 am

Excellent, as always. Thanks, Becca and Angela.

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February 17, 2021 at 11:58 am

Happy to be of service 🙂

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August 28, 2016 at 12:50 pm

Excellent information, as always. Thanks!!

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August 22, 2016 at 12:20 pm

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned as a new writer was that straight description is almost never as powerful as description filtered through the lens of the point-of-view character. These are perfect examples, thanks.

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August 22, 2016 at 1:22 pm

Yes, absolutely! When you filter it, you get the emotional slant of that description. A character who is afraid will see the world much differently than one that is content, or filled with gratitude, or elation.

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August 22, 2016 at 12:04 pm

Okay okay, I’ll buy a setting thesaurus! Question: my own epic-in-the-making, The Age of Pisces, is set in the ancient past (48 BC to start with). Would your Urban Setting Thesaurus have anything to offer the creator of ancient urban settings? Or should I stick with The Rural Setting Thesaurus ?

August 22, 2016 at 1:19 pm

Both of the thesaurus books have high level lessons on how to use description effectively, so we recommend using them as a pair, but that said, for you, Rural will likely have the most value as far as the entries go and that volume contains the natural settings (rivers, mountains, deserts, forests, etc.) However, with the urban volume, keep in mind that while clearly a historical book won’t use the exact same description as a contemporary setting, the elements will be the same in the sense that urban areas, past or present, will still have streets, law enforcement and government buildings, cultural influences, entertainment venues, construction, etc. and so you can use this volume to help you layer realism in any setting. 🙂

Hope this helps! And thanks for wanting to give it a test drive. 🙂 We hope you love either or both, whichever you choose. 🙂

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August 22, 2016 at 8:28 am

This was a great post. Just added it to my Pinterest board and my class wiki. Thanks.

August 22, 2016 at 1:21 pm

Awesome! Glad it will help 🙂

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August 22, 2016 at 8:19 am

I love prose that creates mood and scenes that I can sink into. But I have to say that the “darkly-purple bloomy night” would read as purple prose to most modern readers today. Your Rural Setting Thesaurus looks fascinating though. I’ve got to get it.

August 22, 2016 at 10:04 am

Paula, I agree–this example does walk the edge and if there was too much of this, it would definitely be purple. That’s one thing we definitely do need to remember when sourcing the classics, so I should probably add a disclaimer. That said, I also love the creativity if it, of thinking past the common, so that’s why I included it. 🙂

[…] Creating Mood In A Scene Using Light and Shadow […]

[…] Creating Mood In A Scene Using Light and Shadow – WRITERS HELPING WRITERS® […]

[…] of communication in the world you build, Iain Bain explores how to write funny, Angela Ackerman creates mood in a scene using light and shadow, and Jodie Renner discusses the how and when to use hyphens, dashes, and […]

Creative Writing Prompts

Igniting Passion: Describing Fire Creative Writing

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My name is Debbie, and I am passionate about developing a love for the written word and planting a seed that will grow into a powerful voice that can inspire many.

Igniting Passion: Describing Fire Creative Writing

Finding inspiration: Exploring the power of fire in creative writing

Understanding the essence of fire: symbolism and its impact on storytelling, embracing the elements: techniques to bring fire to life in your writing, fueling creativity: using fire as a catalyst for character development, creating vivid imagery: descriptive writing techniques to depict fire effectively, mastering the art of tension: utilizing fire as a source of conflict and suspense, unleashing your inner fire: exercises to ignite passion in your writing, crafting powerful endings: the role of fire in symbolism and resolution, frequently asked questions, future outlook.

The hypnotic dance of flickering flames has captivated human beings for centuries, inspiring countless tales of courage, destruction, and rebirth. Fire, in all its forms, possesses a raw power that can evoke a wide range of emotions and ignite the imagination of writers. Whether it represents warmth and comfort, fierce determination, or uncontrollable chaos, fire has the ability to add depth and intensity to any piece of creative writing. Below, we delve into the multifaceted aspects of fire and explore how it can become a powerful tool in the hands of a skilled writer.

1. Sensory experience: When writing about fire, vividly describe the sights, sounds, and smells associated with it. Let readers feel the radiating heat on their skin, hear the crackling of burning wood, and catch a whiff of the smoky aroma lingering in the air. Such detailed sensory descriptions transport readers into the scene, allowing them to fully immerse themselves in the story.

2. Symbolism and metaphor: Fire carries a wealth of symbolic meaning in literature. It can embody passion, transformation, or destruction, depending on the context. Use fire as a metaphor to convey intense emotions or to illustrate significant changes within your characters or plot. By skillfully utilizing this powerful imagery, you can tap into the subconscious associations readers have with fire, enriching the layers of meaning in your writing.

Understanding the essence of fire: Symbolism and its impact on storytelling

Fire, an enigmatic force that has fascinated humanity for centuries, possesses a profound symbolism that permeates numerous literary works. Its multifaceted nature has made it an essential element in storytelling, crafting narratives that captivate and resonate with readers. Symbolizing both destruction and rebirth, fire serves as a powerful metaphor, igniting a range of emotions and shedding light on various aspects of the human condition.

1. Fuel for Transformation: Fire’s transformative power lies in its ability to consume and renew. Just like a phoenix rising from the ashes, fire symbolizes growth and change in storytelling. It represents the cyclical nature of life, the destruction of the old to make way for the new. This symbolism can be seen in characters who undergo profound transformations, as they face intense trials and emerge stronger, like a blazing flame unhindered by obstacles.

2. Purity and Cleansing: Fire’s mesmerizing dance often denotes a purifying force, a means to cleanse or purify the world around it. Just as flames consume impurities, fire can serve as a symbolic tool for characters to confront their flaws and redeem themselves. It represents the journey of characters who rise above their past mistakes and find a sense of redemption or closure. In this way, fire’s symbolism reminds us that through struggle and introspection, our characters can find inner peace and achieve personal growth.

Embracing the elements: Techniques to bring fire to life in your writing

Techniques to Bring Fire to Life in Your Writing

Fire has always held a mysterious allure, captivating our senses and igniting our imagination. As writers, embracing the element of fire in our storytelling can add depth, intensity, and a touch of magic to our words. Whether you’re looking to describe a blazing inferno that engulfs a village or a flickering candle that illuminates a dimly lit room, here are some techniques to help bring fire to life in your writing:

  • Use vivid imagery: Paint a vivid picture in your reader’s mind by using descriptive words that evoke the sensation of heat, brightness, and movement. Engage all of the senses by describing the crackling sound of the flames, the acrid scent of burning wood, and the scorching touch of fiery heat on the skin.
  • Evoke emotion: Fire is an element that often stirs strong emotions in people. Tap into these emotions by exploring the power and symbolism of fire. Highlight how it can bring warmth and comfort, but also destruction and chaos. Use metaphors and analogies to convey the raw intensity and transformative nature of fire.
  • Inject tension: Set the stage for your fiery scene by building anticipation and suspense. Describe the mounting pressure, the crackling anticipation, and the gradual intensification of the flames. Use short, punchy sentences and dynamic language to convey the escalating drama and keep your readers on the edge of their seats.
  • Utilize fire-related symbolism: Fire is often associated with concepts such as passion, rebirth, destruction, and purification. Incorporate these symbols into your writing to add layers of meaning and depth. Explore the contrasts between the destructive and creative aspects of fire and how it can serve as a catalyst for change or transformation in your characters.

Mastering the art of bringing fire to life in your writing requires practice, attention to detail, and a keen imagination. By employing these techniques, you can captivate your readers and transport them into a world where flames dance and flicker, illuminating the path to unforgettable storytelling.

Fueling creativity: Using fire as a catalyst for character development

When it comes to developing compelling characters , writers are constantly seeking new and innovative tools. One often overlooked method is harnessing the power of fire to ignite and shape the essence of a character. Fire has long been a powerful symbol of transformation and rebirth, and when used deliberately, it can drive the evolution of our characters in fascinating ways.

By incorporating fire into the narrative, writers can introduce a multitude of character-building scenarios. Here are a few ways to utilize fire as a catalyst for character development:

  • Burning Away the Past: Just as fire purifies and consumes what once was, it can serve as a conduit for a character to let go of their past traumas or mistakes. The act of willingly facing their demons in the flames can allow them to emerge stronger, liberated, and ready to embark on an exciting new path.
  • Fanning the Flames of Passion: Fire signifies not only destruction but also passion and desire. By incorporating fire as a catalyst, writers can kindle intense emotions within their characters, pushing them to pursue their dreams with vigor and determination. The blaze of ambition fueled by the undying spirit can serve as a source of inspiration and motivation for our protagonists.
  • Forging Resilient Heroes: As fire molds and tempers metal into strong and resilient forms, it can also shape our characters into heroes. Through trials by fire, characters can be tested, pushing them beyond their limits physically, mentally, or emotionally. These transformative experiences force them to confront their fears, hone their strengths, and emerge from the flames as heroes with unwavering resolve.

Embracing the symbolic power of fire within storytelling offers endless possibilities for character development. By infusing your narrative with the transformative nature of fire, you can ignite a journey of growth, self-discovery, and triumph for your characters that will keep readers mesmerized until the final page.

