New and Unusual

Try a new food or recipe and write about the experience. It doesn't have to be anything as exotic as snails, but go ahead and not only be adventurous but write about it.

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First Sentence Prompt Contest

"It's this big."

Start a short story with this sentence. It leaves possibilities wide open! It's a fish! It's a new born baby...it's up to you! Only this story starter comes with a prize. Here's how it works:

Write a short story starting with It's this big. Post it here as a comment. At the end of the month, I'll draw one winner to receive a free ebook of Pumping Your Muse or Windwalker.

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Sunday Drive

Take your imagination on a Sunday drive. What does that mean to you? For me, it reminds me of my childhood when my father would divert from our trips to grandma's house and take an extra half hour or so to drive along country roads just to enjoy the scenery. Write a scene that takes a character on a Sunday drive.

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What if...

If you were a piece of furniture what would you be? Sounds like a question from the Newlywed game doesn't it? For today's prompt, decorate the room of your choice with authentic detail. But that's not all! Take the same room when you finish and decorate it in another time or era.

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Distraction

Distractions side track--sometimes from the mundane and other times from things important. Write a scene based on distraction. If you're looking for ideas, use one of the following writing prompts:

phone ringing

a news announcement

baby crying

dog scratching at the door

buzzer on the dryer goes off

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or my fantasy blog for writers

Training

Boot camp is a training place--strict training.

Potty training is a process.

On-the-job training teaches new skills.

Drivers education allows stuents to learn how to drive.

Develop a character in a training scenario. Write the scene from either the POV of the one doing the training OR the one receiving the training. Either way, weave in elements of emotions and feeling involved.

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or my fantasy blog for writers

Fire

The powerful element of fire destroys, warms, and works as fuel. Write a short paragraph describing fire. Include color, movement and heat.

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Take 2

Take an action scene from one of your favorite movies and write it out to practice writing movement with an active voice. Here's the one rule. Don't use the word was

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Story Starter

Start a story with this dialog:

"Did you hit something?"

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Waking Thoughts

For the next week, take the first five or ten minutes of the day to jot down waking thoughts. The ones running through your mind before your feet hit the floor. These thoughts are the fibers that connect our sleep world with everyday reality. They can be creative, retrospective and future looking. Writing them down provides nuggets of inspiration unsoiled by the day's busyness.

Check out more articles and classes on writing at the Inspired Author
or my fantasy blog for writers

Ate Too Much

Remember the old Alka-selter commercial? The "I ate too much; I ate to fast" slogan was one than many people related to then and today. For today's prompt, create a setting ripe with the opportunity to eat too much--but your character is on a diet. How do they do?

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First Person POV

Write a short scene using first person POV. Choose one of the following subjects or choose one of your own:

Christmas memory

Playing a sport

Finding the perfect pair of shoes

Buying your first car

Check out more articles and classes on writing at the Inspired Author
or my fantasy blog for writers

Check out more articles and classes on writing at the Inspired Author
or my fantasy blog for writers

Ice Cream--Hot Day--Action

Part of learning to show not tell deals with showing action. Today's prompt places an ice cream cone in the hands of a character. The weather is hot and humid. Show them eat the treat.

Here's the challenge: Use the following character possibilities to practice difference techniques and results.

3-year-old--chocolate ice cream
14-year-old--chocolate chip mint in a sugar cone
35-year-old--stressed woman looking for comfort food
83-year-old--reliving his childhood through a special treat

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Animal Behavior

Writers strive to show not tell. One way to accomplish this is behavior. Don't tell the character is angry. Show it. For today's prompt we'll have fun with animal behavior.

Choose at least one of the following:

bird
dog
cat
horse
or choose another animal

Now SHOW that animal:

angry
relaxed
happy
hungry
moody

Keep these tidbits in a journal where you can find them later.

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Story Starter--The Falls

Ice storms, snow and unseasonable weather combined with a friend's recent vacation highlights after a hike to Zapata Falls inspired today's story starter. Use the following sentence as the first sentence of a short story.


The falls froze into an undulating 30 ft high silver and white sculpture with clear cold water running behind it.

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A Long, Long Time Ago...

