Homecoming

The term homecoming has several different meanings. I just returned from a whirlwind trip loaded with long hours and catching up with family I haven't seen for years. This story could be written from two views. The first is going back to my roots for a family reunion and the second could be written about how good it feels to be home.

Write a story that includes the theme of homecoming. Be sure to include emotion and sensual information including scents and sounds. If you want to challenge yourself, write the story from two POV.

Fish Story

Exaggeration is often used in speech and can be an effective tool in writing humor, horror, establishing character traits and more. Write a scene using hyperbole as a form of exaggeration.

Photo Prompt

I came across this photo and just couldn't pass up the opportunity to use it as a prompt.

Today's Prompt:

Based on this photo, have three children/young adults walk through the woods where this tree is located. They find a crystal sword embedded in the tree...then what?

What is That?

Describe by showing a detail in this photo in about 50 words. This prompt will help develop your skill at showing not telling. The key is, don't name the object itself. For example if you're describing the book--don't use the word book. If you describe the hand, don't use the word hand.

Writing a Mystery

Hope you're doing well and will have a minute to read a great post in MURDER BY 4 by author R. C. Burdick titled "Tools of the Writer's Trade." You'll find plenty of practical information for writers.

Bob began writing for publication in 1982. He has published dozens of articles and short stories and also counts two mystery novels among his credits: THE MARGARET ELLEN (2004) and TREAD NOT ON ME (2005). Additionally, his short story collection, STORIES ALONG THE WAY, won the 2002 Royal Palm Book Award. As a contributing writer his work has appeared in the Chatsworth Times, The Time Courier, and The St. Petersburg Times. His work in progress includes Death At Bear Creek Summit and Bottom Feeders, a sequel to The Margaret Ellen. Since 2001, Burdick has also been a columnist and contributing writer for Inky Trail News.

With this in mind, today's prompt deals with writing mystery. For those who follow my writing, you know that I most often write fantasy, speculative fiction or inspiration non-fiction. However, my first published story was a mystery which came about as the result of a writing prompt. Today, I share a similar prompt with you.

Today's Prompt:

Write for 15 minutes. Don't stop to make changes, just write. Use one or more of the following as a springboard:

• A crime that happens at a wedding
• A crime that takes place in a garden
• Involves a missing person or pet
• Crime that takes place while hiking
  

New Dads and the Baby Blues

Another prompt from the news and the upcoming celebration of Father's Day.

Did you know new dads can get the "baby blues" too? Write a story about a father adjusting to life as a new dad.

OR

Write an article about the latest research on health issues affecting dads such as:

• depression
• tips on how dads can enjoy the wonders of fatherhood AND protect their physical and mental health

For more information and a list of experts check out:

Expert Alert - Dads get the baby blues, too

Tornados and Other Severe Weather

I grew up in the tornado belt and experienced more than one tornado in my childhood and lived through hurricane Charley. They spawn stories I tell to this day. With the rash of severe weather experienced around the world this year, there's all kinds of stories in the news. Write a true experience, or take a detail from the news and use it as a springboard for a story. It doesn't have to be a disaster story. Just think, without a tornado, Wizard of Oz wouldn't work. Use a natural event as a catalyst for change in your character's world.

Gasoline Prices

Choosing a hot news topic for your fiction writing gives your story an audience and plenty of PR opportunities. For today's writing prompt, I figure there's nothing hotter than the current gasoline prices.

Today's Prompt:

Write a story using gas prices as your central plot theme. If you want to really challenge yourself, write a humorous story. This twist will make your story marketable because it not only touches on a topic close to everyone's pocketbook but will help them laugh to reduce the stress of filling their gas tank.

The Phone Call

The phone is an instrument. How it is used depends on circumstances. When a telemarketer calls it can add frustration or irritation to a scene. When a character calls with news, what happens next depends on what the news comes through the receiver.

Today's Prompt:

Write a scene that depicts day-to-day life until the phone rings. Use the phone call as an agent of change. What changes is up to your and your muse. Changes can build slowly with repeated calls, or all at once with one call. Riiing...the phone is for you.

