writing

Knowing the ending first

So the above photo shows what the weather is like here right now. My poor daffodils are once again ice encrusted, but I am heartened by the fact that they have been through this before and still bloomed. Like life–never dull.

On the writing side, I hope that you are creating and getting words on the page, or if not, that you’re doing all the work that goes on in the brain long before the fingers hit the keyboard. Staring out windows, going for a walk, doing research–that’s writing, too.

After muddling around with one screenplay idea for a couple of months, I set it aside and followed the trail of another idea that I just couldn’t get out of my head. Unfortunately, this idea was what I call “keyboard reluctant” for a loooong time. I could quite happily sit down with pen and paper and scribble notes, figure out character backgrounds and motivations, and draft scenes, but the moment I sat down at the keyboard–nothing. Just couldn’t do it.

Then–

At 1:30 one sleepless morning, the final scene in the screenplay appeared in my head. I got up scribbled it down and finally got to sleep. Apparently, this is what my writing brain was waiting for because the next day the laptop beckoned, and I could finally start typing. Lesson learned. Nothing happens until I know the ending.

In hindsight, I realize that I did know the endings of the previous three screenplays that I wrote, so that explains a lot. I mean, I know I’m trying to write for Hallmark, so there’s obviously a kiss and a happy ending required, but this screenplay had a couple of serious sub-plots to tie up, and until I’d figured those out, I couldn’t get to that happy ending. I’m about 1/3 of the way through, so I have a long way to go, yet, but being back at the keyboard is a hopeful sign, and I’m going with it.

Not everyone needs to know the ending first–and I envy those who can just plunge it–but we all need to find what works for us and go with it. Whatever method guides you, I wish you every success!

I’ve added some links below, if you’re looking for inspiration.

Have a writerly Spring!

LINKS–

Squibler Plot Generator

The Story Shack Writing Prompts

5 Best Writing Prompt Generators to Beat Writer’s Block by Josh Fechter

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Dreaming of Spring

After reading KM Weiland’s post, 7 Writing Lessons Learned in 2020, (a great read) I was inspired to reflect on my writing life in 2020 and see what I had learned. Now this isn’t something I normally do. I may look back at the past year and think about what my family and I were up to, remember some fun times, but my writing life rarely comes under deep scrutiny. For so many reasons, last year was different, and I learned a some writing lessons that I want to pass along to you, believing I can’t be the only one who had a 2020 like mine.

The first thing I learned was patience, which is what you need when a story idea doesn’t enter your brain for months. At one point, I figured I’d never write fiction again; I’d never have another idea for a story ever. That was a very low point in a year that was pretty low already. I definitely counted my blessings of a safe and healthy family and an editing contract that kept me busy, but it was a year when a film of my creative life would make a better black and white movie than a colour one–until September. Yup, nearly 9 months of nothing and then an idea–and lesson number two.

Acceptance. My idea was for a screenplay for a Hallmark-style movie. Something I’ve never written before and knew nothing about (except from watching them), but there it was in my head anyway. So I went with it. I did tons of research, which I love doing. I invested in some software to help with the formatting and started writing. I have never had so much fun writing anything. If you’ve read my blogs over the years, you’ll know the term, joywriting. This was, indeed, joywriting–and learning. I’m now in the process of outlining my third script.

I learned trust, too–trust that if you keep sitting at your desk or wandering around with your journal long enough something will turn up. This was the toughest lesson. A lot of self-doubt and why-don’t-I-just-give-up filled that time before September, but in the back of my brain, thank goodness, was a persistent, tiny voice that said if I’ve done it once, I can do it again.

And last, I learned gratitude–again. Gratitude that I do what I do and that I can welcome this kind of joy in my life through work that reaches out to others. I am also grateful for the chance to be a writing coach for some special writers last year, and to have the thrill of watching one of them send her manuscript to her publisher in December after a year of hard work and challenges.

