writing prompts

Writing Prompts for June

1.  Use one, some or all of the following words to spark a story or poem: bloom, wall, flow, cup, eye, time

2.  Use one of these opening sentences to start a story:

    • Okay. Remind me again why I wanted to be a June bride.
    • A black wall of cloud raced in from the west. Dead leaves scattered in the wind. Once again, the perfect setting for his arrival.
    • I refused to let them see me cry.
    • When I thought about the cabin, I only remembered the corners—the ones where I’d crouched in fear.*
    • I never dreamt it would be still standing after all these decades, but then, if my great aunt’s diary was right, this simple weathered cabin was magic.*
    • I hated classical music, so fortunately for me the concert was cut short half way through the William Tell Overture—sadly so was the conductor’s life.

3.  June 21st marks the official beginning of summer. Use some of these summery titles and excerpts to frame a story, personal memory, or poem:

A Summer Place, Summer in the City, Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows, The Summer Breeze, The Summer of ’42, Summer Wine, Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?, The Longest Day, Summer Holiday, Summer of ‘69.

4.  See where these lines of dialogue take you:

“Come here and look at this!”

Kelly obediently peered over Mike’s shoulder at the computer screen. “What am I supposed to be looking at?”

“Linc’s Twitter account’s been hacked.”

“Yeah, so? Happens to lots of people. The message usually says that someone is saying bad things about you and gives you a link you’re supposed to be stupid enough to click on. No one falls for it anymore. Linc knows what to do.”

“This message is different.” Mike pointed at the screen. “Look.”

Kelly read the message to herself and then again out loud. “They’re going to kill me. Help.”

Or these:

“Excuse me did you drop this?”

“No that’s not mine.”

“I think it is.”

*I posted these writing starters at author Laura Best’s blog http://lauraabest.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/something-in-the-middle-of-nowhere/#comments in response to a photo. I thought they would be fun to share here.

May Writing Prompts

Here are some writing prompts for May. Hope your creativity “springs” into action!

1. Use one of the following sentences to begin a story:

  • White lace curtains fluttered in the warm breeze.
  • The air was thick with wood smoke.
  • I thought Play-Doh was for kids until I saw the body.
  • Now I know what they really mean by “caught in the act.”
  • Erik loved the dark.
  • Red warning lights flashed on the console.

2. Use one, some or all of the following words in a story or poem: shirt, pen, thunder, cry, case

3. April showers bring May flowers. What flowers could you name your characters after? What kind of people do you associate with names such as Peony, Rose, Thorn, Lily? Here are some characters from stories you might know that are named after flowers: Molly Bloom, Flora Poste, Violet Beaudelaire, Scarlet Pimpernel, Fleur Forsyth, Fleur Delacour, Daisy Buchanan, Lily Owens, Violetta Valéry, Zinnia Larkin, and don’t forget Scarlet O’Hara’s original name was Pansy!

4. I wish I may I wish I might have the wish I wish tonight. What wish would your character wish for upon a star or ask a genie to grant? What would be the consequences of that dream coming true? What would you wish for? Why? How would your life change if your wish came true?

5. Flowers don’t just inspire people’s names, but they inspire place names, too. What stories could you create in towns like these: Flower’s Cove, Newfoundland; Strawberry, Arkansas; Weedpatch, California; Beanblossom, Indiana; Rosebud, Alberta; Carrot River, Saskatchewan; Olive Branch, Michigan; Fallen Leaf, California; Lady Slipper, Prince Edward Island; Tiger Lily, Saskatchewan.

Have fun!

Not Quite True

I’ve been thinking more about my recent post about defining the word “writer”, and admit that up to a point it’s true. Freelancing is extremely satisfying work, and I do love all the opportunities I’ve had to be creative within its boundaries.