In order to effectively depict fire in writing, it is crucial to use descriptive techniques that create vivid imagery and engage the reader’s senses. By employing these techniques, you can transport your audience to the scorching heat and flickering flames of a fire, making the experience come alive on the page.

Here are some powerful descriptive writing techniques that can help you depict fire effectively:

  • Similes and metaphors: Compare the fire to other objects or experiences to highlight its intensity and nature. For example, you could describe the flames as “dancing like wild serpents” or “consuming everything in their path like a ravenous beast.”
  • Sensory details: Engage the reader’s senses by incorporating detailed descriptions of sight, sound, smell, touch, and even taste. Describe the flames as “licking the air with vivid hues of orange and red” and the crackling sound they make as “a symphony of snapping twigs and popping embers.”
  • Personification: Grant the fire human qualities to create a deeper connection with the reader. The fire could be described as “hungry for destruction” or “dancing in rapturous joy.”
  • Emotive language: Use words that evoke strong emotions to intensify the portrayal of fire. Phrases like “roaring inferno,” “devouring heat,” or “scorching fury” can help the reader feel the intensity and power of the flames.

By using these descriptive writing techniques, you can effectively depict fire in your writing, enabling your readers to experience the heat, ferocity, and mesmerizing beauty of a burning flame.

Fire, an element that has captivated humanity since its discovery, holds immense potential as a tool in storytelling. When harnessed correctly, fire can be the catalyst for gripping conflict and suspense, intensifying the emotional rollercoaster for readers and viewers alike. In this post, we will explore various ways to master the art of tension using fire as a powerful narrative device.

1. Symbolism and metaphor: Fire can be more than just a physical entity; it can represent deeper themes and evoke powerful emotions . Utilize fire as a metaphor for destruction, purification, or rebirth, depending on your narrative’s needs. Symbolic imagery of fire engulfing a crucial object or location can create a sense of impending doom, leaving readers on the edge of their seats.

2. Setting the stage: Fire’s natural intensity and ability to spread quickly make it the perfect tool for building suspense. Whether it’s a raging wildfire consuming a forest or a single candle flickering ominously in a dark room, use the environment to heighten tension. Describe the crackling sound, the swirling tendrils of smoke, and the searing heat, immersing your audience in the moment and making them feel the protagonist’s fear and desperation.

Unleashing your inner fire: Exercises to ignite passion in your writing

Writing is an art form that requires a certain level of passion and creativity to truly captivate an audience. If you find yourself in need of a little spark to reignite your writing prowess, look no further! Here are some exhilarating exercises that will help bring out your inner fire and inspire a renewed sense of passion in your words:

  • Unleash your imagination: Take a moment to close your eyes and let your mind wander. Visualize scenes, characters, and emotions that make your heart race. Allow your thoughts to drift and flow without any constraints. Jot down the vivid images that come to mind and use them as fuel to infuse your writing with passion.
  • Explore unfamiliar territories: Step out of your comfort zone and dive into unfamiliar genres, subjects, or writing styles. Challenge yourself to write a poem, a short story, or an article on a topic you’ve never considered before. Embrace the unknown and let the excitement of discovering new avenues fuel your writing with an electrifying energy.
  • Find inspiration in everyday life: Look around you and absorb the beauty of the world. Pay attention to the intricacies of nature, the emotions of the people you encounter, or the little moments that often go unnoticed. Allow these experiences to seep into your writing, infusing it with a renewed zest for life and a sense of authenticity that resonates with readers.

By engaging in these invigorating exercises, you can rekindle the flame within and unleash your inner fire onto the pages of your writing. Remember, passion is contagious – if you write with fervor and enthusiasm, your readers will undoubtedly feel it, making for an unforgettable reading experience.

In literature, fire has long been a powerful symbol, capable of conveying a wide range of emotions, themes, and ideas. Whether it appears as a destructive force or a source of warmth and illumination, fire serves as a catalyst for change and transformation in storytelling. Through its association with destruction, rebirth, and purification, fire often plays a central role in shaping the resolution of narratives.

One of the primary symbolic functions of fire is its ability to represent destruction and chaos. As flames consume everything in their path, they mirror the conflicts and challenges that characters face. The destructive power of fire can serve as a metaphor for the inevitable destruction of old ways of thinking or outdated institutions, paving the way for new beginnings and fresh perspectives. Moreover, fire’s capacity to reduce objects to ash signifies the eradication of the old and the opportunity for growth and renewal.

  • Rebirth: Fire’s ability to destroy not only represents the end of a story but also allows for new beginnings.
  • Purification: Fire purges and cleanses, serving as a transformative force for characters and their surroundings.
  • Light and Illumination: Fire’s warm glow and flickering flames provide a source of light and enlightenment, guiding characters towards resolution.

As readers, we are captivated by the symbolism of fire and its profound impact on storytelling. By understanding the multifaceted role of fire in literature, we can appreciate the intricate layers and themes that authors strive to convey. So next time you encounter flames dancing across the pages of a book, take a moment to reflect on the power of fire as it shapes the resolution and symbolism of the story.

Q: What is “Igniting Passion: Describing Fire Creative Writing” all about? A: “Igniting Passion: Describing Fire Creative Writing” is an article that delves into the art of describing fire through creative writing. It explores various techniques and tips to bring the essence and intensity of fire to life on paper.

Q: Why is fire such a fascinating topic for creative writing? A: Fire has always held a deep fascination for humans since ancient times. It represents both destruction and creation, power and warmth. As a symbol, fire evokes a wide range of emotions, making it an ideal subject for creative writing.

Q: What are some key elements to consider when describing fire? A: When describing fire, it’s important to tap into the sensory details such as the colors, textures, and sounds associated with fire. Additionally, exploring the feelings and emotions evoked by fire can create a powerful impact on the reader.

Q: How can one effectively convey the visual aspects of fire through writing? A: To effectively convey the visual aspects of fire, writers can use vivid and descriptive language. They can illustrate the flames’ dance, the shimmering glow, and the way fire throws long shadows. Incorporating similes and metaphors can also help readers visualize fire more vividly.

Q: How does sound play a role in describing fire? A: Sound is a crucial element in describing fire. The crackling of flames, the hissing of wood, or the rhythmic popping can create a soundscape that transports the reader into the scene itself. Choosing words that mimic these sounds will help engage the reader’s auditory imagination.

Q: How can writers capture the emotions associated with fire in their descriptions? A: Writers can capture the emotions associated with fire by exploring the varied feelings that fire evokes. It can symbolize warmth, vitality, and passion, or represent danger, destruction, and chaos. Describing the emotions of characters impacted by fire can also immerse the reader in the scene.

Q: What are some writing techniques that can enhance the description of fire? A: Metaphors, personification, and onomatopoeia are a few techniques that can enhance the description of fire. Metaphors compare fire to other elements, making the description more evocative. Personification can give fire a life force, attributing human characteristics, while onomatopoeia can recreate the sounds of fire through words.

Q: Can you provide any writing prompts related to the topic? A: Certainly! Here’s a prompt: “Describe a scene where a bonfire illuminates a group of people. Explore the colors, sounds, and emotions associated with the fire, and its impact on the characters.” Staying true to the theme of fire, this prompt encourages writers to ignite their imagination and experiment with their descriptive skills.

Q: Any final tips for writers looking to master the art of describing fire? A: Practice is key! Writers should take time to observe fire in various settings – from a cozy fireplace to a raging wildfire – and jot down their observations. Additionally, reading written works that beautifully describe fire can be a source of inspiration and guidance. Embrace experimentation and let your creativity fuel your descriptions.

In conclusion, exploring the art of describing fire through creative writing allows us to ignite our own passion for storytelling, drawing readers into a world of warmth, intensity, and wonder.

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Setting the Mood: Candlelight

Candles have been with us for thousands of years and though they’re no longer a main source of light in the household, they’ll remain with us a while longer in forms such as decorative or emergency lighting. For this reason they’re common among many time periods and settings, giving authors a lot to play with when it comes to using this humble little device.

The mood and atmosphere that candles can add to a setting is delightfully varied. Depending on the amount of light they give, how many there are, the character’s state of mind, what they leave on their surroundings(such as soot), even the smell they give off, they can range from being soothing and cozy to enhancing a scene’s already-apparent creep factor.

Take scented candles for example. Usually pretty innocuous as long as it’s a scent you don’t hate, but what if the scent is being used to mask something horrible? Your character’s perception of the scent changes as they gain more awareness of the true nature of the scene, and what started as a pleasant smell can become overwhelming, stifling, even nauseating. And if it’s a scent that the character hates or is even allergic to, scented candles are unpleasant right off the bat and then get worse as more environmental details become apparent to them.

The amount of light produced is another angle to look at. A candle that’s bright enough to give light to the whole room will have a more positive effect than one so dim as to allow deep shadows to linger and creep around the edge of the light. Again context is an important factor, as well as the size of the room that the candle is illuminating—a small room will find itself comfortably lit while a large one will have corners and walls lost in shadow. In a positive context a single candle in a large room can still be comforting though, acting as a pool of light where a character can while away the hours with reading or contemplation.