List Links - Pulling From the Past

Today's link will be a quick list. Start with a childhood memory. It can be anything. Then write down the next thing that comes to mind and the next, and the next. Do this for 3-5 minutes. Here's a sample list:

• stung by a wasp
• bus shelter
• pulling pranks
• riding cousins bike
• brother falling off bike
• job slowdown
• brother's roommate committing suicide
• enabling
  

This list is connected. The average reader won't see the connection, and the list ended no where near where it started. But in the process, ideas were pulled from the past and any one of them can be developed into the story. This is a great exercise for those who want to write inspirational stories.

Three Word Writing Prompt

Write a scene using three of the following words:

• packing
• sad
• pregnant
• garden
• computer
• dog
• tea or coffee

Parking Place

Have you ever had your eye on a parking place only to have someone swing into it by coming down the lane the wrong direction! Parking places offer plenty of stories. Where are the people going? Are parking places hard to come by? Is your character in a hurry? Is the weather a factor?

Write a scene centered around a parking place. Include the following:

• Emotion
• Smell
• Sound

Tales With a Twist

I grew up watching Twilight Zone, Outerlimits and other thought provoking shows that many times caught me unaware with a twist at the end of the story. The one that comes to mind right now is the tale of a man who undergoes torture of an earwig implanted in his ear. He survives the agony as the bug makes it through his brain and exits the opposite ear. I breathed a sigh of relief with the character and then the bombshell hit. The bug is female and has laid her eggs in his brain!

Today's prompt is to write a short story with such a twist. If you're looking for ideas here are a few to get you started. Use one or more of these elements:

*Missing pet
*Buying the car you always wanted
*Hiring a PI
*Falsifying records

Around the Table

Set a scene using a kitchen or dining room table as the central focus. For today's prompt, write three short scenes around the same table. Have each scene take place 10-20 years apart. Show detail that reveals the decade. What color are the walls? Is there a floor covering? Is the table top Formica? Is there an ice box, an old Frigidaire? What hairstyles do your characters have? What toy is the child playing with at the table?

This will be as much fun as watching the manikin change clothes in the original Time Machine movie!

Fly On the Wall

We've often heard that old cliché, "I'd like to be a fly on the wall." Here's you're chance...only it's going to require a little creativity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today's Pumping Your Muse writing prompt

Choose one of the following tools to see and/or hear into other people's lives. Your character will learn private details and is hooked--wanting to know more. What happens next? Can they hear what's happening in every apartment in their building? Do they overhear dangerous or illegal plans? Or do they get the low-down on their number one rival--the real dirt?

Items to use can include:

*phone
*radio
*through the wall
*magical amulet (sorry the fantasy writer in me just had to include this one)
*choose a tool of your own

Have fun.

Mood in Your Writing

When you sit down to write, your words convey a mood. This mood may change from one scene to anther, but mood itself is a tool that helps make your writing cohesive. It links the setting, dialog and actions as a whole. It's part of the author's voice. Today create a scene that uses the sky to establish the mood. It's a perfect tool to practice this prompt because whether you write fiction or non-fiction, every world has a sky. Use colors and movement to help create the mood.

For more information, read chapter 1 of my book Pumping Your Muse for inspiration.

If your not sure where to start, consider the following moods:

*reflective
*whimsical
*satirical
*angry

Writing Goals

Clearly stated goals are the step between what you want and what you get. I facilitate a writers' group designed to help writers at any level achieve what they desire most by setting goals. Goals change an obscure dream into a blueprint for action.

Prompt:

Your prompt for today is to set goals for your writing life for the month of June. Dare to dream. What do you want to accomplish?

My first writing goal, back when I decided to take writing seriously, was to write for 20 minutes a day, four days a week. I soon learned that once I got started I didn't want to stop. If you don't know where to start, challenging yourself to make time to write is a good place to start.

Once you establish monthly goals on paper, look at them each week. Break down what needs to be done and set goals for the week. Keep track of what has been accomplished and work to complete all your goals in small steps throughout the month.

Procrastination

Procrastination is packaged creatively in excuses and actions. Develop a scene in which your character puts off doing something they know they need to do. Choose one of the following or create one of your own:

Doing work that needs to be done:
Mowing the grass
Cleaning the house
Doing homework
Washing the car
Getting ready for a blind date.

