Triple Photo Exercise For Fall Writing

 

Today, we have three photos for you to use as a writing prompt exercise. All have to do with the autumn season we are experiencing in the northern hemisphere. The background of each is made up of fallen leaves and trees in one. 

Each photo also has a human touch. In one, we see the backs of a couple walking. In another, a young woman is stretched out among the leaves, and the third shows the wheels of two bicycles and the legs and shoes of two riders. 

Choose one or all three today to do this photo prompt exercise. Use description, sensory details, and emotion. Write a paragraph for each, or a full story. Perhaps you can come up with a Flash Fiction piece to submit to a magazine. Try writing a poem for each photo. Or an essay of some kind. Whatever comes to mind. 

Some writers turn their nose up at the thought of doing writing exercises. They shouldn't, as inspiration for writing a full story or poem comes from doing these exercises. Not every one, of course. But you will find some that give you good ideas for further writing. 

A Photo Prompt Exercise on the 4th of July

 

Today is a Monday, the beginning of another week. It's also the 4th of July holiday. For those who are having a quiet holiday, I have a writing prompt photo for you. 

I saw this photo on a friend's Facebook page. Carole Bumpus, author, is on vacation in France enjoying a wine cruise. The photo was one she took while visiting the wine country. It immediately captured my attention. What a great writing prompt! was the thought that skipped through my mind. I asked Carole if she would give me permission to use it on my blog, and sweet woman that she is, she granted permission. You can read my review of her book, Searching For Family and Traditions at the French Table here.

Use the photo below as a writing prompt exercise. It prompted me to wonder what would I find if I walked through the opening Who or what is  on the other side of the wall? What colors are predominant in the photo? Does the photo bring a period of time in history to you? Or is it present day? Study the photo before you begin to write. Write a short story, or a poem, or a piece of flash fiction. I'm eager to know what you found when you slipped through the portal to the unknown. Use your imagination and creativity.

Blizzard--A Photo Prompt Writing Exercise

 

Heavy snow blew across parts of Kansas yesterday. Our town, Manhattan, is in the north central part of the state. We were predicted to get 1-2 inches, since we were on the edge of the storm. My daughter lives two hours east and south of us. She had freezing rain, thundersnow, ice, and around 5 inches of snow on Thursday. Towns around her had up to ten inches. And for us? Zip! None! Nary a flake!

We, of course, have had our share of snow and blizzard conditions in the past, but this time we were fortunate. Our roads were dry and our sky clear. If you live in an area where snowstorms are the norm, you can relate to the photo I selected for a writing exercise today. 

It's the perfect one for a photo prompt. Either write a descriptive paragraph using sensory details and super adjectives, or write a full story. Remember to spend some time studying the photo before you start writing. Take time to absorb everything you see. Besides the main focus, check the small details. You might make a list of words that describe a scene like this. Put some emotion into what you write. 

These exercises are often scoffed at by some writers, but others find they are great practice and some have even come up with a story to finish and submit to a publication. Most of all, have fun with this exercise. Unlike the freewrite  exercise, this one has no time limit. 

Photo Prompt Writing Exercise

My husband and I had the great good fortune of visiting South Africa twice. We were guests of friends who were born and raised there. We visited Kruger National Park while there and saw animals normally seen in the zoo in their natural habitat. Another place we visited was our friends' daughter's home called Glen Afric, where the animals roam free. The site of many movies, Glen Afric is also a lodge for guests with a lovely restaurant. These photos were taken as we drove through the many acres to view the animals. After Sunday lunch at the Lodge, we were delighted to partake in the Sunday tradition of feeding the elephants with scraps and leftovers from the lodge kitchen. 

For a photo prompt exercise this weekend, write a paragraph or more using the pictures above as your prompt. Create a full story if you are inspired to do so. 

Things to include when doing a photo prompt:

Sensory details--sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch 

Strong description

A sense of place

A possible story

Active verbs

Show, don't tell

Doing photo prompt exercises help you become a stronger writer. Some of the exercises can be expanded into a full story, poem, or essay. 

The photo below will show you the rondavel huts where we lived for the three days we spent at Kruger National Park. Electricity, air-conditioning, a kitchen on the covered porch--all the comforts of home, as well as monkeys screeching in the trees.  Maybe you can use this photo for your writing exercise, as well as the ones above. 

 

A Photo Prompt Writing Exercise

 

The photo today is Falmouth Harbor in England. I took it when we were touring the UK with friends. 