Words for Describing it

  • Scented candle
  • Illumination
  • Pungent (smell, if scented)
  • Smoke (if tallow or recently snuffed out)
  • Sweet (smell, if scented)
  • Stench (smell, if scented or tallow)
  • Greasy (if tallow)
  • Nauseating (smell, if scented or tallow)
  • Overpowering (smell, if scented or tallow)
  • Reek (smell, if scented or tallow)
  • Suffocate (smell, if scented or tallow)

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100 Creative Writing Prompts for Middle & High School – 2024

April 15, 2024

creative writing prompts for high school and middle school teens

Some high school students dream of writing for a living, perhaps pursuing an English major in college, or even attending a creative writing MFA program later on. For other students, creative writing can be useful for school assignments, in English and other subjects, and also for preparing their Common App essays . In a less goal-oriented sense, daily freewriting in a journal can be a healthy life practice for many high schoolers. Not sure where to start? Continue reading for 100 creative writing prompts for middle school and high school students. These middle/high school writing prompts offer inspiration for getting started with writing in a number of genres and styles.

Click here to view the 35 Best Colleges for Creative Writing .

What are Creative Writing Prompts?

Similar to how an academic essay prompt provides a jumping-off point for forming and organizing an argument, creative writing prompts are points of initiation for writing a story, poem, or creative essay. Prompts can be useful for writers of all ages, helping many to get past writer’s block and just start (often one of the most difficult parts of a writing process).

Writing prompts come in a variety of forms. Sometimes they are phrases used to begin sentences. Other times they are questions, more like academic essay prompts Writing prompts can also involve objects such as photographs, or activities such as walking. Below, you will find high school writing prompts that use memories, objects, senses (smell/taste/touch), abstract ideas , and even songs as jumping-off points for creative writing. These prompts can be used to write in a variety of forms, from short stories to creative essays, to poems.

How to use Creative Writing Prompts

Before we get started with the list, are a few tips when using creative writing prompts:

Experiment with different formats : Prose is great, but there’s no need to limit yourself to full sentences, at least at first. A piece of creative writing can begin with a poem, or a dialogue, or even a list. You can always bring it back to prose later if needed.

Interpret the prompt broadly : The point of a creative writing prompt is not to answer it “correctly” or “precisely.” You might begin with the prompt, but then your ideas could take you in a completely different direction. The words in the prompt also don’t need to open your poem or essay, but could appear somewhere in the middle.

Switch up/pile up the prompts : Try using two or three prompts and combine them, or weave between them. Perhaps choose a main prompt, and a different “sub-prompt.” For example, your main prompt might be “write about being in transit from one place to another,” and within that prompt, you might use the prompt to “describe a physical sensation,” and/or one the dialogue prompts.  This could be a fun way to find complexity as you write.

Creative Writing Prompts for Middle School & High School Students (Continued)

Write first, edit later : While you’re first getting started with a prompt, leave the typos and bad grammar. Obsessing over details can take away from your flow of thoughts. You will inevitably make many fixes when you go back through to edit.

Write consistently : It often becomes easier to write when it’s a practice , rather than a once-in-a-while kind of activity. For some, it’s useful to write daily. Others find time to write every few days, or every weekend. Sometimes, a word-count goal can help (100 words a day, 2,000 words a month, etc.). If you set a goal, make sure it’s realistic. Start small and build from there, rather than starting with an unachievable goal and quickly giving up.

100 Creative Writing Prompts for Middle School & High School Teens

Here are some prompts for getting started with your creative writing. These are organized by method, rather than genre, so they can inspire writing in a variety of forms. Pick and choose the ones that work best for you, and enjoy!

Prompts using memories

  • Begin each sentence or group of sentences with the phrase, “I remember…”
  • Describe a family ritual.
  • Choose an event in your life, and write about it from the perspective of someone else who was there.
  • Pick a pathway you take on a regular basis (to school, or to a friend’s house). Describe five landmarks that you remember from this pathway.
  • Write about your house or apartment using a memory from each room.
  • Write an imaginary history of the previous people who lived in your house or apartment.
  • Write about an ancestor based on stories you’ve heard from relatives.
  • What’s your earliest memory?
  • Who was your first friend?
  • Write a letter to someone you haven’t seen since childhood.
  • Write about yourself now from the perspective of yourself twenty, or eighty, years from now.
  • Write about the best month of the year.
  • Write about the worst day of the year.
  • Rant about something that has always annoyed you.
  • Write about the hottest or coldest day you can remember.
  • Visualize a fleeting moment in your life and as though it’s a photograph, and time yourself 5 minutes to write every detail you can remember about the scene.
  • Draw out a timeline of your life so far. Then choose three years to write about, as though you were writing for a history book.
  • Write about a historical event in the first person, as though you remember it.
  • Write about a memory of being in transit from one place to another.

Objects and photographs as creative writing prompts

  • Describe the first object you see in the room. What importance does it have in your life? What memories do you have with this object? What might it symbolize?
  • Pick up an object, and spend some time holding it/examining it. Write about how it looks, feels, and smells. Write about the material that it’s made from.
  • Choose a favorite family photograph. What could someone know just by looking at the photograph? What’s secretly happening in the photograph?
  • Choose a photograph and tell the story of this photograph from the perspective of someone or something in it.
  • Write about a color by describing three objects that are that color.
  • Tell the story of a piece of trash.
  • Tell the story of a pair of shoes.
  • Tell the story of your oldest piece of clothing.

Senses and observations as creative writing prompts

  • Describe a sound you hear in the room or outside. Choose the first sound you notice. What are its qualities? It’s rhythms? What other sounds does it remind you of?
  • Describe a physical sensation you feel right now, in as much detail as possible.
  • Listen to a conversation and write down a phrase that you hear someone say. Start a free-write with this phrase.
  • Write about a food by describing its qualities, but don’t say what it is.
  • Describe a flavor (salty, sweet, bitter, etc.) to someone who has never tasted it before.
  • Narrate your day through tastes you tasted.
  • Narrate your day through sounds you heard.
  • Narrate your day through physical sensations you felt.
  • Describe in detail the physical process of doing an action you consider simple or mundane, like walking or lying down or chopping vegetables.
  • Write about the sensation of doing an action you consider physically demanding or tiring, like running or lifting heavy boxes.
  • Describe something that gives you goosebumps.
  • Write a story that involves drinking a cold glass of water on a hot day.
  • Write a story that involves entering a warm house from a cold snowy day.
  • Describe someone’s facial features in as much detail as possible.

Songs, books, and other art

  • Choose a song quote, write it down, and free-write from there.
  • Choose a song, and write a story in which that song is playing in the car.
  • Choose a song, and write to the rhythm of that song.
  • Choose a character from a book, and describe an event in your life from the perspective of that character.
  • Go to a library and write down 10 book titles that catch your eye. Free-write for 5 minutes beginning with each one.
  • Go to a library and open to random book pages, and write down 5 sentences that catch your attention. Use those sentences as prompts and free-write for 5-minutes with each.
  • Choose a piece of abstract artwork. Jot down 10 words that come to mind from the painting or drawing, and free-write for 2 minutes based on each word.
  • Find a picture of a dramatic Renaissance painting online. Tell a story about what’s going on in the painting that has nothing to do with what the artist intended.
  • Write about your day in five acts, like a Shakespearean play. If your day were a play, what would be the introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution?
  • Narrate a complicated book or film plot using only short sentences.
  • Read a short poem. Then write a poem that could be a “sister” or “cousin” of that poem.

Abstract ideas as creative writing prompts

  • Write about an experience that demonstrates an abstract idea, such as “love” or “home” or “freedom” or “loss” without ever using the word itself.
  • Write a list of ways to say “hello” without actually saying “hello.”
  • Write a list of ways to say “I love you” without actually saying “I love you.”
  • Do you believe in ghosts? Describe a ghost.
  • Invent a mode of time travel.
  • Glass half-full/half-empty: Write about an event or situation with a positive outlook. Then write about it with a miserable outlook.
  • Free-write beginning with “my religion is…” (what comes next can have as much or as little to do with organized religion as you’d like).
  • Free-write beginning with “my gender is…” (what comes next can have as much or as little to do with common ideas of gender as you’d like).
  • Write about a person or character that is “good” and one that is “evil.” Then write about the “evil” in the good character and the “good” in the evil character.
  • Write like you’re telling a secret.
  • Describe a moment of beauty you witnessed. What makes something beautiful?

Prompts for playing with narrative and character

  • Begin writing with the phrase, “It all started when…”
  • Tell a story from the middle of the most dramatic part.
  • Write a story that begins with the ending.
  • Begin a story but give it 5 possible endings.
  • Write a list of ways to dramatically quit a terrible job.
  • Write about a character breaking a social rule or ritual (i.e., walking backwards, sitting on the floor of a restaurant, wearing a ballgown to the grocery store). What are the ramifications?
  • You are sent to the principal’s office. Justify your bad behavior.
  • Re-write a well-known fairytale but set it in your school.
  • Write your own version of the TV show trope where someone gets stuck in an elevator with a stranger, or a secret love interest, or a nemesis.
  • Imagine a day where you said everything you were thinking, and write about it.
  • Write about a scenario in which you have too much of a good thing.
  • Write about a scenario in which money can buy happiness.
  • Invent a bank or museum heist.
  • Invent a superhero, including an origin story.
  • Write using the form of the scientific method (question, hypothesis, test, analyze data conclusion).
  • Write using the form of a recipe.