Telling someone bad news.
Letting someone know they didn't make the cut.
Breaking up.
Death of a loved one.
Pet being cared for is missing.

Other:
Asking someone out.
Talking to a friend about a confidential matter that relates to her personally.
Letting the kids have a slumber party.
Announcing you're pregnant.

Creative Clustering

Creative clustering is a tool that stimulates ideas and develops new characters. Start with a circle in the middle of a blank sheet of paper. Write a character name within the circle. Draw a second circle around the first and divide it into 4-6 sections. Within these sections add emotional attributes (positive and negative) which relate to the character. For example instead of saying your character is fearful be more specific. Fears rejection, fears heights, fears trying new things. Specifics like these come in handy as your story unfolds.

Draw a third circle. Include 2 sections to match each emotion attribute. In this section include settings where the attributes may be displayed.

Draw a fourth circle. In this circle add other characters that may appear in the scenes listed in your third circle.

This does not have to take a long time. You won't use everything, but clustering makes a great springboard for writing new stories and developing new characters. Now start to write the story!

Memorial Day - What Does It Mean?

Overtime cultures often lose the meaning behind ceremonies and holidays. For today's prompt write an essay about Memorial Day. What does it mean? Why or how do you celebrate it. If you don't have an idea, use one of the following ideas:

• Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead
• Wearing red poppies
• Graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected
• Proper flag etiquette for the day

Tentacles

Those of you who follow my writing know I enjoy fantasy and sci-fi. I remember watching the black and white movie "The Crawling Eye" as a kid. Those vein-tentacles crept out of the fog--gives me the willies thinking about it. Today's prompt is one word: Tentacles

I found a market that's looking for stories about--you guessed it--tentacles, so if you come up with a good story idea check out the details at Anthology News and Reviews.

Horse and Buggy Photo Prompt

Today's photo prompt offers all kinds of possibilities. Notice the statues in the left corner. Do they hold some power?

Here are some other ideas to stir your imagination:

• One of the women in the carriage has a camera. Does it capture a photo that will change her life?
• Describe the setting--take your imagination through the streets. Capture textures, smells and sounds.
• What is the relationship between the driver and the horse?

Write about 500-700 words or more. Enjoy!

Writing for Teens the YA Market

In a recent Newsweek article "Generation R (R is for Reader)" they talk about the hot teen market. It's great news to know that in this generation of technology entertainment that young people are reading! While you may immediately think of Harry Potter, there's more. Here are some of their selections:

Tuck Everlasting - Winnie Foster finds adventure when she meets the Tuck family, who have drunk from a spring that gives them everlasting life.
Twilight - When seventeen-year-old Bella leaves Phoenix to live with her father in Forks, Washington, she meets an exquisitely handsome boy at school for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who she comes to realize is not wholly human.
The Outsiders - The author depicts the struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent's death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their peers.

So what do these books have in common? They deal with topics and situations teens relate to. For today's prompt talk to a teen. Listen to them. What concerns do they have? What makes them happy? What's troubling them? What are their struggles? After talking with them, take what you learn and develop a fictional character who experiences a situation that involves what you've learned.

Bloggers Unite For Human Rights

Today bloggers around the world are uniting for human rights. It's so easy to sit in the comfort of our homes and worry about gas prices, foreclosures and things that impact our personal lives while around the world defenseless people suffer. Even though gas prices hurt us, we still have choices to make--options. We can learn to cut back or even try to find a way to make some extra money. If we lose our home we can find another place to live, and while these are not easy solutions they are better alternatives than what many others face because we still have options. We're not facing genocide or lives as slaves, and our children have hope for the future and food to eat.

For today's writer's prompt we will take human rights issues from the news. What you do with it can work for fiction or not fiction. Don't forget that fiction can be a tool to help get the message across to the masses. In fact in my fantasy novel Windwalker the book burning scene was inspired history at a time when people had been stripped of their rights. The same oppression follows my characters in their quest for a better life.

Human Rights Prompts:

• First person with an intellectual disability to speak before the UN General Assembly
• Varela Project - and the the establishment of freedom of association, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, free elections, freedom of religion, freedom to start private businesses, and amnestypolitical prisoners.
• Human Rights of an Unborn Child
• Economic Human Rights of the Poor
  

Unfortunately, there are plenty of human rights issues in the world to choose from. This is just a small sample plucked from around the world. While these issues can make for interesting fiction filled with conflict and tension as good battles evil, in real life the tension and conflict can often lead to hopelessness if people look the other way.