On the non-fictionwriting side, I ventured into creating products for my new Etsy store, which I’m filling with products for writers. My friend and I hosted two virtual writing workshops (one on how to write a book and the other on self-publishing), which was definitely a new experience–and a lot of fun. You can still buy the recordings of the workshops and get all the support material here. I also enjoyed editing a college writing textbook and have another similar contract to keep me busy for most of this year. All good.

Yes, we’re still in lockdown and communicating with friends and family via Skype, and there are days when I really miss things that we’d be doing in our normal lives. I’d love to take my 92-year-old mom out shopping or to a coffee shop, but that’s just not happening. Last year I ordered all the flowers for her garden online and did a drive-through pick up. She missed walking through the nursery and choosing what she wanted. We’ll be shopping online again this year, too, because it’s still not safe. My grocery store has been doing my shopping and putting it in the trunk of my car for months. (Actually, I may not rush to change that! 🙂 )

I hope that you’ve found ways to cope with all the craziness and that you’ve found your joywriting, too.

Here are just a few writing prompts from my book, Writing Prompts and More–Ways to Spark Your Creativity and End Writer’s Block, to bring in the creative new year.

Some Dialogue Excerpts

1. I don’t believe you.
But it’s true.
No surprise, but I need more than your word for it.

2. What did Peter tell you?
Not to tell you.
Very funny. Now what did he tell you.

3. I can hardly breathe. I want to stop.
You can do as you wish, but I prefer to keep outrunning them.

4. Have you seen Henry lately?
Yes. He seems changed—really different.
Is that a surprise?

5. Are you sure about this?
Yeah. It’s not my first time, you know.
Okay.

Five Titles

  1. Red Blood at Dawning
  2. Brook’s Challenge
  3. The Tea Shop Mystery
  4. Black Mountain Trail
  5. Strobe

Write A Paragraph That Includes

  1. A realization
  2. A thunderstorm
  3. A secret
  4. Fear
  5. Something or someone being lost

Five Opening Sentences

  1. Happiness for my dog is a long walk. For me, at night, in February, in the snow—not so much.
  2. Yesterday was completely forgettable. I mean that. I don’t remember a thing.
  3. It’s about time!
  4. The next time I get asked to volunteer for something, I’m saying “no.”
  5. The coyotes were restless tonight.

Wishing you all the best!

Onward to a writerly start to 2021!

some tips for staying on track with NaNoWriMo or whatever else you are writing

Time to take another look at your NaNo project

Whether you are participating in NaNoWriMo or not, there will be times when your current project loses its momentum and you need a new strategy to help you get your ideas moving and your words on the page. Below are some links to articles that will help you stay on track and achieve your goals.

For non-NaNo writers, my favourite strategy is to have more than one project on the go. When one gets stale or feels blocked, I switch to the other. While I’m working on the second project, the back of my brain will continue to worry away at the first one and the reason for the block is often revealed and solved.

When working on NaNo, you may find that you need to step back and revamp your outline. Once you got writing, your characters and plot may evolve beyond the planned events and backstory you started with. Sticking to you original concept can become hard and unsatisfying work. Consider taking an evening away from wordcount in order to take a good hard look at that outline and see where it should and could be going now that you are well into the story.

NaNo or not, make sure to drop by the NaNoWriMo site for encouraging and helpful writing tips and pep talks any time of the year. The resources for young writers and teens are perfect for helping writers of any age.

Also, here are a few articles I found that I think will help as you approach the challenging NaNo mid-point.

Okay, Hillary Retig’s article is nearly 10 years old, but check it out for “five strategies for making it past the dreaded ‘Week Two Doldrums’.” How to Get Past the NaNoWriMo Danger Point and Finish Your Novel is worth a read if you find your wordcount or will power diminishing.