Middle School & High School Creative writing prompts for playing with fact vs. fiction

  • Write something you know for sure is true, and then, “but maybe it isn’t.” Then explain why that thing may not be true.
  • Write a statement and contradict that statement. Then do it again.
  • Draft an email with an outlandish excuse as to why you didn’t do your homework or why you need an extension.
  • Write about your morning routine, and make it sound extravagant/luxurious (even if it isn’t).
  • You’ve just won an award for doing a very mundane and simple task. Write your acceptance speech.
  • Write about a non-athletic event as though it were a sports game.
  • Write about the most complicated way to complete a simple task.
  • Write a brief history of your life, and exaggerate everything.
  • Write about your day, but lie about some things.
  • Tell the story of your birth.
  • Choose a historical event and write an alternative outcome.
  • Write about a day in the life of a famous person in history.
  • Read an instructional manual, and change three instructions to include some kind of magical or otherwise impossible element.

Prompts for starting with dialogue

  • Write a texting conversation between two friends who haven’t spoken in years.
  • Write a texting conversation between two friends who speak every day and know each other better than anyone.
  • Watch two people on the street having a conversation, and imagine the conversation they’re having. Write it down.
  • Write an overheard conversation behind a closed door that you shouldn’t be listening to.
  • Write a conversation between two characters arguing about contradicting memories of what happened.
  • You have a difficult decision to make. Write a conversation about it with yourself.
  • Write a conversation with a total lack of communication.
  • Write a job interview gone badly.

Final Thoughts – Creative Writing Prompts for Middle School & High School 

Hopefully you have found several of these creative writing prompts helpful. Remember that when writing creatively, especially on your own, you can mix, match, and change prompts. For more on writing for high school students, check out the following articles:

  • College Application Essay Topics to Avoid
  • 160 Good Argumentative Essay Topics
  • 150 Good Persuasive Speech Topics
  • Good Transition Words for Essays
  • High School Success

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Sarah Mininsohn

With a BA from Wesleyan University and an MFA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Sarah is a writer, educator, and artist. She served as a graduate instructor at the University of Illinois, a tutor at St Peter’s School in Philadelphia, and an academic writing tutor and thesis mentor at Wesleyan’s Writing Workshop.

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christmas lights - quotes and descriptions to inspire creative writing

  • candlelight
  • candlestick
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  • christmas decorations
  • christmas desserts
  • christmas dinner
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Christmas lights to greyscale nights, kissed by ever-morphing blues, transform what was good and sleeping into strong soul-glue.
Let the Christmas lights be the light in the eyes of the needy when they realise that longterm rescue has come.
Let the Christmas lights be the sparkle of moonlight upon the sea waves rather than a cheap electrical glow through plastic moulds.
The Christmas "light" this season is learning how to silence entitlement and amplify gratitude and true giving of the soul.
You who come to give with the heart are the only light this Christmas and every season to come will ever need.
When we are each other's light at Christmas, the darkness is beaten. When we extend this throughout the year, the victory is won.
The Christmas light is when you led from the heart and soul to make our society and world a better place - it has nothing whatever to do with those polluting LED strings of plastic and wires. So, love, light up the dark, keep on shining, because we need you.
Nature needs no adornment, so take away your cheap strings of garish glow and instead learn how to cherish the moon and the refreshing wind.
Christmas "light" is something we feel inside, seen with the soul, elevating us from within.

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creative writing describing lights

Moscow Sky Lights Up With Strange Glow After Explosion at Electrical Substation: Reports

N ew footage has emerged showing bright flashes lighting up the night sky in southern Moscow during the early morning hours of November 22.

Knewz.com has learned that there was an explosion at an electrical substation on the outskirts of Russia's capital city followed by an alleged power outage in "several" homes.

Video snippets, shared on Russian news channels like ASTRA , captured a series of flashes that caused the sky to change color. Smoke could also be seen rising from a building.

Corroborating the video, several Russian Telegram accounts reported an explosion near the south of Moscow and a subsequent fire at the Lyublino electrical substation, southeast of central Moscow, per Newsweek .

The local authorities from the area have since confirmed that an explosion occurred in the village of Molokovo, but they reassured the public that all vital facilities were operating as normal.

Russian outlet MSK1.ru reported the blaze at the substation and noted “several” power outages.

The town of Lytkarino, located to the southeast of Moscow, was one of the affected areas, as reported by the independent outlet, Meduza .

Additional power failures were reported in the southern Domodedovo section of the city. However, electricity was later restored to these areas.

One local resident speculated that a drone may have been responsible for the explosion, but additional sources are yet to support this theory.

Newsweek reported that messages on the ASTRA Telegram account run by independent Russian journalists showed residents near the substation panicking. One concerned Russian called it a "nightmare."

The incident follows an attack by Russia on a power station in southwestern Ukraine that left 2,000 people without electricity .

Knewz.com reported previously:

“ Russian forces launched a total of 38 Iranian-made Shahed-136/131 drones during the later hours of November 17 and 18.

The Ukrainian Air Force Command reported that 29 of these drones were shot down [...].

One civilian was injured as a result of the attack that targeted energy infrastructure in the southwestern Odesa Oblast.”

The assault came after repeated warnings by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky that Russia would try to cripple its power grid as winter approaches.

Ukraine's leader warned that if Russia resorted to attacking its power utilities, it would respond in kind.

Ukraine has conducted numerous long-range aerial drone strikes on Moscow since May 2023.

Most recently on November 20, it was reported that one such incursion was intercepted close to the city, per Kyiv Post .

Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed this and elaborated that the region's air defense systems intercepted the unmanned craft over the city of Elektrostal to the east of Moscow, as well as another over the Bogorodsky district, northeast of central Moscow.

The details of the recently surfaced video footage have yet to be independently verified.

The Moscow skyline lit up on November 22 causing panic. By: Meduza

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  • / Vladimir Soloviev, prophet of Russia's conversion

VLADIMIR SOLOVIEV prophet of Russia’s conversion

Vladimir Soloviev, à l'âge de vingt ans.

T HE conversion of Russia will not be the work of man, no matter how gifted he may be, but that of the Immaculate Heart of the Virgin Mary, the Mediatrix of all graces, because this is God’s wish, which he revealed to the world in 1917. The life and works of Vladimir Soloviev are a perfect illustration of this truth of Fatima. He whom our Father regards as « the greatest Russian genius of the 19th century », was in his own way a prophet of the “ conversion ” of his beloved Country, announcing the necessity of her returning to the bosom of the Roman Church. «  Rome or chaos  », such was his catchphrase, Rome whose anagram is not a matter of chance, but a providential sign, a definition: ROMA , AMOR . Led by this incomparable guide, we would like « to anticipate in our thoughts, our hearts and our prayers this consecration, this long-awaited conversion, which must mark the beginning of a time of sacred peace throughout the world, the beginning of the universal reign of the Most Blessed and Immaculate Heart of Mary, and through Her, of God’s Kingdom » (English CRC, December 1982, p. 23).

A PERSONAL CONVERSION

Through the example of his life, Soloviev recalls the indispensable means of this immense work: self-renunciation, personal and collective sacrifice, in Russian the podwig , the only way in which the Church, nations, saints and heroes can become the instruments of God’s designs. If he managed to surpass his master Dostoyevsky by his « truly universal Catholicism and far superior mystical vision », this was not without without a conversion of mind and heart on his part.

Our Father summarises the principal stages of his life as follows: « Born of an honourable Muscovite family, of part Kievian ancestry, Vladimir Soloviev began, in a world where only Germany counted, by being a victim of all the poisons of the West. He himself relates how he was a zealous materialist at the age of thirteen, had read Renan’s Life of Jesus at fifteen, and had become an evolutionist and therefore (!) an atheist and a nihilist at eighteen, in « It was Spinoza and then Schopenhauer who pulled him out of this bottomless void. Whereupon in 1872 a mysterious encounter with “  Wisdom  ” suddenly shook him out of the scientific naturalism in which he had been vegetating and made him aware, as he says, of invisible Beauty, the “  Sophia tou théou  ”, the daughter of God. He thus became the fervent witness of Wisdom’s indwelling in the world and of Her desire for total incarnation and universal queenship. His quest for wisdom, scientific, aesthetic and mystical, had commenced. He was nineteen years old. The quest would never end for this new style Russian pilgrim ; it would be of an unparalleled fruitfulness despite its touching brevity. He died of exhaustion in 1900, at the age ! » (English CRC, December 1982, p. 35)

We will limit ourselves in this article to his prophetic insights on the Union of the Churches. In his Lessons on Theandry (1878) – he was then twenty-five ! – our philosopher applies himself to contemplating the Wisdom of God at work in history, perfectly incarnated in Jesus and His virginal Mother, as well as in the Church as she awaits her eschatological transfiguration. The most serious sin, throughout this history, has been that of schism. Who is responsible for this vast Vladimir Soloviev began by throwing all responsibility for it on the Catholic Church, so much so that he provided the inspiration for Dostoyevsky’s famous “ myth of the Grand Inquisitor ” in The Brothers Karamazov . But, at the beginning of the 1880’s, through studying the question more closely, he understood that the sin of schism was in fact that of the East. This was a stroke of genius on his part for which our Father commends him greatly:

« I must beg pardon of my master Msgr. Jean Rupp, of Solzhenitsyn, Volkoff and so many others, but it seems obvious to to me, as it did to Soloviev in the end, that the schism of Moscow in setting itself up as the third Rome was the beginning of all the ills suffered by these admirable Christian peoples of European Russia . And I must say so because this rupture still weighs heavily on the world of today and because it is precisely of this rupture that Our Lady of Fatima speaks when She foretells “  the conversion of Russia  ”. (English CRC, December 1982, p. 24)

Let us follow Soloviev in his commendable mystical conversion which has opened up a path of light for his people, allowing a spring of grace and mercy to gush forth.

