(I apologize for the long break. The prompts are back now!)
"The beautiful thing about losing your mind is that you don't need to have a direction."
Challenge: Write this with an unusual metaphor.
Tip: Focus on voice. Imagine how the narrator would sound as they tell the story. Think about the inflection, the way they would speak, the words they would use. Are they cynical? Optimistic? Unsure? Reliable? Picture the narrator speaking, imagine the way they say the words, and write as a person would speak. Most importantly: don't confuse your voice with the narrator's voice.
Ready. Set. Continue.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Day 53
Write a story of what love's all about.
Challenge: Write a love song.
Tip: Do NOT be cliché. If you've read the same story or scenario over and over, don't write it and add to the pile. Be different. Be daring.
Ready. Set. Love.
Challenge: Write a love song.
Tip: Do NOT be cliché. If you've read the same story or scenario over and over, don't write it and add to the pile. Be different. Be daring.
Ready. Set. Love.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Day 52
You're giving up everything and starting over.
Challenge: Do something daringly different.
Tip: Use your imagination and creativity. This may sound remedial, but many people lose sight of what's outside the box. Take a few steps where you've never gone before and explore your imagination.
Ready. Set. Restart.
Challenge: Do something daringly different.
Tip: Use your imagination and creativity. This may sound remedial, but many people lose sight of what's outside the box. Take a few steps where you've never gone before and explore your imagination.
Ready. Set. Restart.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
***Note***
I apologize but I will be taking a small break from writing daily prompts. They will resume Saturday, July 27th. In the meantime, keep writing!
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Day 51
Take a drive (literally or just in the story) and write about what's on the way.
Challenge: Tell it entirely in flashbacks.
Tip: Context is incredibly important in building a backdrop. A familiar road should seem familiar with memories and the like while a new one should seem uncertain. If there's a store that's a common hangout or avoided territory, why? As you write, fill in the gaps and pieces to create a realistic place.
Ready. Set. Drive.
Challenge: Tell it entirely in flashbacks.
Tip: Context is incredibly important in building a backdrop. A familiar road should seem familiar with memories and the like while a new one should seem uncertain. If there's a store that's a common hangout or avoided territory, why? As you write, fill in the gaps and pieces to create a realistic place.
Ready. Set. Drive.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Day 50
50 days! In 50 words, say more than you can say in 500.
Challenge: Write a letter to someone saying whatever you need to say.
Tip: More words does not make a piece automatically better. If you're unsure whether something is necessary or not, it isn't.
Ready. Set. Limit.
Challenge: Write a letter to someone saying whatever you need to say.
Tip: More words does not make a piece automatically better. If you're unsure whether something is necessary or not, it isn't.
Ready. Set. Limit.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Day 49
Leave every inhibition, fear, and façade away from the story. Just write. Whatever you're holding back, let it out.
Challenge: Don't edit as you write.
Tip: Do this at least once a week and whenever you're bothered by something. At first, you may feel heavy or weary, but after a bit you'll feel wonderful and refreshed.
Ready. Set. Catharsis.
Challenge: Don't edit as you write.
Tip: Do this at least once a week and whenever you're bothered by something. At first, you may feel heavy or weary, but after a bit you'll feel wonderful and refreshed.
Ready. Set. Catharsis.
Day 48
Lay in the grass, close your eyes, and feel everything around you. Describe.
Challenge: Tell an entire story - detailed description and all - in under 400 words.
Tip: As you notice your surroundings, write it out in your head. The best parts will stick and the rest will be filled in as you write.
Ready. Set. Feel.
Challenge: Tell an entire story - detailed description and all - in under 400 words.
Tip: As you notice your surroundings, write it out in your head. The best parts will stick and the rest will be filled in as you write.
Ready. Set. Feel.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Day 47
Where do the telephone wires lead?
This may seem like a stupid or obvious question, but look at everything and everyone the telephone wires connect. Then wonder, where do the telephone wires lead?
Challenge: Use the wires as a symbol.
Tip: Describe everything. From the feel of the air to the ground beneath a character's feet. If it helps the picture, write it.
Ready. Set. Explore.
This may seem like a stupid or obvious question, but look at everything and everyone the telephone wires connect. Then wonder, where do the telephone wires lead?
Challenge: Use the wires as a symbol.
Tip: Describe everything. From the feel of the air to the ground beneath a character's feet. If it helps the picture, write it.
Ready. Set. Explore.
Day 46
"Just take me out to pasture and leave me for natural selection..."
Continue.
Challenge: Write an allegory.
Tip: Establish a voice and style and maintain it through the piece. Whether it's witty or serious, sarcastic or melodramatic.
Ready. Set. Continue.
Continue.
Challenge: Write an allegory.