Victoria Fry‘s article, How to Have a Proper NaNoWriMo Mentality, offers four great tips for keeping your brain from getting in the way of your creativity. “At the end of the day, what these mentality shifts come down to are this: NaNoWriMo is not just a numbers game.  NaNoWriMo is whatever you craft it to be and, with a few clever tweaks, it might just turn out to be one of your favourite, most creatively inspired times of year.”

Check out Ingrid Sundberg’s article, NANOWRIMO: WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU HIT THE WALL, where she offers her “secrets to keeping the NaNoWriMo word count fires a-burning. One of my favourites: “Write the candy bar scenes first!”

Wishing you a writerly November!


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Writing Prompts for October 2020

I love October. It’s my birthday month, and my husband’s, and it’s Thanksgiving here, and our wedding anniversary, too. Aside from the opportunities to indulge in cakes and holiday pies, I also love the view from my window, where across the hydro corridor, I see a huge bank of shrubs in glorious colour right now—I love the deep, red sumac. In a little while, our columnar maples will be a brilliant yellow. They’re always slow to turn—like saving the best until last.

As we approach the six-month point in COVID life here, I hope you are finding ways to cope, safely connect with friends and family, and even be creative. I’m determined to take more walks now before the sidewalks become treacherous, and I’m more housebound than ever. I’m fortunate to have friends who keep in touch via Skype and email, and with whom I can talk about creative things, too. Writer friends are gold.

For writers, October also includes preparing for NaNoWriMo, where writers challenge themselves to write a 50,000-word novel in the month of November. If this is on your calendar this year, I found an awesome planning/outlining system at Plottr. I have used it myself and find it very intuitive. My learning curve was practically nil. Nope, I don’t get anything if you go to the page or buy the product. I think the price is very reasonable (just $25 with a 30-day, money-back guarantee), and planning just one screenplay made the investment more than worthwhile.

I hope some of the following writing prompts will inspire your writing this month.

Choose one, some, or all of the words in one of these groups to create a story or poem.

  • Coffee, table, talk, angry, leave, rain
  • Coconut, village, zebra, dancer, fire, turquoise
  • Cardigan, library, handbag, paperweight, journal, cyclone, black
  • Desk, drawer, secret, paper, map, blue
  • Alley, dark, city, noise, friend, help, grey

Here are some opening sentences you could try.

  • Did he take his medication?
  • Yesterday, I would have said no.
  • Helen has it in for me.
  • Did you ever wonder why Henry always has so much money?
  • The geese were leaving the lake. I wished I could, too.
  • This is not the room I fell asleep in.
  • Everyone avoided the Marden house.
  • I happen to like black cats.
  • The sword fell to the ground.

Here are some titles that might suggest a story: Red Circle, Black Cat, Time Trickster, Movie Night, The Road Home, Tyree’s Winter, Borderlands, Decision, Race with Fortune, Unreal Estate, The Whole Truth, Lies My Dog/Cat Told Me.

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

We have to stop.
Why? What are you doing?
Catching a Pokémon.
Seriously? Now?

She just handed me a glass and walked away.
Well, what did you expect?
I thought she would at least say something.
Be careful what you wish for.

But, that’s not what Henry told me.
Has it occurred to you that he might lie?
To you , maybe, but never to me.

Where have you been?
Hiding.
From whom?
Not from whom—from what.

Halloween is just around the corner. What would your characters have dressed up as when they were kids? Do their choices give you a hint as to their hopes and dreams then? How do they compare to what they have become as adults?

This month, TV networks will be broadcasting a lot of scary movies leading up to Halloween. Do you have a favourite scary movie? Why do you like it so much? What scares you in real life? What scares your characters?

Wishing you a writerly October!


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WRITING PROMPTS FOR JULY 2020

July 1 marks my country’s birthday—and more important—my mom’s. I have teased her that she only immigrated to Canada from England in order to have a holiday on her birthday. My country is 153 years old. My mom is 92. For both, their story began long before their official birthdays, needing the right people to get together at the right time with the right intentions and a commitment to nurturing their “child” through the years ahead. I’m proud to be a Canadian and my mom’s daughter, and July 1st is as good a day as any to remember the gifts I have been given by both.