Study the photo as a prompt. Then write one of the following for a Monday Writing Exercise:

1. a descriptive paragraph
2. the beginning of a story
3. a poem
4. a few paragraphs with a mystery theme
5. a love story
6. a weather-related story
7. a paragraph filled with sensory details

There are many directions you can go with this exercise. When you do one, let your imagination soar!

FYI:  There is a lovely Yacht Club and Maritime Museum at this harbor plus the inevitable gift shop.

A Writing Exercise Can Be Fun

 

Today's post offers a photo prompt writing exercise. You know the drill. Study the photo and write a paragraph or more about what you see. 

You can concentrate solely on making it part of a story or do nothing more than write a descriptive paragraph. Come up with a small slice of life. Does the photo trigger a memory of long ago? Enlarge upon it.

Hone your sensory detail skills. What would you hear if you could step into the photo scene. What do you see? Are there any smells wafting in the air? What about taste and touch? 

Work in a sense of place and perhaps a time period. Is there any weather to be included or not? Does the lack of color play a part in the mood?

We find these things from doing more than looking at the photo. We must take time to study it. Look for the tiny details that you don't notice at first glance.

An exercise like this can lead to a full story or a short memoir piece. It can end up being only an exercise, but it's practice for later writing. 

When you do writing exercises like this one, don't think of it as work. Use your imagination and have fun.

A Photo Prompt Writing Exercise

I thought this was a great photo to use for a Photo Prompt Exercise.  Write a slice of life vignette or a full story using the picture and all it entails as your starting point.

When doing an exercise like this, it's important to spend some time studying the photo. Don't merely look at it and start writing. Check the different parts to the picture. Make a list, or even a mental list. 

What I see:

• two people on a bench
• one appears to be a man, the other a woman
• the bench is made of wood
• the bench is on what appears to be a dirt path
• it must be chilly, or even cold since they are wearing coats
• the people both are wearing boots but in different styles
• the season seems to be late fall or winter
• there are houses in the distance
• the trees are bare
• there are some bare looking plants in front of them
• the woman is wearing a scarf and hat
• the man is either wearing a scarf or has his coat collar up
• lack of color

Do you see something else that I did not?

After you have made your list start thinking about their conversation. Is it amiable? Bitter? Coarse? Troubling? Frightening? Or something else? 

Many stories that can end up as submissions can come from an exercise like this. It may be worth your time and effort to do the exercise. Have fun dreaming up a story for these two people.

 

Beginning Writers Can Become Better Writers

Today's photo quote will give us a twofold situation. First is the quote itself. All of us who write have been beginners, maybe some still qualify as beginners. The bestselling authors in the world were all beginners at some time. We're all in good company!

Look at the little boy on the baseball field. Maybe this is his first time with a bat and a glove. He's in a big baseball park, and no doubt he is dreaming of the day he will be a pro ballplayer with the stadium filled with cheering crowds. It never hurts to dream a bit. Didn't you have some special dreams when you started to write? I bet you did. It's a natural thing to look ahead and think about what might be someday. 

We should also be aware that that bigtime dream doesn't happen easily or quickly. When our writing journey begins, we set one foot on the path with the first piece we plan, write, and finish. We move ahead a step at a time. What helps us make the next move and the next? Think of your writing journey as a children's game board where you toss the dice and move as many spaces as the dice tell you. Each time you do something to help your writing, you can move one space. Not just writing, even though that is what you really want to do. Write but also read about writing, talk to other writers about the craft, attend writing conferences, and join a writing group. One more thing you can do to advance on your journey is to do writing exercises.

A writing exercise is the second part of today's post. The little boy in the picture is the perfect one to use today for a photo prompt writing exercise. Most of you know the drill. 

• Study the picture--don't just look, but really study it
• Ask yourself some questions about the person, the place, the situation
• Write a descriptive paragraph or any of the following
• Write a few paragraphs, the beginning of a story or just a few paragraphs
• Write a full story about what the picture brought to mind
• Write a character sketch

Try This Writing Exercise

Let's try a Photo Prompt exercise today. I love this picture with the softened colors, the girl on the horse, and the hazy details in the sky and the background as well as the grass she is riding through. 

For the uninitiated, to do this exercise you must first study the picture and then write a paragraph or a story or a poem using what you've seen to inspire you. You can write a paragraph of nothing but a description or make up a full story with a beginning, middle and ending. 

You could even create a story or paragraph about the person who painted the picture. 

Name the girl. Name the horse. Name the place. What about those birds in the sky? What is that in the far left background? 

