Describe colorful character using similes and metaphors. Prompt #362

  • Describe colorful character using similes and metaphors. Prompt #362

    Write about a colorful character using similes and metaphors.

    Simile – a figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often using like or as, as in “eyes like stars.”

    Metaphor – A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another; thus making an implicit comparison, as in the evening of life.

    Metaphors are comparisons that show how two things that are not alike in most ways are similar in one important way. Metaphors are a way to describe something. Authors use them to make their writing more interesting or entertaining.

    Unlike similes that use the words “as” or “like” to make a comparison, metaphors state that something is something else.

     Brian was a wall, bouncing every tennis ball back over the net.

    We would have had more pizza to eat if Tammy hadn’t been such a hog.

     Cindy was such a mule. We couldn’t get her to change her mind.

    The poor rat didn’t have a chance. Our old cat, a bolt of lightning, caught his prey.

    Even a child could carry my dog, Dogface, around for hours. He’s such a feather.

    —English Basics, Volume 3, Number 26, March 29, 1999, www.rhlschool.com

     

     

    Marlene C

    , , , ,

  • I never planned to . . . Prompt #360

    Today’s prompt:

    I never planned to  . . .

    Marlene C

    , , , ,

  • National Day of . . . Prompt #361

    Imagine a conversation between two people of different backgrounds talking about March 13, National Day of . . .

    Explain National Day [choose one from the list below] as if these two people were talking in person, over the phone, or via emails. They could be friends. Or perhaps they have never met in person.

    Look for the twist in red below.

    National Elephant Day – Thailand

    Coconut Torte Day – Australia

    National Good Samaritan Day – United States. A day for unselfish actions to help those in need and to celebrate kindness.

    National Earmuff Day – United States, in honor of the 1873 invention of earmuffs. At the age of fifteen, Chester Greenwood of Farmington, Maine was credited for inventing the winter wear out of necessity—his ears were cold.

    National K9 Veterans Day – United States

    A lot of things changed after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Oil, leather and rubber were rationed. Men were drafted. Women rolled up their sleeves and built war supplies. And dogs were called to duty. During the first World War, the United States took notice of the European use of canines as sentries, message carriers and several other functions.

    National Open an Umbrella Indoors Day There is a superstition that opening umbrellas indoors will bring bad luck. National Open an Umbrella Indoors Day encourages you to do just that and note if you have any bad luck.

    Here’s the twist:  Use foreign phrases in your writing, such as:

    Amber fluid = beer

    Ankle biter = small child

    Bikkie = biscuit (also “it cost big bikkies” – it was expensive)

    Billy = teapot

    Bonnet = car hood

    Boot = car trunk

    Brolly = umbrella

    Cooker = stove

    Drink with the flies = to drink alone

    Dummy = pacifier

    Holiday = vacation

    Jumper = sweater

    Lift = elevator

    Mobile = cell phone

    Nappy = diaper

    Nick = steal

    Ring = call

    Rubber = eraser

    Tap = faucet

    Trainers = sneakers

    Ready! Set! Just Write!

    Marlene C

    , , , , ,

  • Childhood ritual when you were sick. Prompt #359

     

    Write about a childhood ritual when you were sick. If there were no childhood rituals when sick, what would you have liked to happen? How would you have wanted to be treated when sick as a child?
    Or write about a time you were sick.

    Or write about any ritual from your childhood.

    You can write about what really happened, or make something up.

    You can answer from your fictional character’s point of view.

    Marlene C

    , , , ,

  • Your First Job . . . Prompt #358

    Write about your first job, or a job you had as a teenager.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Marlene C

    , , , ,

  • Write about the time of day you like best. Prompt #357

    Your favorite time of day.

    Write about the time of day you like best.   

     

     

    Marlene C

    , , , ,

  • Write A New Story . . . Prompt #356

    Ready to explore? Today’s writing prompt invites you to look at your old stories in new ways. Perhaps you can rewrite your story.

    Excerpt from October 2016 Reader’s Digest, “Down Off The Cross,” by Debra Jarvis, a chaplain and cancer survivor.

    “Let’s say I meet you on a bus. We really hit it off, but I’ve got to exit soon, so you’re going to tell me three things about yourself that help me understand who you are, that get at your essence.”

    Note from Marlene: Prompt:  List three things that define you.

    Back to the article:

    “Of those three things, is one of them surviving some kind of trauma, like being a cancer survivor, a war survivor, or an abuse survivor?”
    Note from Marlene: Or perhaps you are currently experiencing a difficulty or a trauma.

    Back to the article:    “Many of us tend to identify ourselves by our wounds.

    Claim your experience; don’t let it claim you.

    The way to cope with trauma, loss, or any other life-changing experience is to find meaning. But here’s the thing: No one can tell us what that meaning is. We have to decide what it means. And that meaning can be quiet and private—we don’t need to start a foundation, write a book, or work on a documentary. Instead, perhaps we make one small decision about our lives that can bring about big change.

    If you find yourself repeating your survivor story: Get down off your cross.

    When you repeat your survivor story, you aren’t processing your feelings—you are feeding them.

    Let your old story go so that a newer, truer story can be told about who you are.

    Claim your trauma as an experience instead of taking it on as your identity.

    It could mean the end of being trapped by your wounds and the start of defining yourself by who you are becoming.

    We’re all on this bus together. What story are you going to tell?”

    Note from Marlene: Prompt: Write a new story about what defines you.

     

    Marlene C

    , , , ,

  • A time you felt free to be you . . . Prompt #355

     

    Write about a time you had no worries . . .

    a play-filled time . . .

    a time you felt free to be you.

     

    Does this scene look familiar?  You know where it’s from if you’ve been to Maria’s Out West Garage in Petaluma, California.

    Hi, Maria. 🙂

    Marlene C

    , , , ,

  • Wrong Number . . . Prompt #354

    Today’s writing prompt:

    Wrong Number.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Marlene C

    , , , ,

  • If you could invent something . . . Prompt #353

    If you could invent something to make your life easier, what would it be?

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Marlene C

    , , , ,