fiction

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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!