Monday Morning Muse: Recycling writing

 "Good morning and happy Monday! 🌟 

As we step into the new week, may your day be filled with inspiration and creativity. Remember, every challenge is a chance to grow and every moment is an opportunity to shine. Let the possibilities of this week unfold like a fresh canvas, and may you find joy in every little discovery along the way. Here’s to a Monday that sets the tone for a fantastic week ahead!

Today's Pumping Your Muse Writing Prompt

Recycling writing 

For today's creative challenge, dig out one of your unfinished fiction projects and take a look at it. If it's an older piece, and you've written for years, it can be an eye-opener to see how much you've grown as a writer. And you may also see the merit in your original idea. The question is, why is it unfinished. Did you get stuck? Lose interest? Did it grow cumbersome and too complicated?

Refresh your memory and re-immerse yourself in the story. 

• If the story starts to wander or lose focus stop reading. That's your starting point. 
• If you couldn't figure out how to end it. When you reach that point in your reading. Stop. That is your starting point.
• If you recognize it is too cumbersome stop when you recognize it. That is your starting point. 

Based on your starting point write a short story related to your narrative, but write it from a secondary character's POV in the first person. Let them talk. If you're lucky, they'll tell you something you didn't know, and it might just be what you need to finish the story.

 

 

 

 

 

Photo writing prompt: Graveyard

 

People often ask me where I find ideas for my stories. Really, the world is full of inspiration. We just need to pay attention and actually seek to see it. I can find a story by describing the sky because it leads somewhere. Or I can stand somewhere ordinary and imagine I’m only an inch tall and voila, I'm in an alien world. At times I go out specifically to shop for ideas. I especially like to visit thrift stores, antique shops, and those side-of-the-road junk collectors. You never know what you’ll find. It could lead to historical fiction or a true life vignette.

Shopping for character inspiration

I also enjoy sleuthing for character inspiration by people-watching. You can do this anywhere, but if the weather is nice, I really enjoy sitting on a bench, or the edge of a fountain to watch people from all walks of life go by. They interact, or they stare at their phone without really paying attention to where they are going. Parents with fussy children offer one story while parents with spoiled, demanding children are another. People are everywhere, so we just need to open are eyes. Learn to do it purposefully and jot down little things you notice. (If you use your phone for notes, people will think you're texting.)

Listen for a story idea

Another way to find a story is through listening. Listen to dialog of people near you, grab a line as the first line of your story. 

Or, sit somewhere quiet and listen. What do you hear? Is the wind stirring leaves? Is a barking dog in the distance? Coffee brewing? You can find a story when you zero in on a sound, but to find it, you need to start writing about it.

When I don’t have time or energy to go out for a dose of inspiration, picture prompts offer visuals that help discover something new.

Pumping Your Muse writing prompt

That’s what we’ll do for today's writing prompt. I offer three pictures with similar themes. This prompt reveals that setting plays a big part in a story, but it is not the whole story. I challenge you to find the story in each photo. Then choose your favorite and cultivate it to create a short story.

Photo 1:

 Photo 2:

Photo 3:

If you really want a challenge, tell a quick story about each picture (to yourself or someone else) before you start to write. Then start to put it on paper. You might be surprised by the story you discover.

Photo credits: wallpaperflare, pixabay, piqsels, publicdomainpictures