Welcome to October! We’ve just finished nearly two weeks of perfect summer weather, but yesterday the rains came and today we’re facing cold winds and cloudy skies–and the furnace is on! I’m usually right on time with my writing prompts, but I’ve been laid low by the back-to-school cold/cough/flu, and lost track of time catching up, and frankly, sleeping whenever I could. Hope you and yours are having a healthy fall.
Here are the new prompts for October.
1. Use one, some, or all of these words in a story or poem.
- Clouds, rope, splash, branch, jar, grey
- Car, pen, lighthouse, trail, fence, never
2. Try one of these opening sentences to start your story.
- Red sky at morning, sailor’s warning.
- Where are the pumpkins?
- The dark figure lurched through the door.
- This was one of those mornings when I should have stayed in bed.
- The wind dragged the dead branches against the window.
- My bike jerked wildly toward the curb. Flat tire.
- Unlike my sister, I think that two kittens are two too many.
3. See if one of these titles inspire a story: Bubble Trouble, The Old Cottage Mystery, Ghosts at Lunchtime, Storm Warning, Frozen Dreams, Running, Hiding Mandy, Crushed, Clean Sweep
4. Write a scene to go with these lines of dialogue.
- Henry is going to be there.
- What difference does that make?
- Henry always wants to be the boss.
- Then we need to make sure he doesn’t get what he wants.
- I can’t go.
- But you promised!
- I have to babysit.
- Then I’ll just go on my own.
- You can’t. It’s too dangerous.
- Did you hear that noise?
- Yeah. So what?
- I’ve heard it before. We’d better hide. Now.
- Where did Mike get all that money?
- That’s none of our business.
- It is my business. My sister’s wallet went missing yesterday.
5. What do you like best about autumn? Hallowe’en? Colourful trees? Back to school? Football season starting? Baseball season ending? In Canada, Thanksgiving? Write about the things that you like about this season. Does the character in your story like autumn? What does he or she like the most? Write about the things that you and your character dislike, too.