If you’ve been writing all along through the pandemic, that’s wonderful, and I’m thrilled that your creativity has weathered the storm. If you’re like me, and only just lately finding your way out of the creative doldrums, yay for you, too. I’m enjoying finally putting words on the page again. Small steps—but happy ones.

If you’re a plotter, rather than a pantser, and looking for some useful software to help you create your novel outline, check out this new software, Pottr. It’s working for me, and the price is very reasonable—and nope, I’m not an affiliate.

If you’re looking for some story ideas this month or a way to break out of your current creative fog, I hope the following writing prompts will give you the inspiration that you need.

Use one, some, or all of the words in one of these groups to inspire a story or poem.

  • Harbour, boat, dark, quiet, secret, danger
  • Storm, safety, run, thunder, dog, wet
  • Sun, heat, beach, horses, surprise
  • Phone, text, lie, challenge, friend, angry
  • Trees, shade, rest, stranger, fear, change
  • Car, highway, divert, follow, blue, ditch, chase

Use one of these sentences to start a story or a scene.

  • I really wish he were here right now.
  • I was sorry that I’d said I was ready for a challenge.
  • I can’t find Helen!
  • You’ll have to take over now.
  • Screeching tires, shouting voices, fists pounding on the front door—not a typical Christmas Eve.
  • Just keep driving, she thought. Just keep driving.
  • Safe Harbour. Never was a small town more completely misnamed.
  • Revenge is a dish best served cold.
  • Don’t ask again. We’re all hungry.
  • The sun shone through the stained glass windows and dappled the stone floor with pools of coloured light. 
  • Henry sighed, “Not again.”

Use one of these dialogue excerpts to spark your imagination.

Henry said he’d given it to you.
Well, I don’t have it.
Why would he lie?
How well do you know Henry?

Stop that racket!
I can’t, sir. Something’s broken.
Then fix it.
But ….

What’s the last thing you remember?
A noise and a rush of wind.
Anything else?
A voice.

Helen volunteer to help.
Nice of her.
What’s the matter?
She never volunteers unless there’s something in it for her.

Where did you get this?
Henry found it.
Is that what he told you?

See if one of these titles suggests a story: Amber Alert, Last Weekend, With Charlie, The Dog Who Loved Rhubarb, The Caves, Hiding in Plain Sight. Book of Lies, Lesson Learned, Boy/Girl and the Eagles, High Tower Castle, Always Tomorrow.

Other Writing Ideas

a) Three questions to ask your character:

  1. What are you afraid of?
  2. What do you want no one to ever know about you?
  3. What or whom do you value more than your life?

b) If you could make a film of your story, what actors would play the roles of your major characters?

c) Compare your main characters to animals or insects. What would they be? Does that tell you more about their natures?

d) Can you make a change in the weather impact your story?

WISHING YOU A WRITERLY JULY!


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Writing Tools to KICKSTART Your Writing & Writing Prompts for September 2019

After years of attending and teaching school. September always seem like the best time for new beginnings. If you’re planning to kickstart your writing after a busy (or lazy) summer, here are some old and new tools that I’ve created to help you reach your writing goals.

Character Template – Maybe answering these questions will give you a new insight to your character that suggests a new plot twist or tangle in a growing relationship. I also suggest reading Lee Martin’s chapter, “Subversive Details and Characterization” in Naming the World: And Other Exercise for the Creative Writer, a fabulous book edited by Bret Anthony Johnston.

Plot planner – Use the Brain-Dump Method to jot down scenes and moments that you can see in your story. Use a pencil to join them up into an outline and you’re ready to start writing. You can also use this sheet to help you plan some possible paths for your characters after you’ve got them part way through the story. These sheets are a great place to play “what if” and work though some alternative consequences for whatever actions your characters are already committed to.