AN EVANGELICAL DISCOURSE

In 1881, Soloviev published a long article, still very antipapist, entitled Spiritual power in Russia . There the pope was presented as Antichrist institutionalised ! Our theorist placed all his hope in the regenerative mission of Holy Russia and in the Tsar who was to be her « divine figure, religious guide and animating wisdom ». But were the Russian people still capable of accomplishing such One particular event was to shake Soloviev’s patriotic faith. On March 1, 1881, Alexander II was assassinated by revolutionaries. A few days later, Soloviev gave a Discourse in which he recommended that his successor, Alexander III, show mercy to the regicides. Certainly not as a matter of weakness or abdication before the Revolution, even less out of the spirit of non-violence that a certain Tolstoy was already preaching, but « as an example of Russian piety », that famous podwig « which lies at the heart of the Russian people’s evangelical soul, of which the tsar is the living icon ». Alas, Soloviev was not understood... This was a painful stage in his life, the first step he had taken beyond his master Dostoyevsky.

The following year, he published another article entitled “  Schism in the Russian people and society  ”. Delving deep into the past, he accused Metropolitan Nikon of having broken, at the time of Peter the Great, the communion, the Sobornost , so beloved of the Russian people, by excommunicating Raskol, the fierce guardian of traditional popular religion... Ever since then, the Orthodox hierarchy, enslaved to the imperial power, had proved powerless to govern and sanctify Orthodoxy. It was nothing now but a shrunken, secularized “ local Church ” which, if it were to be restored and revived, would need to open itself up to “ the universal Church ”.

In the spring of 1882, Soloviev was powerfully affected by an unusual dream. In his dream he met a high-ranking Catholic ecclesiastic and entreated him to give him his blessing. The priest refused, so Soloviev insisted, declaring, « The separation of the Churches is the most disastrous thing possible. » Finally, the ecclesiastic agreed to give him his blessing.

This premonitory dream was to awaken in Vladimir Soloviev a burning desire for reconciliation with Catholicism, and to stimulate him to write a series of articles to be published every month in his friend Aksakov’s slavophile newspaper Rouss and then to be collected together in a work with the resonant title: The Great Controversy and Christian Politics . One particular maxim constantly reappeared under the Russian writer’s pen:

«  FIRST AND FOREMOST WE MUST WORK TO RESTORE THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH, AND TO MAKE THE FIRE OF LOVE BURN IN THE HEART OF CHRIST’S SPOUSE . »

By an irony of fate, the term “ Controversy ”, which for Soloviev referred to the conflict between Rome and the East, was going to give place to a bitter controversy between himself and his Orthodox and slavophile friends.

A MARVELLOUS AND ADORABLE WISDOM

T HE world’s beauty appeared to Soloviev as a living figure, a real existence, changing and yet immortal. He saw her and held her as the queen of his spiritual universe under her venerable name of Sancta Sophia . At the end of his life, in 1898, he celebrated the Three Encounters he had had with this Beauty which for him was Wisdom.

“ Three times in his life he had been overwhelmed by the radiant visit of Wisdom who appeared to him in the form of an absolutely heavenly female being, dazzling him and enlightening him profoundly. Not without reason certain authors think that all his religious and even philosophical works derive from this illumination. ”

And let us immediately point out, in order to acclimatize the Western reader who is highly likely to be disconcerted by these accounts, that trustworthy interpreters of Soloviev have attributed a marian character to these visions. For them, the whole of the Philosopher’s work derives from the AVE MARIA GRATIA PLENA . “ It is a marvellous perspective ”, adds Msgr. Rupp. “ Wisdom is closely allied to the Immaculate who is its seat. ” ( Le message ecclésial de Soloviev , p. 340)...

What I am going to say next will perhaps surprise my reader. Nothing is more biblical than this vision, and I am astonished at the astonishment of theologians and their impatient criticisms. This Sophia was already well known, hymned and even boldly adored by the scribes of the Old Testament under this very name of Wisdom. Far from being “ pantheist ”, this idea, this vision touches the essence of created beings, and is clearly poles apart from the Platonic idea and far more profound than Aristotle’s substance; it lies at the very heart of being, there where nothing exists except relationship to God, the term of a will and a wisdom that are infinite, there where exists a pure reflection, a fragment of the image of God’s beauty.

George de Nantes , A mysticism for our time , French CRC no. 133, p. 7.

THE GREAT CONTROVERSY

Dostoyevsky

In January 1883, he fired the opening shots with an open letter to Aksakov: « As I reflected on the means of curing this interior disease (of Christianity), I became convinced that the origin of all these evils lies in the general weakening of the earthly organisation of the visible Church, following her division into two disunited parts. » He demonstrated that, in order to establish herself on earth and to endure throughout history, the Christian religion had need of a higher authority, and he explained that it was therefore essential to restore « the union of all Christian and ecclesiastical forces under the standard and under the power of one central ecclesiastical authority ».

On February 19, Soloviev gave a talk in homage to his master Dostoyevsky. It was almost a panegyric of the Roman Church ! He declared his ardent hope for the reconciliation of the two Churches, for the two parts of the universal Church which should never have been separated and whose centre lay in... Rome . As a result of this speech, he saw himself banned from speaking in public. The newspapers made no mention of his speech. For the first time, and it would not be the last, Soloviev was the victim of the censure of Constantin Petrowitch Pobiedonostev, Russia’s Grand Inquisitor and the Tsar’s adviser on religious matters. Pobiedonostev championed a sacral conception of political power, akin to that of the French legitimists of the time, but he was fiercely Orthodox, and any opening towards the Catholic religion was pitilessly censured.

Soloviev responded to this censure with a smile. So his speech had been described as « infantile chattering » ? « If we are not converted », he said to his friends, « and become like little children again, we will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. » He went on: « When I was a pretentious little boy [teaching German philosophy: Kant, Hegel, Fichte, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche], people listened with great respect to my “ truly infantile ” prattling. And now it is fitting that the only way I can attain the perfection of humility is by everyone ! »

At the same time, he wrote to Aksakov: « It is necessary to defend Catholicism against the false accusations being brought against it... Consequently, in advocating a reconciliation with Catholicism, I assume that Catholicism is not in principle erroneous, for one cannot be reconciled with error . » Now there we have a true ecumenism ! The life of Soloviev, writes our Father, « was ».

To the charge of “ papism ” levelled against him, Soloviev responded in March 1883 with an admirable profession of faith, already Catholic:

« It seems to to me that you concentrate only on “ papism ” whereas I focus first and foremost on the great, holy and eternal Rome, a fundamental and integral part of the universal Church. I believe in this Rome, I bow before it, I love it with all my heart, and with all the strength of my soul I desire its rehabilitation for the unity and integrality of the universal Church. And may I be accursed as a parricide should I ever utter one word of condemnation against the Holy Church of Rome . »

THE REALISATION OF THE DREAM

In May 1883, on the occasion of the coronation of the Emperor Alexander III, the Moscow press complained that too many concessions were being made to restore diplomatic relations with the Vatican broken in 1866, but Soloviev protested: such an agreement was necessary, were it only to improve relations with the Catholics of Poland. The Pope was represented at the ceremony by his special envoy Msgr. Vincenzo Vanutelli. Had not Alexander III written to Leo XIII shortly beforehand: « Never has unity between all Churches and all States been so necessary, in order to realise the wish expressed by Your Holiness of seeing the peoples abandoning the disastrous errors responsible for the social malaise and returning to the holy laws of the Gospel... »

A few days after the ceremony, Soloviev was crossing Moscow in a hired car. Suddenly, he recognized the route he had followed in his dream the previous year. Soon he came to a stop in front of a house from which a Catholic prelate was just leaving: it was Msgr. Vanutelli in person... There was the same hesitation of this latter to give his blessing to a schismatic, and the same entreaties of Soloviev, who finally !

In the summer of 1883, our author wrote two articles on The Catholic Question . According to Soloviev, it was for Russia to take the first step towards the Catholic Church. Imagine !

