A man is buried to his neck at the bottom of a 15-foot hole as a result of a construction accident. He is not seriously hurt in the initial collapse of earth that surrounds him. But every time his lungs expand, then contract, more dirt fills in around him, tightening around his stocky frame ”like a slowly coiling boa constrictor,” a newspaper reports. It is a race against time, but after eight hours the rescuers lift him to satefy although he is nearly buried alive three times during the emotionally wrenching effort.
Afterward, you interview the man and ask him what was going on in his mind all the while. You want to know what kept him going. This is what he answers:
(This prompt is from a new book I am writing to help people find their writer’s voice. I welcome your comments on the prompt above — does it take you to a new place in your writing? Share with us.)

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