The Gift--A Writing Prompt

 

Which is THE one?

Let's try a photo prompt today. Usually, I choose a scene with a person or people in it. Many parts to study. With this one you'll need a little more imagination.

There are four gifts under a Christmas tree. Consider that one of them holds a very special gift. Write a short story, or even a few paragraphs about the four gifts and the one that is special. If; you enjoy writing poetry, try a narrative poem for the exercise.

Before you begin, ask yourself:

1. Where does the story take place?
2. Who will receive that one special gift?
3. Why is that person getting a special gift?
4. What did you have to go through to get the gift?
5. Where did you go to get the gift?
6. Did you have enough money or not?
7. What is the person's reaction when he/she opens the gift?
8. How does the giver feel when the gift has been received?
9. What period of time is this taking place?
10. What is the gift?
11. The packages are wrapped in simple paper and twine with a sprig of greenery. Is this significant?

This photo prompt could take you to many places, stir up emotions, and help you write a Christmas story. It's a writing exercise but one that can go many different ways---humorous, sci-fi, horror, fantasy, romance--your choice.

A Writing Prompt, A Fall and A Wife's Fright

A number of years ago, a writer friend offered a wonderful writing prompt at one of the conferences I attended. She asked the first part of a question, then added different endings. We could choose any or all to write about an experience. Hopefully, this first draft would be the initial writing that would become a personal essay. 

I was truly surprised at the lengthy drafts that I came up with when I answered one of her questions. What were the questions? 

The beginning of each question is: What is the travel or life experience in which you...

The list of the final part of the question is below:

What is the travel or life experience in which you...

• ...were the most frightened?
• ...were the most frustrated?
• ...experienced an outcome that surprised you?
• ...felt the most exhilarated from afterward?
• ...waited the longest to achieve/experience?
• ...learned the most from?
• ...didn't really want to do, but were glad you did afterwards?

Try any, or all, of the questions and see what happens. Do it in any form you like, but putting in sensory details and dialogue could enhance it. Play with words a bit. Add what you learned if you want it to be a true personal essay. Or some universal truth that the experience brought to you. 

I'll give you an example of one I did several years ago. I didn't have to ponder on the question very long as I knew immediately the time in my life when I was the most frightened. Read mine, then try one of the questions (or more) on your own. Keep in mind that this is the first draft, no paragraphs and much to be edited later.

What is the travel or life experience in which you were the most frightened?

I believe the most frightening experience I've ever had happened only a few weeks ago. When Ken fell and hit his head while out walking on a snowy street, he came in acting confused, upset and totally unlike himself. He is a confident man with an outstanding mind, and to see him so different frightened me to the point that I felt weak, knees like jelly. "I don't know what day it is," he said. He looked at me like a lost puppy dog. The unspoken message was there. "Help me!" So, what did I do? I asked him who the president was, tried to make light of it. He hesitated for a long time, then gave me the wrong answer. That's when the fear knotting inside me tightened until I thought I might cry. Instead, I suggested we go to the emergency room. Normally, he would have waved me off, said he'd be fine. Not this time. "OK," he said. He began to pace the house from one room to another, asking strange questions about whatever he saw. I grabbed jackets for both of us and led him to the car. I glanced at him once as I drove the three minutes to the hospital, and he appeared near tears. The knot in my stomach reached boulder size. Three hours and a CAT scan later, bloodwork and two doctors later, it was determined he had a concussion, needed to spend the night for observation. It was raining outside and temperature dropping so I went home, then brought some things back for him and made sure he was calm and settled in before heading home in the worsening weather. The fear I'd had earlier intensified as I reflected on the doctor's words. "We need to do some more bloodwork. It's possible he had a stroke and that is what caused his fall." I spent a near-sleepless night as a stroke had never entered my mind. It was a snowy morning and he slipped. Why did the doctor plant that rotten little seed? Our family doctor, who had been away the day of Ken's accident, called me at 7:20 a.m. the next day to say it was a simple concussion and no sign whatsoever of a stroke. He'd been seen by a neurologist and cleared to go home. I brought home the man I knew and loved, no longer confused and afraid. The knot in my stomach fell apart. This entire experience frightened me more than when Ken had a heart attack, more than when we learned he had prostate cancer. I had never felt as close to losing him as when his mind was affected. 

Assignment? Imagination!