The Nose Can Show

After dinner I went out to water the garden while my husband cut the grass. The scent of fresh cut grass mingled with Honeysuckle on the light breeze. When I walked into the house the savory aroma of roasted chicken lingered.

Notice that I didn't have to tell you what time of year it is or what I had for dinner. Instead, your nose told you. For today's prompt we'll exercise the olfactory sense. Practicing to include details that delight or assault the nose will make your writing come to life.

Prompt:

Write a short scene that includes the sense of smell. Choose one of the following or pick one of your own:

• skunk
• burned popcorn
• baking bread
• a baby
• cologne or perfume
• apple pie
  

What Does that Book Cover Say?

I'm in the process of trying to find artwork for my novel Beyond the Fifth Gate which is due out later this summer. It makes me stop and ponder what book covers have to say to potential readers. What makes you want to pick up a book?

This question spurs today's writing prompt. Use the photo prompt here, or choose a book off your home library shelf and write a story based on the cover. This can be even more fun if you haven't read the story yet.

Also, if you're looking for a little more inspiration, check out my Writing Prompts to Promote Creativity article for more ideas.

First Steps - Relationships

Experiencing motherhood for the first is unlike any other relationship. That's because in a very personal way, the expectant mother knows the baby before it's born. And yet, meeting that little one for the first time on the "outside" brings the relationship to a whole new beginning.

It's the same with writers and characters. We know them on the inside as they pace through our thoughts, but when we see them on the outside--on paper (or the computer screen) they take on a life of their own.

For today's prompt, keep a notebook handy. Jot down notes regarding new characters. They can be unrelated to your current projects, a possible protagonist, antagonist or secondary character. Then tomorrow, sit down and watch that character take their first steps on paper.

Who, What, Where, and Why

People watching can be fun, and it can also provide plenty of ideas for your fiction. Use this photo prompt and write a short story that answers "who, what, where and why."

Pulling From What You Know

As writers we often hear we are to write what we know. I discuss how this applies to fiction writers in my book Pumping Your Muse and for today's prompt we'll play with exercising that part of our muse.

With this photo prompt, write down every thought or memory that it generates. Then take your list and chose one or more of the things you've listed and include them in a short story.

For example, one thing it reminded me of was the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy and her companions were in the field of poppies. I could apply a similar magical fate to characters in a field of flowers, though it would have to differ of course.

Have fun with this one. You may be surprised at what you discover!

10 Minute Prompt

Many of us live full lives, and for those with a writer's heart beating in their chest it can be quite a challenge to find time to write on a regular basis. Last night I was exhausted and hadn't worked on my novel in progress in a week. So I challenged myself. Just do it for 10 minutes. A little more than an hour later I reached a stopping point. Sometimes the biggest challenge is just getting started. Once you start writing, you'll often find creativity fuels your drive to write a little more.

Part of training for anything in life is learning to push past the elements you don't like. The up side of training yourself to write is that once you start you'll usually find yourself rewarded with a new spark of enthusiasm.

Today's Prompt:

Write for ten minutes when you don't feel like it. Choose a current project or pick one of the previous prompts, set the timer and start writing. .

What If?

For my readers who own my book Pumping Your Muse, you'll be familiar with "Flip Side" thinking. Exercises that delve into the realm of the impossible or improbable . Creativity blossoms when force-fed with the fertilizer of Flip Side strategies. Things like contrasts or opposites delve into the world of "What if?" Write a paragraph (or more) based on today's writing prompt photo. Focus on contrast or answering the question "What If?"

Add Texture to Your Writing

Texture is something we see and feel. Adding texture to your writing creates imagery that draws the reader into the story. Practice adding texture by writing a scene including one of the following:

*Cobblestone street
*Orange
*Worn wood floor
*Cat's tongue
*Oyster

Learning About Your Character Through Weather

Just like in real life, weather changes a scene. For example, an outdoor wedding on a bright sunny day will differ from an outdoor wedding with blustery wind and showers. If you're a fantasy writer, you might want to check out my new blog Pumping Your Muse Fantasy Writer and see my post on "Fantasy World Seasons and Weather" which is part two in a series on How to Create a Fantasy World.