His articles were not of the sort to leave his readers indifferent. On the Orthodox side, there was an increasing irritation, while on the Catholic side, surprise soon gave way to enthusiasm. The news crossed the borders, spreading to Poland and even to Croatia, where Msgr. Strossmayer was finally seeing his desires realised. The jurisdiction of his diocese of Djakovo extended into Bosnia and Serbia, that is into Orthodox territory. Endowed with a superior intelligence and animated by great apostolic zeal, this Croatian bishop keenly felt the need for a true, intelligent and benevolent ecumenism. He wrote in 1883 to one of his friends, Father Martynov:

« In my opinion, the principal task of the Catholic Church and of the Holy See this century is to draw as closely as possible to the Slav nation, principally the Russian nation . By winning it over to the divine unity of the Catholic Church, we would at the same time win over everyone in the world who still possess a positive faith. »

Bishop Strossmayer and the cathedral of Djakovo

IN THE RADIANCE OF THE IMMACULATE

In the summer of 1883, Soloviev wrote five long letters to a Russian Uniate priest on the subject of The Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary . At the same time he translated Petrarch’s “ Praise and prayer to the Most Blessed Virgin ”, wherein he contemplated Her “ clothed in the Sun, crowned with stars... Her glance radiating infinity ! ” It is highly significant that Soloviev was simultaneously attracted by the mystery of the Catholic Church and the mystery of the Immaculate Virgin. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception was the first Catholic dogma which he embraced, and his favourite painting was the Immaculate Conception by Murillo.

In The Foundations of the Spiritual Life (1884), he exalted the « All Holy and Immaculate » Virgin Mary. In Russia and the Church Universal (1889), he would praise Pope Pius IX for having quoted, in support of his dogmatic definition, the Old Testament texts referring to Wisdom, the “  Sophia  ” of his personal intuitions:

« If, by the substantial Wisdom of God, we were exclusively meant to understand the Person of Jesus Christ, how could we apply to the Blessed Virgin all those texts in the Wisdom books which speak of this Wisdom ? However, this application, which has existed from the very earliest times in the offices of both the Latin and Greek Churches, has today received doctrinal confirmation in the bull of Pius IX on the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin. » (quoted by Msgr. Rupp, Le message ecclésial de Soloviev, p. 338)

In September 1883, when the sixth chapter of The Great Controversy was published, a rumour spread through Moscow that Soloviev had “ passed over ” to Catholicism, but there was no truth in it. Moreover, curious though this may seem to us, he was not looking “ to pass over to Catholicism ”, but only to open Orthodoxy up to the universality of the Roman Church.

His seventh and final chapter aroused a lively debate, one that is ever topical. The question turned on the attitude of the Byzantine Greeks in conflict with the Crusaders of the West. Soloviev wrote: « On the day that Constantinople fell, seeing the Turkish armies poised to attack, the final spontaneously expressed cry of the Greeks was, “ Better Islamic slavery than any agreement with the Latins. ” I do not mention this as a reproach to the unfortunate Greeks. If, in this cry of implacable hatred, there was nothing Christian, then neither has there been anything especially Christian in all the formal and artificial attempts to reunite the Churches… »

Aksakov, his Orthodox pride deeply irritated by this remark, retorted: « What does he mean, nothing Christian ? May the Greeks be blessed a hundred times over for having preferred a foreign yoke and bodily torture to the abandonment of the purity of their faith in Christ and for having thus preserved us from the distortions of papism at the precise moment [ the beginning of the 13th century ! ] when it had reached the height of its deformity. May they win eternal glory for this ! »

Nonetheless, Soloviev continued his search for truth, surmounting every obstacle. His article “  Nine Questions to Father Ivantsov-Platonov  ” published in December 1883, created a deep stir even in the West. Here he put nine questions to his former master in Orthodoxy on those points of controversy which set the Church of the East against the Church of Rome. Here is the setting:

« How is it that the countries of the East are separated from the Roman Church ? Did the latter proclaim an heretical proposition ? One would be hard pushed to maintain this, for the addition of the Filioque to the Creed, which is put forward to justify the separation, does not have the character of a heresy. Furthermore, it is absurd to say that the Roman Church is in a state of schism with regard to the Eastern Churches. Thus, the latter’s separation from the former has no basis. Let us acknowledge this and, putting aside all human viewpoints, let us work towards Unity or rather let us work so that Unity, which already has a virtual existence, may become a reality. »

THE THREAD OF AN ANCIENT TRADITION

During 1884, the Russian philosopher studied Catholic dogmatics. He read the works of Perrone, the theologian of Gregory XVI and Pius IX, as well as the texts of the Councils. He was particularly interested in Popes Gregory VII and Innocent III, whom he read in the original text.

At the same time he had a great enthusiasm for the Croatian priest George Krijanich who « had come from Zagreb to Moscow in the 17th century to spread the ideal of the Holy Kingdom of God, Roman Catholic and panslavic, gathering together under the sceptre of the tsars and the crook of the Pope all the Slav peoples who would thereby be freed and protected from the twofold burden pressing them on both sides like a vice, the Germanic powers and the Turks. Thus the Croats would work to free themselves from Austrian control and at the same time they would assist the Serbs, their Orthodox brothers, to shake off Moslem domination.

« To realise this grand design, capable at one blow of powerfully advancing the Kingdom of God on earth, Krijanich came to Moscow and preached on the subject of Russia’s reconciliation with Rome . This should not be difficult, he said, because the Russians had only fallen into schism through ignorance and not through heresy or malice. He himself was already preaching that everyone should recognise their own individual faults, be they unconscious or involuntary, and the need for expiation. God’s blessings would follow as a result, immense and eternal blessings. Sergius Mikhailovich Soloviev, our great man’s father, a historian and the author of a monumental history of Russia, admired Krijanich as “ the first of the Slavophiles ” and also, in his eyes, “ the most paradoxical ”, so alien did Catholicism then appear to the Russian consciousness. » (English CRC, December 1982, p. 32)

Soloviev intended to prove the contrary. And it was just at this time that he entered into friendly relations with the Croatian Bishop Strossmayer, thereby resuming the thread of an ancient tradition, one which was apparently marginal but which in reality was pregnant with a splendid future. Early in December 1885, Soloviev for the first time received a letter from the Croatian bishop. He replied to him on December 8, “  the blessed Day of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin  ”:

« On the reunion of the Churches », he wrote, « depends the fate of Russia, the Slavs and the whole world. We Russian Orthodox, and indeed the whole of the East, are incapable of achieving anything before we have expiated the ecclesiastical sin of schism and rendered papal authority its due . » And he ended with these words: « My heart burns with joy at the thought that I have a guide like you. May God long preserve your precious leadership for the good of the Church and the Slav people. » In his pastoral letter of January 1886, the bishop of Djakovo quoted large extracts from this letter.

Encouraged by such support, in 1886 Soloviev undertook a study on Dogmatic development and the question of the reunion of the Churches , which provoked the fury of Orthodoxy. However, at a conference given at the ecclesiastical Academy of Saint Petersburg, Soloviev attempted to justify himself: « I can assure you that I will never pass over to Latinism. » He thereby sought to register his attachment to the Eastern rite. No question for him of adopting the Latin rite ! After that, he set out on a journey to Europe.

FIRST STAY IN ZAGREB (1886)

At the beginning of July, he was the guest of the honourable Canon Racki, President of the Yugoslav Academy of Zagreb, founded by Msgr. Strossmayer, and a personal friend of the latter. Every morning the Orthodox Soloviev assisted at the Catholic Mass with great enthusiasm. He made the sign of the cross in the Catholic manner, but prayed in the Greek manner, crossing his arms on his chest. He willingly admitted to his host – and this was not due to any desire to please on his part – that Croatian Catholics, like the Ukrainians, were more religious than his Orthodox compatriots !

Following an article published in the Croatian journal Katolicki List , Soloviev for the first time encountered opposition from a Catholic priest.

During his stay in Zagreb, he also published a letter in the Russian newspaper Novoie Vremia , wherein he refuted the widespread opinion in Russia that the Croats were the instruments of the Austro-Hungarian government’s attempt to Latinize the Eastern Slavs.

In August, he joined Msgr. Strossmayer in the Styrian Alps, and spent ten marvellous days with him. These two minds were truly made to get along. The mutual admiration they felt for one another reinforced their spiritual friendship. But Soloviev continued to receive Holy Communion at the hands of the Orthodox priest of the Serb parish of Zagreb... Rising above the inevitable criticisms, he then wrote a letter to Msgr. Strossmayer, summarising their initial conversations:

«  The reunion of the Churches would be advantageous to both sides . Rome would gain a devout people enthusiastic for the religious idea, she would gain a faithful and powerful defender. Russia for her part, she who through the will of God holds in her hands the destinies of the East, would not only rid herself of the involuntary sin of schism but, what is more, she would thereby become free to fulfil her great universal mission of uniting around herself all the Slav nations and of founding a new and truly Christian civilisation, a civilisation uniting the characteristics of the one truth and of religious liberty in the supreme principle of charity, encompassing everything in its unity and distributing to everyone the plenitude of the one unique good. »

Such was his transcription of the well known Catholic principle: «  In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas : unity in essentials, liberty in matters of doubt, and in all things charity . Such must be the Charter of Catholic ecumenism under the crook of the one Shepherd. From the start of this crisis, such has been the invitation we have made to our bishops and to our brothers. Today, it is also the will of the Holy Father », wrote our Father in his editorial for September 1978, dedicated to John Paul I, another Saint Pius X without knowing it (English CRC no. 102, p. 6).