Plotting with the Hero’s Journey – Drop by here for an introduction to this popular plotting method and some examples from films you might know.

Coloring Pages – Quiet your inner voice with some coloring. Focus on choosing colors and applying them to the page and give your brain some peaceful moments before heading back into creative mode.

Genre Writing Prompts – Have fun with these new writing prompts for mystery, romance, and fantasy & science fiction writers. I created them to go with my new genre workbooks. Print out the PDFs or just find a prompt that works and have fun.

Here are your writing prompts for September that might help you find your next story or help you break through a block you have on your current project.

Use one, some, or all of the words in one of these groups to write a story or poem:

  • truck, branch, white, road, storm, ice
  • path, cliff, rocks, wind, night, red
  • goblet, silver, potion, drink, danger, warn
  • forest, run, hide, keep, bury, gold
  • yellow, sun, beach, alone, adrift, rescue

Try one of these sentences to begin a story:

  • Helen had other plans
  • The final knight wore black.
  • After the storm the sound of chainsaws dealing with all the fallen trees blocked the sound of anything else—even murder.
  • As the train moved away, I hoped I had left my problems behind at the station.
  • I was going to be late, and Henry was never going to believe why.
  • Ants! I hate ants!
  • Red lights flashed outside the window.
  • Slamming a door can feel good.
  • When he asked me to meet his friend, I wasn’t expecting a dragon.
  • I’d hope to actually finish my lesson before I had to land a plane.
  • My head throbbed. The storm would be here soon.

Try these lines of dialogue to create a scene or two.

Are you sure we’ll be safe here?
As sure as I can be.
Meaning?
I have no idea.

Why can’t you keep quiet?
I think he should hear the truth.
Telling the truth can be dangerous.

But he’s the best ….
Was the best.

I don’t understand why he left.
I don’t understand why he stayed so long.

Are they ready.
I’ve done my best.
That’s not the answer we want to hear.

Helen said she’d return by sunset.
Are you worried about her?
I have a duty to keep her from harm.
Yet, you let her go alone.

This house gives me the creeps.
It’s just your imagination.
Are those footsteps my imagination?
No!

I wish you a writerly September!

Writing Prompts for May 2019

I’m so excited to announce my three new books are now available on Amazon.com. These books have been a labor of love, and I hope that the genre writers among you will find them useful. These workbooks will help you keep all your research, character ideas, setting notes, writing schedule, plot outlines, etc., all in one place as you work through your first draft. Click here to see sample tables of contents and links to Amazon. A shout-out to D’vorah Lansky at Share Your Brilliance for inspiring me to write these books.

Here are your writing prompts for May.

Use one, some, or all of the words in one of these groups to inspire a story or poem.
1. clouds, heat, escape, green, forest, shadow
2. spring, sleet, fear, mountain,path, decision, grey
3. cabin, deserted, shelter, noises, roof, footsteps, green
4. bowl, vision, crystal, red, cloak, whisper
5. trees, wind, silence, eerie,thud, surprise

Here are some opening sentences you could try, or you could use them anywhere in a story:
1. I thought Earth only had one moon.
2. You can’t go in there.
3. The first day of Henry’s vacation didn’t turn out remotely as planned.
4. We jumped when Helen burst into the room.
5. Toads. I hate toads.
6. The other road passed to close to the castle
7. We expected the scream.
8. Henry promised he’d deal with it tomorrow.
9. One puppy equals hard work. Three equals madness!
10. At rehearsal, I’d been fine, but in one hour I’d be in front of an audience.

Here are some titles that might inspire a story or poem: A Winter Dream, Helen/Henry: Teen Detective, My Life with Braces, Farm Girl/Boy, March Break Blues, The Blunder Years, View from the Roof, Consequences, Parachute, Past Meets Present.

Here are some dialogue excerpts that I hope give you ideas for a scene or story:

I heard what you said.
So?
Does Henry know what you’re planning?