The 70's tune American Pie is an 8 1/2 minute song loaded with snippets of life as the author Don McClean saw it at the time.

A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they'd be happy for a while.

Lyrics for the entire song are loaded with story ideas. Pick a line or two and use it as a story starter. You can have characters shivering in February, or good ol' boys drinking whiskey and rye. Who knows, maybe you'll get more than one story from this prompt. And while you're at it, a nice tune will be rolling around your head.

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Picture Worth 1,000 Words

Find a snapshot of people you don't know. Write a short story inspired by the photo.

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Clouds In The Night Sky

I stood on the back deck and looked out at the overcast sky. Faint back light defined fluffy gray clouds as if looking up at dirty cotton balls spread across a glass top table.

Take the time to look at the night sky. Gather some descriptive tidbits to have on hand when writing. Not every night sky is black. Studying the sky as a writer is what inspired my book Pumping Your Muse. You never know where it will take you.

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Juggling

Create a busy character juggling an overwhelming list of things to do. Write it with humor as things spiral out of control, but bring the scene to resolution.

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Your Favorite Writing Experience

Today's prompt is more a journal entry.Write about your favorite (or one of your favorite experiences as a writer. Is it when you figured out the missing piece to your plot? When an editor contacted you with an acceptance letter? A phone call? A fan telling you how much they liked your writing? How about your first publication?

Here's the challenge. Write it as a piece of creative non fiction.

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P.S. You know there's a market for these stories.

My Town

Create a scene in the town where you live, but change a few things including the name:

Add one or all of these items:

• A grove of trees
• A body of water
• A new business
• An apartment complex
• Demolition of an old building

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Stomach Ache

Describe a stomach ache without using stomach or ache more than once in the scene.

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Unpacking

Recently I moved to another state. I stored boxes for months. Opening these boxes later, memories of other times flooded my mind as I handled things forgotten.

Today's Prompt:

Have your character find a box that's been packed for 100 years or more. What's inside? How do they feel about opening it? Where did they find it?

Donna
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Crossroads

Wooden plaques nailed to a post point to nearby towns or villages at a fork in the road. Take your character down one of these roads only to find out they made a wrong turn. But here's the twist. It's a good thing.

Donna
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Nerves

Writers craft words to convey emotions. It's so easy to say a character looked nervous, but that's the author telling information. Write a sentence showing each of the following acting nervous without using the word nervous:

1. a young boy as his father pulls in the driveway
2. a woman waiting in the doctor's office
3. a man waiting to meet someone

Once you complete your sentences, choose one and use it as the first sentence in a short scene or story.

Donna
Check out more articles and classes on writing at the Inspired Author
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Tricking the Senses

My husband and I drove along a country road running between my daughter’s home and ours. The pungent odor of skunk leaked into the car. Our headlights shined on the small dead animal, but it was gray. An opossum. We rolled down the window and let the fresh air clear out the smell.

The following day we drove by the same smelly dip in the road. I studied the animal one more time—I was almost positive it was an opossum. By the third day, it became the topic of conversation as my husband and I both said it looked like an opossum but sure smelled like a skunk. I hate to admit it, but the fourth day we were wondering if GA had a different kind of stripeless skunk.

Finally, I saw the real culprit wedged between the tall grass and blacktop. But the smell almost had me convinced that the opossum was a skunk.

For today's prompt, generate a scene that seems to be one thing but is not.

Donna
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Naming Your Character

Pick out a name for a character based on meaning. If the name means warrior--create a warrior. If the name means chosen one, put your character into a setting where they fulfill a prophecy. Research names, find the meaning and write the scene.

Donna
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Death of a President

With the death of President Ford filling the news, take time to write down your feeling, the facts as you known them and preserve a bit of personal history.

Donna
Check out more articles and classes on writing at the Inspired Author

Huddled in the Cottage

Today, we'll keep it short and sweet. I call it a first sentence prompt. I'm not giving you the whole sentence but offer three words as a creative writing prompt to be used as part of your first sentence.

Today's creative writing prompt

"huddled in the cottage" 

Sample first sentence: They huddled in the cottage listening to the wind howl, hoping they wouldn't lose any more roof tiles.