This writing prompt finds its inspiration on a Thursday afternoon, as heavy fog rolled in, blanketing the mountain in a yellow misty haze. The day feels suspended, as though time itself has been softened and blurred by the fog’s quiet embrace. It’s a moment that calls for reflection, for imagination, for the kind of stories and thoughts only such an ethereal atmosphere can evoke.
Carl Sandburg captures this enigmatic presence perfectly in his poem, Fog.
Fog has long been a powerful literary device, as in the YA novel The Prince of the Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon or in the classic poem “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by TS Eliot. And in narrative nonfiction works like, The Donora Death Fog carries with it dangerous poisons that put lives at risk.
It has so much potential to create tension and mystery, driving the story forward. Fog invites us to explore what’s hidden, to see the world through a lens of mystery and possibility. Let’s use its magic to uncover truths, weave narratives, and craft poetic imagery.
JOURNAL PROMPT
Set a timer for 15 minutes and begin writing about fog—let your thoughts go wherever they want.
Start with the word itself: what does ‘fog’ make you think or feel? Maybe it’s the way fog erases hard edges, softens the world, or feels like a pause in the day.
Don’t overthink—just let the words pour out.
Whether you write about real fog, emotional fog, or a mix of both, allow the process to clear your mind, just as the sun eventually clears the mist.
FICTION
Set your story in a town where a mysterious fog appears every night, shrouding everything in silence and secrets. The fog seems to alter the thoughts and actions of those caught within it, though no one knows why.
Is its origin tied to something supernatural, an experiment gone wrong, or industrial carelessness? Focus on the characters whose lives are changed by the fog and how they navigate the mysteries it brings to light.
Think back to a moment in your life when fog—literal or metaphorical—played a pivotal role. Was it during an early morning hike where the mist blurred your vision and changed the way you experienced the landscape? Or was it a period of uncertainty when the path forward felt obscured?
Describe how the fog shaped your perspective or emotions in that moment. Focus on recreating the sensory details: the damp coolness against your skin, the muffled world of muted sounds, the way shapes dissolved into shadows. Then, explore the metaphorical power of fog in your life—did it represent confusion, reflection, or transformation? How did the fog eventually lift, and what clarity or insight did it leave behind?
POETRY
Take inspiration from Carl Sandburg’s description of fog as moving ‘on little cat feet’ and imagine another animal embodying its essence. Does fog drift like a snake, silent and sinuous? Does it glide like an owl, ghostly and watchful in the night? Perhaps it moves like a jellyfish, undulating gently through the air as though swimming in an invisible sea. Let your poem explore the delicate, mysterious way fog interacts with the world, using the chosen animal as a lens to craft your imagery and rhythm.