Tip: Establish a voice and style and maintain it through the piece. Whether it's witty or serious, sarcastic or melodramatic.
Ready. Set. Continue.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Day 45
Go to the ends of the earth. For something. For someone. For anything.
Challenge: Go farther.
Tip: You should feel everything you put into your writing. The more something feels, the more it's real.
Ready. Set. Travel.
Challenge: Go farther.
Tip: You should feel everything you put into your writing. The more something feels, the more it's real.
Ready. Set. Travel.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Day 44
Play the part of a struggling addict. There's only one thing you want, but you know you can't have it.
Challenge: Write out of your comfort zone. Completely change up the form and style. If you're normally witty, be serious. If you're normally dramatic, be whimsical. There should be a significant difference.
Tip: Put yourself in the place of an addict. Close your eyes and imagine the painful feeling of not getting what you need.
Ready. Set. Imagine.
Challenge: Write out of your comfort zone. Completely change up the form and style. If you're normally witty, be serious. If you're normally dramatic, be whimsical. There should be a significant difference.
Tip: Put yourself in the place of an addict. Close your eyes and imagine the painful feeling of not getting what you need.
Ready. Set. Imagine.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Day 43
Technology. Is it bringing us down, or holding us up?
Challenge: Write a dystopian short story about what technology's doing to society.
Tip: Sometimes, your own writing gives you the chills or frightens you a bit. That's okay. In fact, the more emotionally effected you are by the writing, the more your audience will be.
Ready. Set. Imagine.
Challenge: Write a dystopian short story about what technology's doing to society.
Tip: Sometimes, your own writing gives you the chills or frightens you a bit. That's okay. In fact, the more emotionally effected you are by the writing, the more your audience will be.
Ready. Set. Imagine.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Day 42
Sometimes, things aren't just things. They're memories, relics of what was. They hold information that would otherwise be lost. Write about a thing that's more than a thing.
Challenge: Write a story where the thing is almost a character in itself.
Tip: Draw the reader in. Start with a line that brings about questions and catches someone's eye. My personal favorite is to start with a five or six word sentence as its own paragraph and then go into further detail. Find what catchy starts work for you.
Ready. Set. Unravel.
Challenge: Write a story where the thing is almost a character in itself.
Tip: Draw the reader in. Start with a line that brings about questions and catches someone's eye. My personal favorite is to start with a five or six word sentence as its own paragraph and then go into further detail. Find what catchy starts work for you.
Ready. Set. Unravel.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Day 41
Write the perfect summer ballad.
Challenge: Try writing a tanka. It's a bit like a haiku. There are five lines of varying syllables: first - 5, second - 7, third - 5, fourth - 7, fifth - 7. (5/7/5/7/7)
Tip: If you're having trouble with inspiration, find pictures of what you're writing about. Print some out and post them around your writing area. Listen to songs that spark a relevant memory or feeling. Surround yourself with things that bring along the feeling you need.
Ready. Set. Summertime.
Challenge: Try writing a tanka. It's a bit like a haiku. There are five lines of varying syllables: first - 5, second - 7, third - 5, fourth - 7, fifth - 7. (5/7/5/7/7)
Tip: If you're having trouble with inspiration, find pictures of what you're writing about. Print some out and post them around your writing area. Listen to songs that spark a relevant memory or feeling. Surround yourself with things that bring along the feeling you need.
Ready. Set. Summertime.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Day 40
What's the most wonderful age to be? Why? What's it like? Try your hand at poetry today.
Challenge: Use a negative experience to express why that age is wonderful.
Tip: Poems can tell stories or solely express an image/feeling. But often, there are unintended stories within the words that the readers fashion for themselves. Make sure the work is relatable to whoever sits down to read it.
Ready. Set. Wonder.
Challenge: Use a negative experience to express why that age is wonderful.
Tip: Poems can tell stories or solely express an image/feeling. But often, there are unintended stories within the words that the readers fashion for themselves. Make sure the work is relatable to whoever sits down to read it.
Ready. Set. Wonder.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Day 39
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle." -Ian Maclaren
Challenge: Write a satire with this quote in mind, possibly satirizing it using war.
Tip: Know the background of everyone and everything that pops into a story - whether it's a person or place. The tidbit of information may not make it into the piece if it's not necessary to the plot, but you should understand it to better understand your story.
Ready. Set. Explore.
Challenge: Write a satire with this quote in mind, possibly satirizing it using war.
Tip: Know the background of everyone and everything that pops into a story - whether it's a person or place. The tidbit of information may not make it into the piece if it's not necessary to the plot, but you should understand it to better understand your story.
Ready. Set. Explore.
Day 38
Rewrite the past.
Challenge: Look into the butterfly effect and write a story based around that idea.