An exercise like this gives your imagination free rein. It might even remind you of a family story that you've been meaning to write and never have. Use whatever inspiration it gives to do the exercise. 

NOTE:  There are many who scoff at writing exercises. I don't want to do exercises. I want to write something real, something I can submit to an editor.

First, no writing exercise is worthless. We gain something, big or small, from doing them. We're practicing our craft in bits and pieces with these exercises. 

Many finished pieces that are submitted to an editor in hopes of publication started out as a writing exercise. 

Help With A Writing Exercise

Why is a picture prompt such a good exercise for writers? One of the best reasons I can think of is that they help to develop our imagination and creativity. If I were teaching a class filled with twenty writers of all stages--newbies, intermediate and top pros--and I assigned the picture above for a writing exercise, I would receive twenty different stories. There is no doubt of that. Two main things enter into what comes of an exercise like this.

Experience: Each writer who studies this picture will see something different. A lot of what we see is based on our own experiences or our dreams perhaps. If the writer had lived in a place where snow in winter was the norm, the many experiences taking place on snowy days would spark their writing. But if the writer had lived in southern Florida, a snowy day like this one is only a dream. Maybe a nightmare as it doesn't appeal at all to many of these people to be cold. They can only imagine the crunch of snow under a pair of warm boots. They don't know what it feels like to have the snow land flake by flake on already-chilled cheeks. Nor do they know the joy of making a snowball or building a snowman. So, yes, experiences do play a part in what we see in a picture prompt.

Imagination:  Let's face it. Some people have more vivid imaginations than others. Walk through a museum of contemporary art with 5 people, stop before a colorful abstract painting and ask each one what they see in it. You'd get widely diverse interpretations depending on the imagination quotient of each person. Can you develop a higher degree of imagination? Yes, I think it's quite possible. As stated above, doing these picture prompts is one good way to increase your imagination. We're all familiar with stories about small children who live with a pretend friend or pet. My youngest brother kept 5 baby fire dragons and a mama fire dragon with him for a long time, blamed many of his misdeeds on them, and cautioned the rest of the family not to step on them. He's not a writer today, but I have a feeling that he'd have a good result with a picture prompt as he had that imaginative spark from early on. Doing the picture prompt exercise on a regular basis should help develop your imagination to a higher degree. 

So how about it? Give this picture a good look. Take time to study it top to bottom, side to side. Then start writing. Ask yourself where it is, what time of day it might be, who is going to come down that path and leave footprints. Add sensory details to let the reader know what it feels like in this scene. I wish I really were teaching a class of twenty writers who would hand in this assignment to me. I'd love to see what they created

Whose Bicycle Is This?

Let's start the week off with a photo prompt. I loved this picture. It left questions in my mind and I hope it will do the same for you. 

Play the What if...? game as you study the photo. Or maybe we should try one called Who will...?

When you're ready to write your paragraph (or several) or a full story, keep the following in mind:

• Active verbs
• Five senses--taste, touch, sight, smell and sound
• No cliches
• Show instead of telling
• No repeating words--find new ones
• No unnecessary words like very, really, just etc.
• Nix the overlong sentences
• Use adjectives sparingly

Don't turn your nose up at writing exercises. They flex your writing muscles, stimulate the imagination and bring out your creative side. Many a writing exercise has turned into a publishable piece of writing. 

Lady In The Garden--What's Her Story?

free image from Vintage Victorian Images

I am careful to use only free images from online sites when I am writing my blog post. If you use a photo you found online or are using a search engine to find one, be sure to use 'free' in the keyword for your search. 

I'm later than usual in posting, so let's do a photo prompt exercise. I've been saving this picture because I liked it so much. Yes, I'm a romantic who loves historical fiction. While very lovely, the photo also gives us much to consider before writing.

Play the old "What if?" game. What if this happened while the lady was picking flowers? Or that happened? Will it be something wonderful? Or something to make us shudder? 

Look at her dress and parasol. What can you say about it that will describe it well? How about all that paraphernalia she most likely wore underneath? And what about her hairstyle? Easy to do each day? Did she need help? 

Ask yourself if she's happy or sad. Is she picking the flowers for a party or to add something special to her home. Is she waiting for someone or has someone just left? 

Sensory details? Smell might come to mind first when you see the mass of flowers. Is there sound in the garden? 

I've given you lots to consider while studying the picture. Now write a paragraph, two or a full story. Have fun and share if you'd like in the comments section. 

A Winter Scene Photo Prompt

 

I have two photos for you today, both of winter scenes. I selected the winter theme because we had our first dose of it today. No snow but really cold. Time for heavy jackets, hats and gloves! 