But …

Lately, I’ve put several projects to bed, and guess what’s left? Time to write. Yes, that extremely precious commodity of time to write and create is actually available, and with my semester winding down, there will continue to be writing time over the next several months. In the past, I would have been thrilled to have all this time and have immediately plowed away at the short story or novel that I’d been living with for the past weeks or months. Finally, those characters who had been talking in my head would get their words recorded on paper. But I have no  voices, no story, no novel–just time. The irony of getting paid by The Writer Magazine to create writing prompts is not lost on me.

A recent post by Laura Best has brought the fact that I’m missing this into sharp relief. Where will I go from here? I’m not sure. But I can’t help but believe that all of this time is waiting to be filled with something and that if I’m just patient–and keep reading and scribbling in my journal–I’ll find out what it is.

April Writing Prompts

April 1st has arrived here with gray skies, showers, thunder and hail. Here are some writing  prompts to keep you busy while we wait for May flowers.

1. Use some of these April-related song titles to inspire a story or poem.

  • Crying in the Rain
  • I’ll Remember April
  • Early Morning Rain
  • April in Paris
  • April Come She Will
  • Rainy Days and Mondays

2. Try one of the following sentences to begin or end your story:

  • “Listen to the rain pounding on the roof!”

“That’s not rain.”

  • “Share my umbrella, lady?”
  • “I thought you said this tent was waterproof!”
  • After two hours of the brain-numbing, thud-swish of windshield wipers, Carol stopped her car.

3. Use one of the following as a title for a story or poem:

  • Rainbow Memory
  • Yesterday’s Rain
  • Puddle Jumper
  • Misty Morning
  • Rain Delay

4. Use one or more of the following words in a story or poem: puddle, tree, letter, steps, trail, ache

 

March Writing Prompts

Whether March comes in like a lion or a lamb, it’s usually a blustery, unpredictable month. One day teases us with promises of spring in warm breezes and bird calls, and the next (in my part of the world) covers everything with snow and freezing rain. Amid March’s see-saw weather, one constant is the need to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and do some joywriting. Here are some prompts to keep the words flowing this month.

1. March 21st marks the vernal equinox when day and night hours are perfectly balanced. Do you strive for balance in your life? How do you achieve it? How do you cope when the dark overwhelms the light in your life? How would your character answer these questions?

2. Consider words/ideas associated with the words ‘lion’ and ‘lamb’ and see what stories are hiding in them: Lamb Chop, soft, woolly, Mary and the lamb, lamb to the slaughter, MGM’s lion, roaring, fierce, Androcles and the Lion, Africa, Serengeti, pride, hunter, Lion King.

3. Use one, some, or all of these words to spark a story or poem: march, crock, blue, bloom, roof, stone

4. March has two astrological signs: Pisces the fish and Aries the ram. What characteristics are suggested by those two animals? Do they apply to anyone you know? Think about what animals your characters could be. When Laurence Olivier created his role of Richard III, he saw him as a spider.

5. Some opening sentences to play with.

a) Marnie sat in front of her computer, staring at a screen full of photos. “Delete,” she whispered and the screen went blank.

b) The room looked so dull now all the cards were put away.

c) A year had passed and it still hurt to walk in the house and not hear his/her voice.

d) Pat walked ino the library and flicked the light switch. A flash, a hollow pop, and darkness.

Have fun!

Writing Prompts

It felt really good to finally finish the draft of my story, in spite of all the delaying tactics. It’s been set aside for a week or so and now I’m in editing mode. Yay! And not a moment too soon since it’s due on January 15th.

I decided to give myself a treat for the new year to keep me inspired for 2012–a copy of Writer’s First Aid by Kristi Holl. I enjoyed Kristi’s second instalment, More Writer’s First Aid so much, that I thought I would get the first one, too. The book is still en route, but I’ll post a review as soon as I’ve read it.