Tip: Think about every aspect and detail of a story. If a character decides to run around the block in the middle of the night, why? If a character's upset or euphoric, what habits might that character have that show that specific emotion? In the case of this prompt, think of every possible aspect of the change - large scale, small scale, mid scale. What'd change? What'd be the same?
Ready. Set. Rewind.
Challenge: Look into the butterfly effect and write a story based around that idea.
Tip: Think about every aspect and detail of a story. If a character decides to run around the block in the middle of the night, why? If a character's upset or euphoric, what habits might that character have that show that specific emotion? In the case of this prompt, think of every possible aspect of the change - large scale, small scale, mid scale. What'd change? What'd be the same?
Ready. Set. Rewind.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Day 37
A bit depressing but, how would the world around you be different if you had died yesterday?
Challenge: Add this perspective into a current story you have.
Tip: This doesn't have to be a story, it can be a reflection or an essay. Find some thoughts that you have on the matter and string them together, playing with the form.
Ready. Set. Imagine.
Challenge: Add this perspective into a current story you have.
Tip: This doesn't have to be a story, it can be a reflection or an essay. Find some thoughts that you have on the matter and string them together, playing with the form.
Ready. Set. Imagine.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Day 36
What's the cost of freedom?
Challenge: Write a historically accurate piece about a revolution of some sort. It can be current or from a long while ago.
Tip: Look into real life stories. Whether it's a personal story, one from a friend, one from a memoir, or an account that you find from a source. Look around you and see the real life stories. There's inspiration in reality.
Ready. Set. Explore.
Challenge: Write a historically accurate piece about a revolution of some sort. It can be current or from a long while ago.
Tip: Look into real life stories. Whether it's a personal story, one from a friend, one from a memoir, or an account that you find from a source. Look around you and see the real life stories. There's inspiration in reality.
Ready. Set. Explore.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Day 35
We're saying our daily affirmations and looking on the brightside. Today, we're writing optimistically!
Challenge: Write about optimism in the middle of a storm.
Tip: Think of happiness and how it can shine in spite of darkness. Look at everything around you and let go of everything negative. You can't write something you're not feeling.
Ready. Set. Smile
Challenge: Write about optimism in the middle of a storm.
Tip: Think of happiness and how it can shine in spite of darkness. Look at everything around you and let go of everything negative. You can't write something you're not feeling.
Ready. Set. Smile
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Day 34
Listen to Afraid by The Neighbourhood. Listen to the lyrics, sense the feeling of the song and write something based on the song.
Challenge: Write a science fiction/fantasy piece.
Tip: Read through the lyrics as you listen. Stories can be extracted from anything around you. In the lyrics of a song, there are often lines that trigger something that will make you want to write. Find that, pinpoint exactly what it is that you want to write and then write it.
Ready. Set. Listen.
Challenge: Write a science fiction/fantasy piece.
Tip: Read through the lyrics as you listen. Stories can be extracted from anything around you. In the lyrics of a song, there are often lines that trigger something that will make you want to write. Find that, pinpoint exactly what it is that you want to write and then write it.
Ready. Set. Listen.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Day 33
Be fearless. Write what you're afraid to admit.
Challenge: Write it in a Haiku or a series of two or three Haikus (First line: 5 syllables; Second line: 7 Syllables; third line: 5 syllables) It's often difficult to write a good haiku that captures something as perfectly as a poem in whatever form you prefer.
Tip: If it makes you uncomfortable, don't read what you write after you finish. Don't write it to be published or be on display, write it to practice flowing your words together with emotion and honesty. If you want, rip it up or delete it when your finished. It can also be wonderful catharsis.
Ready. Set. Don't fear.
Challenge: Write it in a Haiku or a series of two or three Haikus (First line: 5 syllables; Second line: 7 Syllables; third line: 5 syllables) It's often difficult to write a good haiku that captures something as perfectly as a poem in whatever form you prefer.
Tip: If it makes you uncomfortable, don't read what you write after you finish. Don't write it to be published or be on display, write it to practice flowing your words together with emotion and honesty. If you want, rip it up or delete it when your finished. It can also be wonderful catharsis.
Ready. Set. Don't fear.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Day 32
What's on your bucket list? Write about something on your list, whether you've done it or not. Be imaginative, be fearless, be alive.
Challenge: Use the word vivacious.
Tip: Don't be cliché. And, if you're going to be cliché, do it with a twist. Don't write the million and sixth story about skydiving unless you have something new to bring to the story. Don't talk about YOLO-ing (I apologize for using that phrase) or Carpe Diem unless you have a fresh insight on it. If you're story is just like everything else, it can't be distinctive. Be different; be distinguishable.
Ready. Set. Live.
Challenge: Use the word vivacious.