One reason to use photos as writing prompts is to give us an opportunity to do two things:  create a story and write descriptively. 

It's up to you whether you want to write a full story or a slice of life or merely a descriptive paragraph. If you have the time, you might try one of each. 

Choose the photo that appeals to you the most. Study it and then begin writing. Freewrite--write without stopping--and see what comes from your inner self. 

These photo prompt exercises can turn into a full story or essay that you can submit somewhere after you've edited and revised it a time or two. Maybe three! 

Some writers turn up their nose at the thought of doing one of these writing exercises. Big mistake. They have lots of benefits if you let yourself get into the process. Go for it!

Stones On A Lake

Stones On A Lake

Try a writing exercise today with this photo prompt. Stones on a Lake is the title. I thought it an intriguing scene for the first day of fall in the northern hemisphere.

Ask yourself many questions before you begin. How did those stones get there? Who is going to walk across them? Is someone going to run across them? Who is waiting in the woods for them? Who is chasing them? Who is with them? What is their objective? And any other questions that come to mind.

Then begin writing and see where you go. Make it as simple or complex as you like. Pay attention to sensory details, a sense of place, descriptive phrases, showing instead of telling, and the glorious color.

A Photo Prompt Writing Exercise

Let's begin the week with a photo prompt writing exercise. It seemed fitting to use one with our current month featured plus some rather interesting features. One in particular intrigued me. 

Study the photo for a few minutes, then begin writing whatever pops into your mind. Let the words flow from brain to fingers and see what evolves. Will it be a short story? Or a memoir piece? Or perhaps a poem?  Or just a descriptive paragraph? 

Try some of that fearless writing we mentioned last week. Use some of the passion for writing that you will completely unleash. You can let yourself go. No one will see this except you, unless you want to turn it into something to publish. Write from your heart. 

Use this exercise today to warm up your writing skills before you move on to whatever your main writing project for the day happens to be. 

Anyone who would like to share can do so in the comments section. 

A Stormy Photo Prompt

These two pictures both depict storms, one a storm at sea and the other, an aftermath of a snowstorm. Choose one, or both, and write a story or just a few paragraphs. When doing a photo prompt, always study the photo to let your mind begin to question and perceive what is happening. Then, start writing. Note that are people in each photo. Include them in your story.

Eight Writing Exercises

My husband and I are going away for a few days so there will be no new post here until Monday, August 8th. I'm posting four photos below that you can use to do the photo prompt exercise. Below that, you'll find a list of words that you can use for a freewrite exercise. That should keep you busy until I can post a new topic next week. 

Photo Prompt Exercise

Study the photo, then write a paragraph, several paragraphs or more using the photo as a base.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

Photo 4

Words For Freewrite Exercise

For each word, write 10 minutes without stopping. Write whatever comes into your mind.

• tasteful
• torrid
• bagpipes
• shy

Photo Prompt Exercise

This looked like an interesting picture for a Photo Prompt Writing Exercise. It seems to me that a writer could use this picture and write several stories, each one taking a different path.

Some readers might see an exercise like this and pass right on by. Take a step back if that's you. Try your hand to see what you can create by studying this picture. It's great practice and you could end up with a story to market.

Consider place, physical characteristics, situation and more. Make your story humorous or sad. Make it heartwarming or violent. The choice is yours.

Care to share with the rest of us? You can post your story in the comments section.

Need a Little Motivation To Write A Seasonal Story?

What words come to mind when you study this picture? It seemed a perfect photo for a Photo Prompt Writing Exercise. 

Some of the words that came to me as I gazed at this scene are:

• peace
• cold
• long ago
• warmth inside 
• glow
• Christmas
• rural area

And then I wondered who might be inside the carriage. Other thoughts I had are:

• Who was waiting in the fully lighted house?
•  Would there be a joyous reunion? 
• Or would the greetings at the door be as frigid as the snow outside?
•  Where did the tree standing inside come from? 
• Who decorated it? 
• What aromas met the callers as they entered the house?
• What gifts did the callers bring?
• Was it perhaps only a doctor in the carriage after being called by the home's owner?
• What kind of room was in the tower at the top of the house? 

When you do an exercise like this, take some time to study the picture. Note the details, not just the main things that jump out immediately. Let your mind consider questions like I did above. 

Your writing effort for this photo prompt could quite easily turn into a Christmas story that you can market for 2016. Too many writers turn their nose up at doing an exercise like this. It's too bad as many a good story can come from using this motivational device. Awww, go on--give it try!