I’ve been creating writing prompts for The Writer subscriber’s website since July and have enjoyed reading the various responses to them. They’re such fun to write, that I thought I’d create some just for this post. Hope they give you a creative boost into the new year. For more prompts, check out http://wrightingwords.wordpress.com/writing-starters/

1. Use one, a few, or all of the following words in a story or poem: tree, calendar, photograph, link, ribbon

2. Brainstorm around the word ice-cream. Write a poem or an opening paragraph with the images you see.

3. Think of all the meanings, expressions and words that use the word “run.” Here are some examples: silent running, run (in pantihose), the run around, running in circles, run for your life, end run, in the long run, runny nose, rum runner … Play with these and any others you can think of until one of them leads you to a story or poem.

4. Use one, a few, or all of these words in a story or poem: window, sheet, key, mark, drop

5. Think of the longest trip you have ever taken. What are your best memories of that trip? Write them down and share them with the people you travelled with, or illustrate your memories with photos from the trip and save them in  a special travel diary on your computer or in a binder just for you.

Coffee Writing

The Writer Magazine HeaderI’ve  been having a lot of fun lately creating writing prompts for The Writer Magazine’s website. Click the link to read my Q & A with editor, Sarah Lange.

I call this writing my “coffee writing.” Coming up with ideas for writing prompts is something that I need to do with pen and notebook–and a lot of staring into space. It’s just not keyboard writing. And what better way to do that kind of writing than in a comfortable chair with a coffee at hand. Perfect.

I love the freedom of being able to draw big arrows to move things around and doodle in the margins and squeeze in words above the line and just, frankly, make a mess. The pristine appearance of a computer screen just won’t do for coffee writing. Do you do any writing that just works better with pencil and paper instead of a keyboard and screen?

Right now the prompts are available only to The Writer Magazine subscribers, but after they are published I’ll be adding them to my list of prompts at my book’s website: http://wrightingwords.wordpress.com.

Now, time to put the kettle on and find that notebook!

Teen Writing Workshops Come to an End

I’d just like to send out a big ‘thank you’ to Christy Giesler, Teen Services Librarian at the Kitchener Public Library and the librarians and staff at the Country Hills branch who were so helpful while I ran my teen writing workshops. Their support was wonderful. They gathered books written by teens for display in my workshop room and prepared a display in the library of how-to-write books and printed a handout of a list of resources for teen writers that are available at the library.

I had such a great time working with the young writers. We averaged between 12 and 15 participants over 4 weekly workshops. As always I was blown away by the creativity and imaginations of all the writers. They enthusiastically jumped into the exercises and activities and now have a cache of story ideas and writing tips to take them into the future.

Later this month, we are going to reconvene and the writers are going to share some of their creations. I can’t wait to hear what they’ve done with the story prompts we’ve used. I’m smiling already, just thinking about it. I got to do what I love for four weeks and now I get to hear where their imaginations have taken them. Priceless!

If you are looking for a way to jump start your own creative writing, check out my writing starters at http://wrightingwords.wordpress.com. Have fun!

Getting Ready for NaNoWriMo

 Yes, I have signed up for NaNoWriMo again this year and am looking forward to a whole month of writing and creating. Last year I managed around 23,000 words before another book took over and I abandoned my nightly creative free-for-all in favour of “purposeful” writing. Though I didn’t win NaNo, I did finish the book and had it published this spring. So, for me, a win.

This year, I have no books burning to be written, in fact, I don’t even have an idea for a story. I’m not an especially good “pantser,” so I’ll be spending the rest of October looking for characters, a setting, and 50,000-words-worth of conflict. When it comes to plotting, taking a look at the Hero’s Journey is definitely on my to-do list. I wrote a blog about it last year during the run-up to NaNo.

If you’re stuck for a story idea, too, I’ve been posting a series of writing prompts at http://wrightingwords.wordpress.com/writing-starters/  for other NaNo writers and anyone else who needs a creative boost.

What are you doing to get ready for NaNoWriMo? Are you a pantser or are you going to have a detailed plan for your novel before you begin? If you have any tips for success or sites to recommend to others taking on the challenge, please share.

If you sign up for NaNo and are looking for a writing buddy, I’m “wrightwriter” and I’d love the company.

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