Tip: Don't be cliché. And, if you're going to be cliché, do it with a twist. Don't write the million and sixth story about skydiving unless you have something new to bring to the story. Don't talk about YOLO-ing (I apologize for using that phrase) or Carpe Diem unless you have a fresh insight on it. If you're story is just like everything else, it can't be distinctive. Be different; be distinguishable.
Ready. Set. Live.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Day 31
Quick! Write down the first fifteen words that come to mind.
With those words, make a poem. Start each line or stanza with a word and connect them with images, metaphors, and words.
Challenge: Write a sonnet using your list of words. Since sonnets only have fourteen lines, you can cross a word out. Good luck!
Tip: Find the connection between the words. There's always a way to connect a series of words, so enlighten your creative side and find it. Once you do, just write. If it doesn't work out quite right at first, go back and switch some things around.
Ready. Set. Brainstorm.
With those words, make a poem. Start each line or stanza with a word and connect them with images, metaphors, and words.
Challenge: Write a sonnet using your list of words. Since sonnets only have fourteen lines, you can cross a word out. Good luck!
Tip: Find the connection between the words. There's always a way to connect a series of words, so enlighten your creative side and find it. Once you do, just write. If it doesn't work out quite right at first, go back and switch some things around.
Ready. Set. Brainstorm.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Day 30
30 days of prompts seems like something to commemorate. Go back through the previous prompts and find one you didn't write or would like to rewrite. Or, if you'd rather, revise one of the prompts you already wrote.
Challenge: Take one of your pieces and change its form. If it's a poem, make it prose. If it's an essay, make it a haiku. If it's a story, make it an essay. Have fun with it.
Tip: When you go back to rewrite or revise something you wrote, read it through once. Then go back through and mark it up with notes of what needs changed or what should stay. Anything you think while rereading, you should jot down. Afterwards, rewrite and revise what needs done. When you think your done revising, read through for typos/grammatical errors/misspellings. You're not done revising/editing unless you've read it through at least four or five times. Also, it's a good idea to read through it once or twice at a time then come back to it later and read through again. Find what works best for your editing and go for it.
Ready. Set. Rewrite.
Challenge: Take one of your pieces and change its form. If it's a poem, make it prose. If it's an essay, make it a haiku. If it's a story, make it an essay. Have fun with it.
Tip: When you go back to rewrite or revise something you wrote, read it through once. Then go back through and mark it up with notes of what needs changed or what should stay. Anything you think while rereading, you should jot down. Afterwards, rewrite and revise what needs done. When you think your done revising, read through for typos/grammatical errors/misspellings. You're not done revising/editing unless you've read it through at least four or five times. Also, it's a good idea to read through it once or twice at a time then come back to it later and read through again. Find what works best for your editing and go for it.
Ready. Set. Rewrite.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Day 29
Look around at the news. Monumental cases are taking place and people are taking a stand for what they believe in. Write a historical piece about a time in the past when people did just that.
Challenge: Find an event that's not too well known to write about.
Tip: Research. You not only need to know the history of that event, you need to know the culture of the place and time period; what it was like to live through that event; and how people talked as dialects are forever changing. Have fun learning and being a part of a piece of the past.
Ready. Set. Make history.
Challenge: Find an event that's not too well known to write about.
Tip: Research. You not only need to know the history of that event, you need to know the culture of the place and time period; what it was like to live through that event; and how people talked as dialects are forever changing. Have fun learning and being a part of a piece of the past.
Ready. Set. Make history.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Day 28
"I was afraid of gunshots until I heard more fireworks than guns. My irrational phobia of fireworks was the first of many..."
Begin a story with this line.
Challenge: Write about a character's phobias but let the main story be something other than his/hers fears. Ex: The story's based around his/hers fears but it's actually telling the tale of his/hers insecurities about life. Be creative!
Tip: Write the middle of a story first. When you understand the premise, go back and write the beginning. Whenever you're confident on the ending, write that. If the first thing you write is page 5 and the last thing you write is somewhere in the middle and you're able to put together a full story, it's more likely to be cohesive.
Ready. Set. Continue.
Begin a story with this line.
Challenge: Write about a character's phobias but let the main story be something other than his/hers fears. Ex: The story's based around his/hers fears but it's actually telling the tale of his/hers insecurities about life. Be creative!
Tip: Write the middle of a story first. When you understand the premise, go back and write the beginning. Whenever you're confident on the ending, write that. If the first thing you write is page 5 and the last thing you write is somewhere in the middle and you're able to put together a full story, it's more likely to be cohesive.
Ready. Set. Continue.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Day 27
"I cannot be awake for nothing looks to me as it did before, or else I am awake for the first time, and all before has been a mean sleep" ~ Walt Whitman
Challenge: Write a piece that has the same general meaning as this quote, but don't use the sleep/waking metaphor.