I don’t like the look of those clouds.
We’ll find shelter soon.
I want to go home.
You know that’s not possible.

Helen’s tired.
She’ll have to keep up.
She’s our responsibility.
She’s your responsibility.

Henry’s been suspended.
I know.
Already?
Who do you think turned him in?

I hope you have a writerly May!


CASL compliance: This message was sent to you by Heather Wright on behalf of Wrightingwords.com. If you do not wish to receive electronic messages from me or Wrightingwords, please reply by email and write “Unsubscribe” in the subject line. Unsubscribing will remove you from inclusion on any emails sent to you by me in the future, with the caveat that if you choose to opt out, then you will also lose all email correspondence for all Wrightingwords related news and activities.

Writing prompts for march 2019

Thinking Spring. Writing Prompts for March 2019

March came in like a lamb here, and despite a little foreboding about its exit in four weeks, I was very glad to say good-bye to February.

I’m trying to think spring, despite the white stuff on the ground, so I’m putting my online Writing Camp for Teens on sale just in time for March/Spring Break. Please drop by here and check out the five days of activities that I’ve assembled for creative teens.

I’m very excited to be working on a new non-fiction project for genre writers. I hope to have at least one of the planned books ready by the end of March, so I can share it with you in my next blog. I’m working on books for sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, romance, and memoir authors, and enjoying every minute of creating these resources for you. Do you have a favourite genre that you like to read? Please drop a note in the comments. I’m a big mystery fan myself, but I do read some romance and fantasy, too.

Here are your writing prompts for March. I hope you have a creative month ahead!

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

  • Call, storm, run, lost, black, lightning
  • Computer, message, unknown, threat, secret
  • Hidden, treasure, capture, bluff, scarlet
  • Distracted, danger, child, cry, flee, blunder

Here are some opening lines that might suggest a story or two.

  • I don’t like it when he’s so quiet.
  • That sound wasn’t thunder.
  • I was down to my last ten minutes of battery power.
  • The room on the other side of this wall was supposed to be empty.
  • Just my luck!
  • Sleet hammered the car windshield.
  • No, I was not going to answer his text.
  • Whoever said, “Cheaters never prosper,” never met Henry.
  • Helen hadn’t meant to lie.

See if any of these titles inspire a story or poem: Blue Moon, No Dreams Left, What S/He Was Waiting For, Meadowland, Purple Dusk, Climbing to the Stars, Scary Dreams, The Last Planet, The Garden, The Remains, Ice Storm, Raven Song.

Here are some short scenes of dialogue. Can you imagine the rest of the scene?

I don’t want to see you ever again.
Ever again is a long time
That’s what I’m counting on.

I’m sorry.
I wish I could believe you.

I have to go.
Have to or want to?
I think you’ve already decided.

Should the clouds look like that?
No. We need shelter. Now.
Where?

Wishing you a writerly March!

Writing Prompts for February 2019

My booth at the OLA Super Conference - Writing Prompts for February 2019

I had an adventure last week and took my wares to the Ontario Library Association Super Conference. It was my first trade show experience, and I learned a lot. Travelling was complicated by extremely low temperatures and late-running trains, and on my return trip, I got to drag a one-wheeled, very heavy wheelie to the train station—three long blocks and still very cold. The actual trade show turned out to be lots of fun. I connected with some great people, sold some books, and had the pleasure of getting to know Kate Merlin Hanson, a publisher from New Brunswick (Chocolate River Publishing) whom I’d known for years on Facebook. She was even nicer in person.

Though I won’t really know if the event was a success until I see some online book and writing camp sales or get an invitation or two to visit a school or library, I was glad that I took the risk and gave it a try. Nothing ventured …. This was the largest possible forum for my work where I could be there in person. Scary? Yes. Exhausting? Yes. Also exhilarating, challenging, and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.

Onward!

Here are some writing prompts that I hope you find inspiring this gloomy, cold February. We’ve had ice, rain, snow, high winds, and little sun, so far. I hope that you are faring better and that the rest of February offers lots of scope for your creativity and for adding to your word count.

