A story within a story

Over at Writer’s Village University, I rub elbows with plenty of writers. In a recent exchange with a fellow writer, he talked about mining his book manuscripts for short story ideas related to his longer works. It’s a way to make additional money and even promote his books. 

I’m doing something similar with my novel, Dragonborn. In it, a book of evil plays a big role. The Book Darkmore holds the spirits of the people who used its powers and are no longer living. The spirits live within the pages of the book eternally, but when a new host gives itself to the book, the spirits of the book and its dark magic influence that human host. I have come up with a slew of creative writing prompts and am writing a collection of stories related to the Book Darkmore. Readers will learn of its origins as well as the history of the hosts as well as their spirits. It’s not something you’d have to read to understand the story of Dragonborn, but the stories make it a perfect companion book for Dragonborn fans and will cover all four with books of the series.

Today’s Writing Prompt challenge

Today’s writing prompt challenges you to find a story within a story. It doesn’t matter if the original story is yours or not. For instance, you could pull a story from something like the Wizard of Oz. The first that comes to my mind is, “The House that Fell.” It reminds me of when I lived through a category 4 hurricane. That memory is rife with story prompts. I could make it fiction or non-fiction. It might even involve something like time travel and the opportunity to do things differently before the storm hits. Follow your imagination. If you are stuck, go to one of your favorite fairy tales. The possibilities are endless

Harvest at least one possible story idea from another work. It can be your original work or from somewhere else. But I recommend you make a list of your creative writing ideas. Keep them in your story writing topics folder. Then if/when you feel writer’s block nipping at your muse, pull from your ideas folder and start writing something new. It will get the juices flowing and you’ll be ready to go back to writing what you were working on.

* * *

Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites. 

 

Barking dog – Show what you hear

 

The inspiration for today’s writing prompt comes from the barking dog in my neighborhood. I have owned and loved dogs, but currently a cat has adopted me as his mom. We have many dogs and cats in this neighborhood. Some show dogs, most are pure breeds, but my favorite is the friendly mutt that actually obeys his owner who walks him on a leash. My least favorite dog is the barking dog across the street and one door down. The owner has tried everything. Nothing has worked so far. But I digress. Back to the barking dog writing prompt.

 

The high-pitched bark from the little dog next door that barks from its fenced yard any time it spots my cat is easily ignored. But the bark I heard in the early morning before dawn, today, was a medium size dog. Funny, that we can determine a dog’s size by its bark, but we can. The size of the “resonant cavity” is what makes the difference. Plus, big dogs have longer vocal tracts and mouths which produce lower pitches that are louder.

Today’s Pumping Your Muse writing prompt

As a writer, you’ve probably heard the mantra: show don’t tell. As a new writer, I thought I was doing that until I received peer feedback from fellow students at Writer’s Village University. That feedback stunned me, initially, but in the end, it helped me grow. Something I’m still doing, as a matter-of-fact.

Today’s writing prompt deals with showing not telling. Create three different short scenes centered around a barking dog. In each case, let the reader “hear” the dog with your words. If you're ready for even more fun, show the person’s feelings toward the sound. Feel free to add in howling, baying, and even snarling if you’d like. OR perhaps the thumping of the dogs tail on the wall, or paws scratching the floor. 

 

Additional inspiration

If you don’t know where to start, here are a few ideas to get the creative juices flowing:

A young man shows up at the house of his prom date. Never been there before. He hears barking on the other side of the solid wood fence.

Person in bed trying to sleep and a dog's barking outside.

Cleaning woman shows up to clean the house. The owner left the side garage door open for her. But on the other side of the door to the house is a barking dog.

Have fun! Enjoy the creative process. 

* * *

About The Inheritance by Donna Sundblad

Written within the allegorical tradition of classics like Pilgrim's Progress, The Inheritance offers a literal but symbolic story for today's fantasy enthusiasts. This cleverly devised tale doesn't tell you what to think, but stimulates thought as to why you believe what you believe in your own quest for the Eternal City. The Inheritance is an ideal discussion starter for youth groups, homeschoolers, and families who enjoy meaningful discussions. 

 

The Inheritance is available on Kindle, paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo (Christian fiction), Smashwords and Google Books. When you read it, be sure to leave a review! Thanks for your support. 

 

Coming soon! Dragonborn by Donna Sundblad

Dragonborn conjures up a winning fantasy with dragons, humans, time travel, and magic. Follow the journey of the young prisonguard, Ervig Greenfields, as he seeks out dragons to remove a curse. The dragons offer him access to the Labyrinth of Times, which will purge the dark magic. But there’s a catch. Erving must take the Dragon Oath that requires allegiance--to fight alongside dragons for centuries, never to return to his own time. He and a handful of others take the selfless oath and become Dragonborn. The Dragonborn and their dragons become seeds of change, in this epic tale, of sacrifice for the greater good. Ride along with them as they slip through a tear in time to the past to change the future.

Photo credits: pxfuel, pxfuel

Create Suspense with Things Unseen

No matter what genre you're writing, a little suspense is a great way to engage your reader. Today's writing prompt challenges you to create suspense by creating something unseen. The challenge is to introduce the element without actually seeing it. This can be done by showing evidence of its existence by using senses other than sight.

Create a suspenseful scene using sounds, smells, and feelings. For instance, if the air turns icy cold a character may suddenly see their breath bloom in a frosty balloon, a strong floral scent in a room could mark the presence of an entity, or the hair on the back of the neck prickling can create suspense. Bring the reader to the edge, make them hungry to know what it is they don't see by providing evidence that it is there.

***

For those who want to improve their writing, take advantage of a Special Session of F2K: Fiction Writing for the New Millennium for only $10. F2K is the most popular creative writing course on the Internet, and this session offers a free 60-day membership to Writer's Village University. This is where I got my start as a writer, and I highly recommend it.

***

Buy Donna Sundblad's book on Kindle: Pumping Your Muse, Windwalker, Beyond the Fifth Gate, The Inheritance