Tip: When writing prose, have a voice that's unique to the character/narrator. No two pieces should sound the same. To make sure you have an accurate voice, think about how the character is and match a voice to that. If they're sporadic, maybe their story is all over the place and not completely focused. If they're bitter, maybe their story is very sarcastic and snide. Play around with the voice until it fits the character.
Ready. Set. Unravel.
Challenge: Write a piece that has the same general meaning as this quote, but don't use the sleep/waking metaphor.
Tip: When writing prose, have a voice that's unique to the character/narrator. No two pieces should sound the same. To make sure you have an accurate voice, think about how the character is and match a voice to that. If they're sporadic, maybe their story is all over the place and not completely focused. If they're bitter, maybe their story is very sarcastic and snide. Play around with the voice until it fits the character.
Ready. Set. Unravel.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Day 26
Listen to Seaside by the Kooks. Write a story with a tone similar to the song.
Challenge: Tell the story in a series of things you find or have like pictures, quotes, drawings, newspaper article, etc. It can be fictional or real, but find a way to tell the story using minimal writing. It should help your story telling techniques - something that needs a strong foundation to write well.
Tip: Tone can be something that you have in mind before you write or comes along the way. But tone can be a tricky thing. The words you use, the images you present, the symbols and metaphors you use all contribute to the tone. Harsh images and words will bring about harsh tones; softer ones, however, will give the reader calmer feelings. It's a bit like terrible cookies that mothers make but you still eat them. Why? Because they "make them with love." Your writing can be horrendous or choppy but as long as you put your feelings into the words, it won't be bland. You can edit to make something better, but if there's no feeling it's not worth editing.
Ready. Set. Listen
Challenge: Tell the story in a series of things you find or have like pictures, quotes, drawings, newspaper article, etc. It can be fictional or real, but find a way to tell the story using minimal writing. It should help your story telling techniques - something that needs a strong foundation to write well.
Tip: Tone can be something that you have in mind before you write or comes along the way. But tone can be a tricky thing. The words you use, the images you present, the symbols and metaphors you use all contribute to the tone. Harsh images and words will bring about harsh tones; softer ones, however, will give the reader calmer feelings. It's a bit like terrible cookies that mothers make but you still eat them. Why? Because they "make them with love." Your writing can be horrendous or choppy but as long as you put your feelings into the words, it won't be bland. You can edit to make something better, but if there's no feeling it's not worth editing.
Ready. Set. Listen
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Day 25
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| Image thanks to Ali Jarekji via nbcnews.com |
Challenge: Write an ode or sonnet to the moon. Your pick!
Tip: Go outside and enjoy the night. Experience it like a wine tasting; take it in like a perfectly sunny day. Walk outside (how far away you travel from the safety of your porch is your choice), close your eyes, take a deep breath, and then turn your gaze upwards toward the glorious sky. Stay out as long as you want. Let your thoughts sit for a bit, then go inside, hunker down by a window, and write.
Something New: Because I love the moon and adore reading about it even more, I have a proposition for those who are writing along out there. I'd love to see what these prompts are inspiring. So! You have 48 hours - from now until June 24th at 2.30 AM - to send in your writing responses for this prompt. Send your response to promptaday@gmail.com in the body of the email. Make sure your first name or pseudonym is typed in the first line and write Day 25 as the subject. I'll review the submissions and post my favorite sometime next week. Anything under 4,000 words goes! Well, as long as it's not offensive or terribly graphic. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask. I'm excited to see what you all are writing!
Ready. Set. Enjoy.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Day 24
What's the best thing that could ever happen? What's the worst? To you, to someone else, to a character - explore this with your writing.
Challenge: Write a could-be memoir - something that could happen to you in the future or something that could have happened in the past.
Tip: Keep reality in check when writing. Even fantasy has a realistic/not realistic line. It's not realistic for a character to have every bad thing in their life happen to them in the course of a day. Likewise, it's not realistic for a character to have a long expanse of time when nothing goes wrong and everything is euphoric. Your story may be fictional, but it should still be within the realm of reality. Exception: dreams, drug influenced conscious, satire, and things of that nature.
Ready. Set. Imagine.
Challenge: Write a could-be memoir - something that could happen to you in the future or something that could have happened in the past.
Tip: Keep reality in check when writing. Even fantasy has a realistic/not realistic line. It's not realistic for a character to have every bad thing in their life happen to them in the course of a day. Likewise, it's not realistic for a character to have a long expanse of time when nothing goes wrong and everything is euphoric. Your story may be fictional, but it should still be within the realm of reality. Exception: dreams, drug influenced conscious, satire, and things of that nature.