When he informed his friends of Soloviev’s letter, Msgr. Strossmayer presented its author as « a candid and truly holy soul ».

Msgr. Strossmayer and Soloviev had agreed to meet again in Rome for the jubilee pilgrimage of 1888. The Croatian bishop decided to pave the way in Rome by writing to Leo XIII’s Secretary of State, Cardinal Rampolla. He presented his Russian friend as «  toto corde et animo catholicus  ». The Pope at first took a personal interest in the affair: « Here is a sheep », he said, « who will soon be clearing the gate of the sheepfold. » But curiously, there was to be no follow-up. It seems that Leo XIII failed to appreciate Soloviev’s genius... However, things were different in France, where an unassuming and ardent rural parish priest latched on to everything that his apostolic zeal could extract from the lightning advances made by the Russian thinker ( see inset , p. 19).

Soloviev returned to Russia at the beginning of October 1886, rather discouraged by the criticisms directed against him on all sides: there were the Orthodox, some of whom had accused him of bringing Orthodoxy into disrepute abroad... and certain Catholics, like Fr. Guettée in France, a modernist priest with little to commend him, whom he had met in Paris in 1876 and who had recently published an article of rare violence against him !

THE “ RETURN OF THE DISSIDENTS ”

June 18, 1887: a young Capuchin, Leopold Mandic, from Herzeg Novi in Bosnia, under the jurisdiction of Msgr. Strossmayer, and studying at the friary in Padua, heard the voice of God inviting him to pray for and promote the return of the Orthodox to the bosom of the one Church of Christ. «  The goal of my life , he would later say, must be the return of the Eastern dissidents to Catholic unity; I must therefore employ all my energies, as far as my littleness allows, to co-operate in such a task through the sacrifice of my life . » Fifty years later, he would still remember this grace: «  June 18, for the record: 1887-1937. Today, I offered the Holy Sacrifice for the Eastern dissidents, for their return to Catholic unity . » Thus the Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate united, in this one same “ ecumenical ” work, the ardent heart of a young Capuchin destined for the altars, the apostolic wisdom of a bishop and the brilliant intuitions of a great thinker.

In January 1887, from the Monastery of Saint Sergius where he had celebrated Christmas, Soloviev wrote an article in which he provided philosophic justification for the three Catholic dogmas which the Orthodox reject, namely the Filioque, the Immaculate Conception and papal infallibility . Here is a « basis for working towards the reunion of the Churches », he explained. A few months later, he published in Zagreb (on account of the censure directed against him in Russia) his book The History and Future of Theocracy .

There he retraced the vast movement of history towards the establishment of the Kingdom of God. Universal Theocracy, the successor of Jewish Theocracy, cannot be conceived, he explained, without an integrally Christian politics, and he concluded with a splendid anthem to Christ Pantocrator receiving from His Father all power on earth and in Heaven and acting through His emissaries, the Apostles and their successors. Soloviev always believed in the privileged vocation of Russia within the Catholic community of Christian nations, even if he stigmatized what he called “ the sin of Russia ”, which was to oppress and hate all those it dominated, in particular Polish Catholics, Greek Uniates, Ruthenians and Jews !

Like a true prophet, he was vigorous in preaching repentance to his people . In order that they might be faithful to their vocation within the great Slav family, Soloviev asked them to give up their inordinate ambitions, to return to a truer and more Christian conception of their destiny, and to accomplish this within the only international organization which could direct its course, Catholicism, that is to say Roman universalism.

«  One of my theses is that the cause of the Reunion of the Churches in Russia demands a podwig (sacrifice) even heavier to bear than that which, already demanding great self-denial, was needed to ensure Russia’s receptivity to Western culture, an event truly disagreeable to the national sentiment of our ancestors .

«  Well ! this sacrifice consists in drawing closer to Rome and it must be attained at all costs. In this lies the remedy for the Russian sin . »

It goes without saying that Soloviev earned himself new enemies with his book. It cost him great personal suffering, but he could not fail the Truth, which he contemplated with ever greater clarity... What greatness of soul this universal genius possessed !

SAINT VLADIMIR AND THE CHRISTIAN STATE

1888 marked the ninth centenary of the baptism of Saint Vladimir, the first prince of Kiev, whose kingdom after his conversion became « the model of Christian States, with evangelical morals », writes our Father (English CRC, December 1982, p. 23). Soloviev used the occasion to give a conference in Moscow, where he reaffirmed that Russia’s destiny was to turn towards Rome, as King Vladimir had ! However, having hardened itself in its schism, the Muscovite hierarchy was no longer animated by the spirit of St. Vladimir. Hence the fury of the Orthodox hierarchs !

At the same time, Msgr. Strossmayer had gone to Rome for the Jubilee. In vain did he wait for Soloviev there. The latter, fearing perhaps that he had made a definitive break with the Orthodox world which he dreamed on the contrary of winning for the Union, had given up the idea of making this journey. It must also be said that Vatican diplomacy hardly inspired more confidence in him. Leo XIII was revealing himself less and less slavophile, reserving his favours for the Germany of old Bismarck and the young William II ! Msgr. Strossmayer lamented this in a letter to Fr. Martynov: «  The Pope is acting against the Slavs. The Roman prelates are like people insane and think only of temporal power !  »

What a difference between Leo XIII and his successor, St. Pius X, who was, in the words of Msgr. Rupp and our Father, the greatest slavophile pope of our times !

Early in May 1888, Soloviev was on a visit to Paris. To explain his thinking to the French public, he gave a conference on the Russian Idea , « the true national idea eternally fixed in the design of God », who longs to spread His light over the whole world. However, Soloviev remained lucid about his own Church: « If the unity of the universal Church founded by Christ only exists among us in a latent state, it is because the official institution represented by our ecclesiastical government and our theological school is not a living part of the universal Church. »

In passing, he described the destruction of the Greek-Uniate Church by the Orthodox as a «  veritable national sin weighing on Russia and paralysing her moral strength  ». That is still the case today...

In July, Kiev celebrated the feast of the baptism of St. Vladimir. From Zagreb Msgr. Strossmayer sent a telegram in which he exalted Russia’s future role in the manner of his friend Soloviev. Scandal ! His remarks were universally reported by the press. Cardinal Rampolla informed the Croatian bishop that Leo XIII was seriously displeased ! The bishop of Djakovo also earned himself the bitter reproaches of Emperor Francis Joseph of Austria, which is more understandable given the rivalry existing between the two Empires.

In the summer of 1887, Soloviev published in the Universe , the newspaper of Louis Veuillot, three articles on St. Vladimir and the Christian State which caused a great stir. Then he journeyed to Croatia where he remained for one whole month with Msgr. Strossmayer. This meeting was rather sad, for the two friends were increasingly aware that their attempt to reunite the Churches would not succeed, at least in their lifetime.

It was in Djakovo that Soloviev finished the immense prologue to his magisterial book, Russia and the Church Universal , in which one can already glimpse signs of the discouragement that would overwhelm the thinker in the latter part of his life. We know from Fatima that the work of the conversion of Russia, something humanly impossible, has been entrusted to the Immaculate Heart of Mary who has a particular love for this Nation such as to inspire jealousy in others. But this only makes it all the more extraordinary that our prophet should have traced out the course of this conversion, like a true Precursor !

« RUSSIA AND THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL »

Soloviev does not hesitate to delve deep, extremely deep, into the past. To realise its designs in the world, divine Wisdom wished to become incarnate, and the Verb to take flesh like our own. As that was not enough, He also wished to unite to Himself a social and historical body, one that could reach the universality of mankind and communicate to all men His own divine Life. In this magnificent perspective, Soloviev compares the formation of that Body through which God wishes to be united with humanity to that effected in the womb of the Virgin Mary at the time of the Incarnation, and to that which operates every day in the Eucharistic mystery... What was needed for this work was a solid foundation, a Rock:

« This bedrock has been found », he writes, « it is Rome. It is only on the Rock [of Peter and his successors] that the Church is founded. This is not an opinion, it is an imposing historical reality . »

It is also an evangelical truth: «  You are Peter, and on this Rock I will build my Church . » Here Soloviev addresses the Protestants who seek to outbid each other in their attacks against the Primacy of Peter by quoting Jesus’ own words to His Apostle when he was obstructing the Master’s path: «  Get behind me, Satan !  » Soloviev’s response once again shows the clarity of his intelligence and his perfect knowledge of Catholic dogma:

«  There is only one way of harmonising these texts which the inspired Evangelist did not juxtapose without reason. Simon Peter, as supreme pastor and doctor of the universal Church , assisted by God and speaking for all, is, in this capacity, the unshakeable foundation of the House of God and the holder of the keys of the heavenly Kingdom. The same Simon Peter, as a private person, speaking and acting through his own natural forces and an understanding that is purely human , can say and do things that are unworthy, scandalous and even satanic. But personal defects and sins are passing, whereas the social function of the ecclesiastical monarch is permanent. “ Satan ” and the scandal have disappeared, but Peter has remained.  »

Soloviev’s doctrine agrees with that of Vatican Council I and with that of our Father who, at the same time as he makes us venerate Peter’s magisterium, magnificently illustrated by Blessed Pius IX, St. Pius X and John Paul I, accuses John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II of being instruments of “ Satan ” for the ruin of the Church.