Let's finish the week with a writing exercise using the picture above. It's a place called Howard Arms in a small village in England. It's a pub with B&B rooms on the top floor. No elevator, one must haul the luggage up the steep stairway.. We had a wonderful dinner here one summer evening, enjoying not only the excellent food but rubbing elbows with local folk. There was a chill to the air that night and the roaring fire in the large stone fireplace proved very welcome. The well-worn tables and chairs proved inviting and comfy.

I've given you the setting and the picture. For this exercise, you create the characters and the situation using this pub as the place of action. If you would like to share what you've written with me and our readers, I'd be delighted. Add it to the comments section and I promise to respond.

Work on it today or over the weekend. Make your effort light and humor-filled or dark and eerie. Will it be the beginning of a Halloween tale or one of frivolity? Use your creativity to the fullest here. You are in control.

Where Does This Path Lead?

The Road to Where?

What a perfect picture for a writing prompt. Look at it carefully for several minutes. Don't just glance at it. Take time to study the picture. Where is that road going to take you? Are you happy about walking on beyond what you can see? Or are you fearful of what lies in wait for you? 

Try to use lots of sensory details when you write something prompted by this gorgeous fall scene? Look at the sky, the leaves, the bare trees, the fence and the path itself. How does the air feel? Does it have a chill to it or is it a warm Indian Summer day? The picture lends itself to some great descriptions as you travel on to whatever is at the end. 

Are you alone or with one or more others? Will it be a memory from your past or something brand new? Is the story going to be happy, scary, or sad? 

Don't start writing too soon. Give yourself time to concentrate on the picture, to let it penetrate into your mind. Monday is a good day to try a writing exercise. Maybe it will inspire your writing for the remainder of this week. 

Writing Prompt #5

This is the final writing prompt in the week-long series. We've looked at a picture to spur writing ideas, worked on characterization, written  about a situation and worked with colors. Today, the exercise involves verbs. 

We're going to look at action verbs. Forget those passive ones like is, was, and are. We know that active verbs create more interest and visual images. 

Look at the list of action verbs below and freewrite a paragraph or two for each one. What comes to mind for each one? Maybe something from your past will pop up. Or perhaps a limerick or poem. Maybe you'll start a story or essay with ideas spurred by the verbs in the list.  Do one each day or several--your choice. You can use present tense or past.

Action Verbs

1.  ski

2.  vault

3.  embrace

4.  slam

5.  shoot

6.  pray

7.  write

8,  cook

9.  run

10.  hit    

Writing Prompt #4

Color is a part of our life that we sometimes take for granted. I'm old enough to remember the days when movies were done in black and white except for the musical extravaganzas which made them so very appealing. 

My friend, Annette Gendler has used a color exercise on her blog a number of times. She uses one color per month, but today, I'm going to give you a list of colors. For each one, list as many words as you can that indicate the color. Writers need to be wary of repetition. Why keep telling the reader something is blue when there are many other ways to convey that message? 

I'll add a couple of words for the first couple colors. See how many more you can add and then on to the other colors. Do them all in one fell swoop, or save the list and do one color per day.  Keep your list and add to it. Then use some of those many descriptive words in your writing.

COLORS:

1  Yellow

       sunny

       golden

2.  Pink

        blush

        rose

3.  Black

4.  Brown

6.  White

7.  Green

8.  Blue

9.  Orange

10.  Purple

      

Writing Prompt #1

The next few days, I'm going to post some writing prompts. One of the more interesting ones we've done in my critique group is the Picture Prompt. Everyone receives the same photo, then they write a short story or few paragraphs that might be the beginning of a short story--perhaps even a novel.

Twenty people can look at this picture of the rugged coastline in--ooops, maybe I shouldn't tell you where this is.--and there will be twenty different pieces that come from it. Some will be of a light nature while others will write something very dark. They might study the picture and place a tragic happening there or lovers meeting secretly or a weather disaster. It could be a myriad number of events that might happen in this setting. Don't forget to include sensory details. 

You can enlarge the picture by enlarging the font on your screen, but that may not be necessary. I think the picture here gives you a good idea of the setting. 

Here's a second picture to stir your imagination. The one above requires you to add people to the setting, but this one already has a person in it. Study her and write a few paragraphs. If it goes well, keep on going with an entire story. 

Pre-school teachers often use picture prompts to stir imagination in small children. They tell the story they see in the picture and the teacher writes it on a story board. Teachers in the early grades and even beyond sometimes use picture prompts to inspire creativity in students. 

You can find countless pictures online to use for a prompt. As you do more of these picture prompts, you'll be able to let your imagination soar. Who knows? You may find your next publishable story from one of these exercises. Give it try!