Ready. Set. Imagine.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Day 23
Challenge: Tell the story in a series of poems. Rhyming isn't necessary.
Tip: Look outside of the picture. Stories are more than small squares that capture a single instant. They also have a past, a present, and a future that's bigger than the dimensions of a picture.
Ready. Set. Unravel.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Day 22
Pack your bags, book your flight, and travel. Go anywhere in the world that you've been, that you want to go, that you're making up. Write an adventure to somewhere other than the everyday setting.
Challenge: Write about going somewhere that's not normally thought of as exciting. Rather than traveling to a city, go to a suburb. Something along those lines.
Tip: Write what you know. If you know a certain section of NYC, write that. If you know a neighborhood in the suburbs of Paris, write that. If you want to step outside of that comfort zone, do some research so the setting becomes something you're familiar with.
Ready. Set. Travel.
Challenge: Write about going somewhere that's not normally thought of as exciting. Rather than traveling to a city, go to a suburb. Something along those lines.
Tip: Write what you know. If you know a certain section of NYC, write that. If you know a neighborhood in the suburbs of Paris, write that. If you want to step outside of that comfort zone, do some research so the setting becomes something you're familiar with.
Ready. Set. Travel.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Day 21
Fuck you.
Fill in the blanks and let out your feelings.
Challenge: Write with a tone other than bitterness or anger. Try something cheerful and chipper. Someone once said that swearing always has a negative connotation. I challenge you to disprove that statement.
Tip: Use your sentence structure to add to your piece. Shorter, choppy sentences help the piece feel quick like a racing mind while longer sentences give it a flowing, often rambling feel. Decide what you want your piece to sound and feel like and use your sentences to back that up.
Ready. Set. Rant.
Fill in the blanks and let out your feelings.
Challenge: Write with a tone other than bitterness or anger. Try something cheerful and chipper. Someone once said that swearing always has a negative connotation. I challenge you to disprove that statement.
Tip: Use your sentence structure to add to your piece. Shorter, choppy sentences help the piece feel quick like a racing mind while longer sentences give it a flowing, often rambling feel. Decide what you want your piece to sound and feel like and use your sentences to back that up.
Ready. Set. Rant.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Day 20
Recall a memory that makes you feel something - love, hate, anger, sadness - anything. Recount the tale.
Challenge: Write it as someone else's story, but keep all of the emotion in place.
Tip: If you find yourself rambling through your own stories but eloquently writing a fictional tale, write your story like it's fiction. It's really no different. There's a character, a setting, a plot. A story, whether it's fictional or not, is a story.
Ready. Set. Remember.
Challenge: Write it as someone else's story, but keep all of the emotion in place.
Tip: If you find yourself rambling through your own stories but eloquently writing a fictional tale, write your story like it's fiction. It's really no different. There's a character, a setting, a plot. A story, whether it's fictional or not, is a story.
Ready. Set. Remember.
Day 19
Escape. Leave. Be anywhere but where you are.
Challenge: Write the piece like a scavenger hunt. Rather than coming out and blatantly saying what your setting is, give hints and don't reveal the location till the end.
Tip: Describe every detail when you're dealing with settings. The colors, the feeling, the smells, what it reminds you of. Every detail matters.
Ready. Set. Escape.
Challenge: Write the piece like a scavenger hunt. Rather than coming out and blatantly saying what your setting is, give hints and don't reveal the location till the end.
Tip: Describe every detail when you're dealing with settings. The colors, the feeling, the smells, what it reminds you of. Every detail matters.
Ready. Set. Escape.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Day 18
"We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars." -Oscar Wilde
Challenge: Write like Oscar Wilde: witty, outrageous, and with a bit of satire.
Tip: Keep your point in mind. Decide what your writing about - the message you want to get across - and don't lose track or digress. If you're writing a short piece, you can simplify it to a word that sums up your point. Use it when necessary (don't overuse it) and stay on track.
Ready. Set. Oscar Wilde (which should most certainly be a verb).
Challenge: Write like Oscar Wilde: witty, outrageous, and with a bit of satire.
Tip: Keep your point in mind. Decide what your writing about - the message you want to get across - and don't lose track or digress. If you're writing a short piece, you can simplify it to a word that sums up your point. Use it when necessary (don't overuse it) and stay on track.
Ready. Set. Oscar Wilde (which should most certainly be a verb).
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Day 17
Write about something that makes you feel incomparably young. Maybe it's a song, a place, a memory - anything. Be young. Be timeless. Be infinite.
Challenge: Don't write in your normal location. Find somewhere new and possibly strange to write. In other words, don't move from the Starbucks up the street to the one two blocks away. Try writing on a park bench in a notebook or sitting on the floor with your laptop. Be adventurous.
