The bewitching hour is near. All Hallows Eve approaches. Are you ready, my dear? Are you sure, my pretty? If it happens in the dark and no one sees it, did it happen? What goes on down those dark, narrow, alleys? What happens after dark here and there and everywhere? Are you the keeper of deep, dark secrets? Did you ask for that position? Can you give it up? Do you want to give it up? Write about the dark. . . dark times, dark streets, dark thoughts. Don’t leave us in the dark. Enlighten us.
Category: Prompts
Dark, murky, spooky . . . Prompt # 293
Writing Prompt: Write about your darkest moment, or a murky hour, or a gloomy day or a dreary night. Dark. Murky. What odd words. Dark. Murky. Is it the “k” sound that makes them spooky? What is it about these words that convey doom and gloom? What if you could spin the wheel, turn the dial, press a button and turn that dark day into a bright day? Would you do it? Would you trade your weary days for cheery days? Write about a lesson learned, an epiphany realized, a notable reconnaissance gained from what looked a worst nightmare.
That Family Member . . . Prompt # 292
Let’s do some relaxation exercises before writing. Settle into your chair. Feet flat on floor. Hands relaxed. Rotate shoulders in a circle. Reverse direction. Stretch arms out in front. Arms overhead. Arms to the side. Big deep breath in. Hold. Let go. Feel your feet connected to the floor. That connection goes down into the earth, way down, deep down, to the center of the earth. Firmly planted, deeply rooted. Take a nice deep breath in and bring your shoulders up to your ears. And then let them down with a loud hrumph sound. Another deep breath in, shoulders up and down with the outward breath. Completely supported in your chair. Feeling the connection to the earth. Feeling connected to the center . . . the core of the earth. Your connection goes deep. We’re going to do a bit of exploration here. . . scanning memories. Sitting comfortably in…
Paint Colors . . . Prompt #291
Have you ever noticed the names of paint colors? They are so creative. . . they could be wonderful writing prompts. Writing Idea: Keep a file folder of phrases to inspire your writing. These could be phrases that someone else wrote. They could be snippets you wrote to be used in future writing. This folder can also contain lists like these names for paint colors. You never know when or how you might want to use them. You might find a unique name for a character. Or a fabulous name for: a fictional town, a store, a street name, a pet. My favorite: Amethyst reflection . . . I can imagine using this to refer to eye color. Aqua Rapids Bubble Turquoise California Chamois China White Cloud Nine Blue Crystal Clear White Deco Red Festival Green Fiesta Rojo Fire Roasted Fitzgerald Smoke Frank Llyod White French Silver Inness Sage Innocent…
Movie Quotes . . . Prompt #290
Movies! Do you love ’em or are you meh about ’em? Do you get “lost in books?” Can you get the same kind of Calgon-take-me-away lost in movies? Jean Hegland is a gifted writer. Her novel, Into The Forest, has been made into a movie and is now at theatres and will soon be available on DVD. I wouldn’t normally go to see this type of movie, but the opportunity came up to view Into The Forest, the movie, with Jean answering questions after the viewing. Thank you to independent bookstore Copperfield’s Books for sponsoring the viewing. And thank you to Jean for writing an amazing and memorable story. Thanks, also, to Ellen Page, who saw the possibility of the type of movie this could be. See it, if you can, even if, like me, you have to close your eyes during some scenes. The cinematography, the acting, the dialogue,…
Movies as inspiration for writing. Prompt #289
Movies can be a wonderful inspiration for writing. I recently saw the movie, Sully. Even though I knew how it ended, I was teary-eyed. I was filled with emotion at how people helped one another. Director Clint Eastwood did an amazing job of telling the right amount of backstory and the right amount of Sully’s personal life. The focus was on the people involved . . . the human interest story. There were lines of dialogue that were exquisite. When using a movie as an inspiration for writing, you can write about the theme or mood of the story, a line of dialogue, a memorable scene, whatever interests you. Write about: A road trip. Thelma and Louise How you learned to dance. Dirty Dancing A time you were tricked, or you tricked someone. The Sting, two con men outcon a con.
I wasn’t the first . . . Prompt #288
Today’s writing prompts are inspired by author Julia Park Tracey, Alameda’s Poet Laureate. Part 1: Quotes from Veronika Layne Gets The Scoop by Julia Park Tracey. “I wasn’t the first reporter to arrive at the scene, but I wasn’t the last, either.” “A Victoria house — one of those multihued beauties with turrets, fish-scale shingles, gingerbread trim, iron railings, a weathervane, a trim of every description on widows’ walks and sun porches —a majestic painted queen from the late 1800s —burned like a marshmallow too close to the coals.” “You finally get a story, the story, and it changes before the ink is even on the page. And then it’s past, it’s history, and there’s not enough to cover for the following issue. On to the next assignment.” Note from Marlene: When you look at writing prompts, you can look at the entire quote, or take a section, or a…
Write about a favorite movie. . . OR . . . Prompt #287
Write about a favorite movie. Why do you like it? OR . . . write about a movie you really didn’t like. Did you watch it to the end? Why? Why didn’t you walk away? A note about freewrites: You don’t have to write on the prompt exactly as it’s written. You can write about “Why didn’t you walk away?” Write freely, with no attachment to the final product. Just write.
Let’s go to the movies. Prompt #286
Write about going to the movies . . . either as a child, teenager or adult.
Modeling— Becca Lawton’s Cool Writing Tips . . . Prompt #285
Here’s an entertaining idea from Rebecca Lawton’s Cool Writing Tips. Becca’s advisor at Mills College introduced “Modeling,” — an exercise “in which you select an excerpt of masterful writing … and fill in the blanks.” Rebecca Lawton writes, “Modeling is a sort of Mad Lib exercise, where each part of speech is swapped out for a word of your choice.”