Writing Prompts for January 2020

I chose a photo of a road for my header today because I’m looking ahead at a year that seriously needs a sense of direction. Last year, I created 4 new books and had fun on the craft market circuit selling books and promoting my coaching. Yes, I had fun, but not what you’d call success.

This year I need to focus on marketing and promotion and deciding my purpose. What I love is presenting workshops and working one-on-one with coaching clients. How do I reach them? Do I rent rooms and promote workshops, do I run webinars, do I create online courses, do I venture onto YouTube–yikes! Decisions need to be made, risks need to be taken, marketing needs to be done–all of which make this introvert cringe more than a little.

In the meantime, I will continue to reach out to you with some new writing prompts to help you on your creative journey. I love creating these, too.

Here are some questions for your main characters:

• What New Year’s resolution would your character make? Why?
• What person from your character’s past would he or she like to be with on New Year’s Eve? Why?
• What would your character like to leave behind in the old year?
• What is your character looking forward to (or dreading) in the new year?

Use one, some, or all of the random words in one of the following groups to create a story or poem.

• lamp, glow, shadow, noise, dark, cold
• moon, silence, snow, window, visitor, shiver
• gulls, water, sand, discover, surprise, fear
• sounds, distant, castle, walls, archer, threat
• forest, sunlight, run, hide, cave, danger

Here are some opening sentences you can try:

• Where have you been?
• I’m afraid that you’re too late.
• Waves slapped the side of the boat.
• No one loved the holidays more than Helen.
• No one hated the holidays more than Henry.
• Henry discovered the body at 6:32 a.m.
• Too many creatures were stirring, including the mice.
• The crows scolded me awake.
• After ten minutes, the rain had soaked through our clothes.
• Henry raised his hand, and the room fell silent.
• I couldn’t stop looking at the door. Where was he?
• Some mornings should just be skipped.
• Pirates!

Here are some dialogue excerpts that might suggest a scene or story.

• Helen is lying.
• Why are you so sure?
• She made more eye contact in that one sentence than she’s done in a lifetime.

• I’m not sure that I agree with you about Henry.
• That;s okay. We don’t have to agree.
• Good. I think he’s a louse.

• The Protectors are coming for us tomorrow.
• You seem very calm about it.
• It’s our destiny.
• It may be your destiny, but it’s not mine.

• That cabin is supposed to be empty until next month..
• So, what’s the problem?
• Yesterday the flowers by the door were wilting. Today they look fine. It hasn’t rained, so someone must have watered them, and no one comes up this lane except us and the owners.

• We need a place to hide.
• Well, you can’t hide here.
• I don’t think Henry’s going to give you a choice.

Thanks for dropping by! I wish you a creative, happy and healthy 2020!

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