Tip: Take inspiration from other works. For this prompt, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and The Art of Getting By are three movies and/or books that have the feeling of youth. Don't be afraid to look at other stories. As artists learn from sitting in museums and sketching, writers learn from being encompassed in other stories and creating something like it.
Ready. Set. Be young.
Challenge: Don't write in your normal location. Find somewhere new and possibly strange to write. In other words, don't move from the Starbucks up the street to the one two blocks away. Try writing on a park bench in a notebook or sitting on the floor with your laptop. Be adventurous.
Tip: Take inspiration from other works. For this prompt, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and The Art of Getting By are three movies and/or books that have the feeling of youth. Don't be afraid to look at other stories. As artists learn from sitting in museums and sketching, writers learn from being encompassed in other stories and creating something like it.
Ready. Set. Be young.
Day 16
Why do you write?
Answer this through showing, not telling. Don't just list the reasons why, show the audience why writing is important to you and what it means.
Challenge: Write a fictional story that tells why you write without having anything to do with writing. Ex: You write because you want to make life better for people so you show this through a story about a selfless doctor. Something like that.
Tip: Start by jotting down the reasons that you write. From there, find the points in the list that inspire you to write a poem, story, memoir, anything. And just write.
Ready. Set. Write.
Answer this through showing, not telling. Don't just list the reasons why, show the audience why writing is important to you and what it means.
Challenge: Write a fictional story that tells why you write without having anything to do with writing. Ex: You write because you want to make life better for people so you show this through a story about a selfless doctor. Something like that.
Tip: Start by jotting down the reasons that you write. From there, find the points in the list that inspire you to write a poem, story, memoir, anything. And just write.
Ready. Set. Write.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Day 15
Believe.
What's it even mean?
Challenge: Write a personal essay about one of your experiences where you had to learn to believe.
Tip: Don't be afraid to take risks as you write. Write what you've never told anyone. Write what you always think but never say. Writing is standing on a ledge, don't be afraid to take the plunge - the ground isn't really that far away.
Ready. Set. Believe.
What's it even mean?
Challenge: Write a personal essay about one of your experiences where you had to learn to believe.
Tip: Don't be afraid to take risks as you write. Write what you've never told anyone. Write what you always think but never say. Writing is standing on a ledge, don't be afraid to take the plunge - the ground isn't really that far away.
Ready. Set. Believe.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Day 14
Listen to The Skin of my Yellow Country Teeth by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. (I realize it sounds like a really terrible song, but I promise it isn't.) Fall into the nostalgia of the guitar strings. Mark the seconds with the cymbal. Write what it stirs in you.
Challenge: Write about a first love - be it yours or not. Reminisce in the feeling of youth and naiveté.
Tip: Listen first, closing your eyes and feeling everything there is to feel. If your a planner, write words or phrases as they're inspired. After, replay the song as you write it. Inspiration often comes the best from the soundtrack your listening to.
Ready. Set. Listen.
Challenge: Write about a first love - be it yours or not. Reminisce in the feeling of youth and naiveté.
Tip: Listen first, closing your eyes and feeling everything there is to feel. If your a planner, write words or phrases as they're inspired. After, replay the song as you write it. Inspiration often comes the best from the soundtrack your listening to.
Ready. Set. Listen.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Day 13
Lucky number 13! Write something horrific, scary, bone-chilling. Think of what frightens you the most, and write it.
Challenge: Write it in second person. Using you rather than I gives a new level of scary to the reader.
Tip: Mentally frightening things (death, being trapped, controlled) can be just as frightening as physically scary things (monsters, murderers, spiders). Give both a try.
Ready. Set. Scream.
Challenge: Write it in second person. Using you rather than I gives a new level of scary to the reader.
Tip: Mentally frightening things (death, being trapped, controlled) can be just as frightening as physically scary things (monsters, murderers, spiders). Give both a try.
Ready. Set. Scream.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Day 12
What rouses you out of bed every morning? Love for a career, another, a family? The prospect of a new adventure? Simply because you have to?
What if you couldn't find the will to wake up?
Write the reasons you or a character have to keep chugging along, even when things are rocky.
Challenge: Use the word dapper.
Tip: Think outside of the normal things. Perhaps one reason is the promise of bacon for breakfast or getting to sit at one's new MacBook. Of course there will be bigger reasons as aforementioned, but think of smaller things that matter just as much.
Ready. Set. Live.
What if you couldn't find the will to wake up?
Write the reasons you or a character have to keep chugging along, even when things are rocky.
Challenge: Use the word dapper.
Tip: Think outside of the normal things. Perhaps one reason is the promise of bacon for breakfast or getting to sit at one's new MacBook. Of course there will be bigger reasons as aforementioned, but think of smaller things that matter just as much.