However, Christ wished that it should be around Peter that the unity of faith and charity should be formed: «  Since the unity of the faith does not presently exist in the totality of believers, seeing that not all of them are unanimous in matters of religion, it must lie in the legal authority of a single head, an authority assured by divine assistance and the trust of all the faithful . This is the ROCK on which Christ founded His Church and against which the gates of hell will never prevail.  »

Why did this ROCK settle in Rome, and not in Jerusalem, Constantinople or Moscow ? Here we have a further brilliant response from Soloviev: historically Rome represented the order, civilization and terrestrial Empire that would best allow the Church to become the universal spiritual Empire desired by Christ. In a mystical view of the history of Salvation – we would say divine “ orthodromy ” – Soloviev shows how God, wishing to extend salvation to the whole world,  decided one day that His Kingdom should leave Israel for Rome, so that the capital of the pagan Empire should become “ the conjoint instrument ” of His designs:

« The universal monarchy was to stay put; the centre of unity was not to move. But central power itself, its character, its source and its sanction were to be renewed... Instead of an Empire of Might, there was to be a Church of Love. » One thinks of Constantine’s conversion and his imposition throughout the Roman Empire of laws favouring Christianity, and of Theodosius declaring the Christian religion the religion of State. What decisive support for the Gospel ! The remarkable Roman civilization, already the heir of Greece, was put at the service of the Cross of Christ !

Soloviev had some wonderful expressions to describe this, as for example the following: «  Jesus unthroned Caesar... By unthroning the false and impious absolutism of the pagan Caesars, Jesus confirmed and immortalised the universal monarchy of Rome and gave it its true theocratic foundation . »

« Let us not think », comments our Father, « that our theosophist loses his way in a contemplation of evangelical love and freedom. Fully aware of the frailty and shortcomings of humanity, he declares that it is essential, for its effective salvation, that supreme divine power be joined to the firmest social structure, to the virile principle , and not as formerly to the female principle of a virginal flesh for the Incarnation. This firm principle is the imperial monarchical institution which is Rome and Caesar. Converted, elevated and unabolished, the Power of Rome continues in the Pope for the service of the universal community.

« It is only this divino-human pontifical paternity that is capable of forming the basis of the universal fraternity of the peoples, not only through its spiritual influence but also through its authority and its supranational organization. In this monarchy, sacred but popular, the Pope, the Universal Emperor, clearly remains the servant of the servants of God and is, for that very reason, the sovereign Head of the Nations. Opposed to any kind of papolatry, antagonistic to all the encroachments of papism, and quite capable of denouncing such a Pope as Satan, Soloviev raised an imperishable monument to the glory of Rome and pointed out – him, a member of the Orthodox Church – the path of the world’s salvation, which lay in one place only, in the universal Christian order of a restored Roman Catholic Church ... » (French CRC no. 131, July 1978, p. 6)

In his lifetime, Soloviev ran up against a wall of hostility and incomprehension: « I am not so naive », he said, « to seek to convince minds whose private interests are greater than their desire for religious truth. In presenting the general evidence for the permanent primacy of Peter as the basis of the universal Church, I have simply wanted to assist those who are opposed to this truth, not because of their interests and passions, but merely because of their unwitting errors and hereditary prejudices. »

The final period of his life might seem to some like a decline and a renunciation of his prophetic insights, but our Father writes: « Soloviev was too great a mind to be discouraged or to modify his ideas in accordance with the fluctuations of his worldly success. What is certainly true is that his bitter experiences gave him a better knowledge of the Evil that was at work in the world, throwing up formidable obstacles to God’s designs and going so far as to erect a kind of caricature of them. This he denounced as the power of the Antichrist, the Prince of this world, announced in the Scriptures. » (French CRC no. 132, August 1978, p. 12)

At the beginning of the 1890’s, relations between Soloviev and the Orthodox Church deteriorated. «  Given the papaphobia reigning among us , he wrote to a friend, sometimes revealing its underhand character and at other times its stupidity, and always in any event unchristian, I considered and I continue to consider that it is necessary to draw people’s attention to the Rock of the Church laid by Christ Himself and to its positive significance . »

As he persisted in his criticisms, even going so far as to compare the Greco-Russian Church with « the Synagogue », the Orthodox hierarchy, in the person of Pobiedonostev, the Holy Synod’s prosecutor, employed the ultimate weapon at its disposal: it deprived him of the sacraments. One day in 1894, being seriously ill, Soloviev asked to receive the sacraments. His Orthodox confessor refused to give him absolution unless he renounced his Catholic views. Soloviev refused to yield, preferring to forego confession and Holy Communion.

AN AUTHENTIC CONVERSION

The moment had come. On February 18, 1896, he went to see Fr. Nicholas Alexeyevich Tolstoy, a Catholic priest of the Eastern rite exercising his ministry in Moscow. This priest, a former officer, owed him his vocation, his formation (Soloviev having been his teacher) and his conversion to Catholicism. That February 18 was the feast day of Pope St. Leo so dear to Soloviev. Before Mass, he read on his knees the Tridentine symbol of the faith containing the Filioque and a formula declaring that the Church of Rome must be regarded as the head of all the particular Churches. Then he received the Body of Christ at the hands of the Catholic priest.

On the following day, Fr. Tolstoy was denounced and arrested. He managed to escape and to reach Rome first, then France. It was only in 1910 that he would give an account in the Universe of the authentic conversion of Soloviev, and in 1917 that the two witnesses present at the scene would confirm the celebrated Russian’s profession of the Catholic faith. Nevertheless, this conversion was disputed not only by the Orthodox but also by Catholics imbued with a false ecumenism like Msgr. d’Herbigny of sinister memory. But in this matter the facts are indubitable. His entry into the Catholic Church did not, however, in Soloviev’s mind, exclude him from what he called « the true and authentic Eastern or Greco-Russian Church ». Never did he embrace the Latin rite. After the exile of Fr. Tolstoy, as there were no longer any Catholic priests in Moscow apart from those belonging to the Latin rite, Soloviev decided to refrain from receiving the sacraments...

In 1897, a census of the whole of Russia was carried out in which a question was asked about religion. «  I am both Catholic and Orthodox; let the police work that out !  » Soloviev answered.

« Self-important people from Rome and Moscow declared themselves scandalized », writes our Father. « The hour had not yet come for the podwig , for self-renunciation and reconciliation in truth and justice ( pravda ), and for the restoration of the wholly divine unity of communion in love ( sobornost ). Msgr. Rupp thinks that we achieved it with Vatican II. Alas, no ! I hope for and expect it to come with Vatican III... but only after the trial, after conversion and expiation... and after Our Lady’s humble requests have been met. » (English CRC, December 1982, p. 36)

UNDER THE SIGN OF MARY

«  This glow from Heaven emanates from Mary, And vain remains the attraction of the serpent’s venom.  »

On July 17, 1900, sensing death approaching, Soloviev sent for a priest. He was most insistent about this: « Will it be morning soon ? When will the priest come ? » The next day, he made his confession and received Holy Communion at the hands of an Orthodox priest. He died peacefully a few days later, on July 31, «  in the communion of Russian Orthodoxy to which he had ever been faithful, without however disowning the Catholicism of his heart, assured by the example of the Fathers of Russian Christianity, Saints Cyril and Methodius, Saint Vladimir, and so many strastoterptsi , innocents who had suffered the passion , and startsi , slavophiles and romanophiles at the same time, without schism or constraint, in the love of Holy Church and Holy Russia, the Kingdom of God to come !  »

But all this is too beautiful for us not to revisit it, so our Father has decided that we will study in more depth the work of this great Russian thinker, in three parts to appear in subsequent editions of Resurrection , Deo volente:

The vocation of Russia in the designs of God and the concert of the Christian nations: up to and including Putin ?

The Immaculate Virgin Mary , throne of Wisdom, essential beauty of the created world, our ultimate recourse !

The Antichrist unmasked by Soloviev . This was the last service the “ inspired prophet ” rendered to his beloved Russia: that of putting her on her guard against the seductions of the Antichrist. In Rome, at the same time, St. Pius X was also announcing his advent in his encyclical E supremi Apostolatus of October 4, 1903: « The Antichrist is present among us. The Evil shaking the world should not affright us, it will only last a short while. What must fall will fall, and the Church will be reborn from the trial, assisted by her Saviour and ready for extraordinary developments. »

Brother Thomas of Our Lady of Perpetual Help He is risen ! n° 8, August 2001, pp. 13-22

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  1. 36 Adjectives Describing Light

    Opaque: blocking light; also, obtuse, or difficult to understand 26. Opalescent: see iridescent 27. Penumbral: partially shaded 28. Phosphorescent: continuing to glow after removal of a light source 29. Prismatic: brilliant, or resembling colors formed by passing light through a prism 30. Radiant: glowing, or radiating light 31.

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    Creative Adjectives to Describe Light. Aureate: denoting a golden and extravagant color. Blinding: light that's bright enough to obscure vision. Coruscating: something that's flashing or sparkling. Crepuscular: dim or similar to twilight; Dappled: light that makes spots or rounded patches on surfaces.

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