You can write about a relaxing day on the open water sailing your boat, but if a storm blows in, it will be anything but relaxing. In fact, at times the weather can almost play the part of a character--the antagonist.

Today's Prompt: Learning About Your Character Through Weather

Write a short scene of 100-200 words. Then take that same scene and change the weather. Take note of how it differs and what you learn about your characters as a result.

Best Character Description Contest

Since we've been working with characters in our prompts I thought I'd pass on this contest. Take one of the characters you've developed and write a character description in 150 words or less.

Contest: Best Character Description in 150 words or less.

Deadline May 15.

Several cash prizes, with 1st place prize of $500, two second prizes of
$100, etc.

Entry fee either $10(non-member) or $5 (member) per entry.

Open to public at the John Clausen's Write For Money web site.

Details - Investigate the World Around You

One thing that bring realism to fictional writing is visual details that paint an image in the reader's imagination. The trick for the writer is to learn how to add detail without bogging down the action with long passages of description.

Today's Prompt:

For this prompt, you can use today's photo or your back yard. The goal is to stay in one place and make a list of the details you see, hear and smell. (Of course if you use this photo you will have to stick with what you see or add what you imagine you'd smell or hear). Practicing this attention to detail hones your ability to not only add realism to your writing, but to do it with practiced realism.

Creating Flawed Characters

It's easy to fall prey to creating good characters that are too good or bad characters that are too evil. In fact, to create interesting characters they must be flawed. It keeps them unpredictable. A hero who experiences fear and self doubt makes a reluctant but interesting character and one that readers can relate to. Flaws can be physical or psychological, but they must play into the plot. To give you character a flaw just to make them imperfect is superfluous.

Prompt:

Create a character with one of the following flaws and write them into a short scene highlighting their imperfection.

• Arrogant, Argumentative
• Dishonest
• Short tempered
• Need to be right all the time
• Perfectionist
• Plays the victim
• Selfish
• Stubborn and rigid
• No sense of humor

Catching that Fleeting Inspiration

Hearing what others say, or seeing what they do can inspire an image in the mind. Learning to capture those fleeting moments of inspiration can lead to the creation of treasures yet unburied in your muse. For today's prompt, I've included three quotes. Choose the one that flashes a thought, memory or image to your mind and write at least 100 words about it.

Quote 1: “Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.” - Oscar Wilde

Quote 2: “I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one.” - Mark Twain

Quote 3: “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." - Albert Einstein

Nightmare

I had recurring nightmares as a child. They opened a window to my fears. One placed me in danger. A burning forest on one side and a pride of lions coming at me from the other. I had a choice to make. Which way to run.

When developing a character, if they are realistic, they too will have fears. Take one of your childhood nightmares and write it out. Expand it by taking yourself out of it and creating a character to take your place. What do they see, smell and feel?

Growing a Character

I've got my garden in and I can't help but marvel at how many of the little sprouts look quite similar when they first break through the soil. But over time they develop individuality that marks them as the plant they are.

Characters are much the same. When they first appear on the page, they may be similar, but over time they develop and take on characteristics that make them unique. Some fill the roll of antagonist, others the protagonist and some are only secondary characters.

For today's prompt choose one of your existing characters and write a scene that challenges him or her to be more than they are currently in your imagination. If you're stuck, here are a few challenges you can put in their path:

• Do a good deed
• Do something sneaky
• Tell a lie (the motive is up to you)
• Reveal feelings they've been hiding
• Get pulled over

Embedded Stories

One night I sat cross-legged on the floor behind my artist friend. She is so gifted, and in fact is the cover artist for both Pumping Your Muse and Windwalker. This particular night she looked at the woodgrain of a piece of wood and saw a baby bird. To help me see it, she pulled out a sketch pad and drew it. Then I could see what she saw.

When I was a child, I saw two people in the woodgrain of the door to my parents bedroom. That image made enough of an impact that I remember it 50 years later, but never thought of writing a story about those people until now.