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

  • Pill, toxic, yesterday, hope, wonder, yellow
  • Flowers, game, toward, care, card, surprise
  • Ice, storm, power, candle, fear, noise, black
  • Tree, shadow, animal, climb, see, curious
  • Wind, kite, free, call, home, run escape

Here are some opening lines that may inspire a story or two.

  • I want a do-over!
  • That picture wasn’t on the table yesterday.
  • The latch clicked and the secret door opened.
  • Something just fell out of your pocket.
  • Henry boarded the last train.
  • If she wanted it that badly, she could have it.
  • Why do mothers have to have such good memories?
  • I woke to the sound of sirens.
  • Some strangers should stay that way.
  • I was sure that I’d seen her near the fire.

See if one of these titles inspires a story: Last Magic Show, A Girl Named Wonder, The Deadly Dragon, Escape to the Past, Angel, The Last Train, Tea for Three, After the Pro, Another Sunday, No Free Ride, Absolution, Gifts.

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

  • It’s too heavy. I can’t pick it up.
  • I packed it yesterday. It was fine.
  • Try it. Someone has messed with the contents.
  • That can’t be good.
  • Why does Helen always give you such a hard time?
  • Just lucky, I guess.
  • That’s not the reason
  • It’s the one you’re getting.
  • Please, turn that music off.
  • Why? I thought you liked it.
  • I have a headache. And I’m tired.
  • And you’re lying.
  • When was Henry due back?
  • About an hour ago.
  • Typical.
  • Is he always late?
  • No, just inconsiderate.

Have a writerly month!

WRITING PROMPTS FOR JANUARY 2019

  • WRITING PROMPTS JANUARY 2019

Welcome to a 2019 full of more writing prompts and story ideas!

I was all set to make a batch of resolutions for the new year, but changed my mind. I need some just-one-day-at-a-time living for a couple of weeks before I can sit back and get some perspective. I have a lot on my plate for the next three weeks, so I’ll keep the planning thoughts in the back of my brain for now.

If you’re a resolution maker, I hope you are successful in reaching all your goals. I hope that you can also forgive yourself when life gets in the way and things don’t turn out quite the way you hoped. Someone said, “A year is 365 fresh starts.”

I hope your 2019 is off to a great start and that you have a healthy, happy, and creative year ahead.

Here are some writing prompts to start your year.

Use one, some, or all of the words from one of the groups below to inspire a poem or story.

  • Village, blue, light, snow, bell, window
  • Sun, ocean, danger, birds, erratic, screech
  • Empty, chair, heart, candle, reflection, gold
  • Morning, pink, sky, clouds wind, corpse

Perhaps one of these story titles will give you a story or scene idea:

Mario Wins, The End of the Line, Why Not?, Not a Problem, Have You Heard This One?, The Pretzel Man, The Next Morning, Table for Two, The Guardian, Template for Fear

Use one of the following sentences to start a story

  • I forgot that I said I’d go first.
  • The wall of black clouds rushed down the mountain toward us.
  • We got the news just before midnight.
  • I was already regretting my decision.
  • I hated seeing the house empty.
  • The overseers stood calmly behind their massive desk.
  • Never make a decision before you’ve had your first coffee.
  • January 10–and I’d already blown half my New Year’s resolutions. Mind you, I’d only made two.

Here are some snippets of dialogue. See if you can use one of the dialogue excerpts to help you build a scene or a story.

  • I wish you hadn’t told me that.
  • Why don’t you want to know the truth.
  • Not when it hurts this much, I don’t.
  • Is there any reason why we have to run to school today?
  • I don’t want to be late.
  • For class?
  • No. For Henry.
  • I’ve never seen him cry before.
  • I don’t think he ever has.
  • Have you seen Helen’s new house?
  • I wasn’t invited.

Have a writerly January!

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