Prompt:

Today's prompt can use this photo or you can find your own natural wood to "see" your story. Instead of drawing a picture, we'll extract a story. This one may take you to dimensions of your imagination you've never visited before. You'll have to let me know what you find.

Pass It On

I finished putting my garden in today with the help of my grandchildren. As I showed them how to dig the hole, line things up, take the plant from the starter tray, use the black gardening soil to fill in and all that, I thought about how many things we pass on from one generation to another. For today's prompt that's what I want you to do.

Prompt:

Write a scene where one character passes knowledge onto another. This doesn't necessarily have to be accurate or true information--it could be passing on a bad habit, hearsay or something illegal. Or it can be passing on a family tradition or heritage. That's up to you. Your part is to pass it on.

Tapping Into Childhood

I grew up in a family who enjoyed Science Fiction and Fantasy. I looked forward to television shows Twilight Zone, Outlimits, Flash Gordon and later Star Trek. For today's prompt, I want you to tap into a childhood interest. If you watched shows like this or other genres, what drew you to them? Make a short list. What did you find interesting? For example, on Flash Gordon the Clay People fascinated me. Most young girls might have been enthralled with Princess Aura or even Flash--but those Clay People stimulated the imagination as they magically emerged from cave walls. Were they a quiet nemesis or possible friend? Good or evil?

Today's photo was taken and provided by Peter Hellebrand.

Prompt:

Take the time to reflect on what captured your imagination as a child. Jot it down and think about it. As you do, keep a list of ideas generated. These ideas will be sparked from deep within your muse sparked by things you find interesting and magical.

* * *

While your visiting my blog, you might as well check out the latest interview with Author and Freelance Writer Donna Sundblad at Webmaster Journal.

Birth of a Character

Interesting characters add depth and complexity to your writing. This prompt involves paying attention to the world around you. Go to the mall, a park, or the grocery store and take time to people watch. Choose someone you think interesting and ask yourself why you think they are interesting. What makes them stand out from others? Then write a short character description along with a bio. Doing this on a regular basis will provide you with a storehouse of characters to choose from.

Show Up Naked

Today I'm doing something a little different. I came across this class and it caught my interest and my imagination and inspired today's prompt. Because of that, I'm including information for the class below.

Prompt

Take an existing scene and undress your character. I'm not suggesting you write erotica. I only want you to enhance your characters senses. If they enter stage right naked, how does that change their experience? What senses are heightened? How are they perceived by others? What do they feel and why? This exercise is designed to help you learn more about your character to be used later in your story.

Show Up Naked Class: Writing from the Man's POV

******PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED AND ENCOURAGED!!********

WritersOnlineClasses.com is proud to present its $30,four-week online class for the month of May, 2008:

INSTRUCTOR: Chris Redding
4-week class: $30
May 1-31, 2008
Registration ends 30 April, 2008


CLASS DESCRIPTION: Show Up Naked: Writing from the Man's POV.

This class is a fun, but informative trip through a man's mind. Scary thought, I know, but when you finish this course you will know more about that man in your
life and, more importantly, you'll write believable male characters.

INSTRUCTOR BIO: Except for her writing life, Chris Redding is surrounded by men. In her house with her husband and two boys. At both of her part time jobs: a rescue squad and the Emergency Medical Services department of her local hospital, both male dominated fields. And she's studied them all intently. She lives in New Jersey. Corpse Whisperer came out in October of 2007. Incendiary is due out later this year and Along Comes Pauly, a romantic comedy will be out in 2010.

Photo Prompt - Ice

I saw this photo and it's perfect for a photo prompt as it opens a window into a whole new world. Take your muse into this world and write at least 200 words. Include at least two senses.

Gardening of the Soul

It's springtime and new life burst forth promising new starts. As I planted flowers this year I thought of how I fertilize, water and keep things weed free. It takes work. It's the same with people. Write a scene that depicts a character struggling with things "planted" in her soul early in life. Here are a few ideas:

*In the therapist office
*Rocky marriage situation
*Stressed out parent
*At the beach and afraid to go in the water
*Or pick one of your own

Don't tell the struggle--show it. How does your character feel? What are they thinking? Is their fear or underlying turmoil real or perceived? What triggers it?

Everyday Heroes

Heroes emerge within everyday scenarios. It can be a person or even an animal. What you define as a hero is up to you. Write a short story about an everyday hero in your life. As a bonus, check out Anthology News and Reviews for a market for this story.

Unsolved Mysteries

Unsolved mysteries tug at the imagination of many. Today, I want you to take an unsolved mystery and write a speculative fiction piece that solves it. If you don't have a mystery in mind, choose one of the following topics:

• Shroud of Turin
• Mary Celeste
• The taos hum
• Black Dahlia
• Comte de Saint Germain
• Voynich manuscript
• Jack the Ripper
• Bermuda Triangle
• The Zodiac Killer
• The Babushka Lady

This prompt will lead you down paths previously unexplored in your imagination and may reap a surprisingly creative outcome as your muse puts on its investigator hat.

Symptoms

At this time of year colds and flu spread through family, classrooms, and workplaces faster than a sneeze disappointed. Little telltale signs warn you that you've caught the bug. Write a scene SHOWING your character is getting sick. Learning to incorporate sensory details provides clues for readers to make their own determinations, plus they can relate to what's going on.

Shattered: Life After A Child's Death Stories

Shattered: Life After A Child's Death Stories of inspiration, strength and determination surrounding the challenging loss of a child. Pay for this project is $50-$200. Piece length 800-1400 words. Submissions, queries and questions can be directed to submissions. shattered@ gmail.com.

Drifting Seeds

It's spring and the dandelions are sprouting in my yard. As a child I thought them beautiful and fun, and as an adult learned they were a weed to be exterminated. Now the child in me still thinks them beautiful. Their tiny seeds carried by feathery parachutes...that's what this prompt is about today.

Write a scene following a dandelion seed. Feel the weightlessness and see the world from the seed's POV.

FREEZE FRAME

Here's a prompt for a writing contest I thought I'd share with my readers.

FREEZE FRAME

Describe a single moment in time just after something has happened so clearly that the reader can understand what happened without having "seen" it happen. Think of a photograph, as opposed to a movie. Try to imply an entire story with beginning, middle, and end in one frozen moment. Remember not to leave that moment in time! Don't tell the reader anything that the reader could not perceive if the reader were in the scene you're describing.

One entry per author. The mini-story should be between 50 and 100 words long. Hyphenated words count as separate words: "jack-o-lantern" counts as three words.

Deadline: 11:59 PM Eastern time, Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Prizes: $15 for 1st, $10 for 2nd, $5 for 3rd, publication but no money for honorable mentions.

Send entries to Entries@OnThePremis es.com and put MINI-CONTEST in the subject heading, please. As with our regular contests, put your contact information in the body of your e-mail and
attach your mini-contest entry as a .doc, .rtf, or .txt file. (No .wps files! We can't read them.)

Edit Your Writing Prompt

As much as we enjoy the creative process, it's not always fun. Editing our writing is work that makes it better. Today's prompt requires a scene you've already created. Find one you like. Now read through it and as you do circle passive verbs. including thee words that redirect your action:

• could
• noticed
• can
• will
• heard

For example, if you say a character heard a noise, instead of TELLING they heard it, let the reader hear what the character hears.

Also identify vague words. These words water down the imagery in your writing. They include words like:

• some
• all
• most
• many
• more
• enough
• several
• fewest
• fewer
• few
• very
• really
• good
• a lot
• still.

Once you identify these words, rewrite the piece. And what the heck, why not look for a market and submit it!

Come to Order

Create a scene including the following:

• police officer
• court room
• crutches

Be sure to include at least two senses.

Not What It Appears

Today's prompt will be fun. It's two steps. First, write a description of an item. Include at least two of the senses. When you have your item developed, I want you to place it in a scene and through the actions of a character show that the item is not what it appears to be.

This can be as simple as describing the golden crust of an apple pie sprinkled with sugar and the scent of cinnamon filling the air. Then when your character sits down to eat it, it's so sour that the glans in his cheeks rebel.

If you can't think of something, here are a few muse pumpers to crank up the imagination:

• car
• boy
• new school or job
• student

Describe any one of these and then introduce them to your character. Have fun! This helps develop the ability to lead your readers one way to surprise them with a twist at the end.