Ready. Set. Live.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Day 11
Dreaming is an entirely different world. Whether your fast asleep and living in a boundless realm or your looking towards your future and listing the possibilities. Write a dream - whether its one you've had or one you're creating.
Challenge: Write a dream journal. If you're feeling particularly ambitious, keep up with the journal every morning.
Tip: The wonderful thing about dreams is that nothing is realistic. Let your imagination go because, really, anything could happen.
Ready. Set. Dream.
Challenge: Write a dream journal. If you're feeling particularly ambitious, keep up with the journal every morning.
Tip: The wonderful thing about dreams is that nothing is realistic. Let your imagination go because, really, anything could happen.
Ready. Set. Dream.
Friday, June 7, 2013
Day 10
Goodbye.
Goodbye halls that I've walked everyday. Goodbye morning cups of coffee. Goodbye friend that's been there through it all. Goodbye love that's been worth every moment. Goodbye Chipotle runs and froyo stops. Goodbye sunsets in the suburb or mornings on the metro.
As if everything were changing and you were leaving it all behind, say goodbye.
Challenge: Only wish one, small, seemingly unimportant thing farewell. But make that item hold more meaning than anything else ever could.
Tip: Make your words and sentences melodic. Use a long, flowing sentence structure with flowery words. The more poetic it is, the more emotional and captivating it will be.
Ready. Set. Adieu.
Goodbye halls that I've walked everyday. Goodbye morning cups of coffee. Goodbye friend that's been there through it all. Goodbye love that's been worth every moment. Goodbye Chipotle runs and froyo stops. Goodbye sunsets in the suburb or mornings on the metro.
As if everything were changing and you were leaving it all behind, say goodbye.
Challenge: Only wish one, small, seemingly unimportant thing farewell. But make that item hold more meaning than anything else ever could.
Tip: Make your words and sentences melodic. Use a long, flowing sentence structure with flowery words. The more poetic it is, the more emotional and captivating it will be.
Ready. Set. Adieu.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Day 9
"We live alone. We die alone. Everything else is just an illusion."
Challenge: Write something that expresses this quote in a positive perspective.
Tip: Try to look at the quote in an objective point of view; don't see the words through your own life, see them through another's.
Ready. Set. Express.
Challenge: Write something that expresses this quote in a positive perspective.
Tip: Try to look at the quote in an objective point of view; don't see the words through your own life, see them through another's.
Ready. Set. Express.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Day 8
Home. Find the place where you feel you belong - no matter where that may be. Express that feeling of belonging, that place where everything is calm and okay.
Challenge: Write a pantoum about home. (Pantoum is a type of poem. Write ten lines that can stand alone. Then arrange them lines 1-2-3-4. 2-5-4-6. 5-7-6-8. 7-9-8-10. 9-3-10-1)
Tip: Put the audience in your place. Make them feel as at home in your setting as you or your character does. Describe the feeling of home and why it feels that way. Your reader should understand the setting and feeling as well as you do.
Ready. Set. Belong.
Challenge: Write a pantoum about home. (Pantoum is a type of poem. Write ten lines that can stand alone. Then arrange them lines 1-2-3-4. 2-5-4-6. 5-7-6-8. 7-9-8-10. 9-3-10-1)
Tip: Put the audience in your place. Make them feel as at home in your setting as you or your character does. Describe the feeling of home and why it feels that way. Your reader should understand the setting and feeling as well as you do.
Ready. Set. Belong.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Day 7
It's time to be brutally honest. What have you always wanted to say but never did? Today's your day to let it out. Whatever emotions your holding back, whatever hatred or love you've been neglecting to confess, whatever is on your mind, write it.
Challenge: Express your feelings through a fictional character in a "Dear You" letter. There should be pieces of you and your story, but it should ultimately still be fictional. This can be the best catharsis at times.
Tip: Words are only part of communication in writing. There are italics, bold print, underlining, all capitols, and punctuation. Use these to your advantage. It's the body language of the written word. It should be used sparingly, but it can make all the difference.
Ready. Set. Confess.
Challenge: Express your feelings through a fictional character in a "Dear You" letter. There should be pieces of you and your story, but it should ultimately still be fictional. This can be the best catharsis at times.
Tip: Words are only part of communication in writing. There are italics, bold print, underlining, all capitols, and punctuation. Use these to your advantage. It's the body language of the written word. It should be used sparingly, but it can make all the difference.
Ready. Set. Confess.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Day 6
11:11 (or 22:22)! Make a wish!
Wishing wells. Genies in bottles. Dandelions. Crossing new bridges. Prayers. There are all these superstitions where you're supposed to close your eyes and make a wish. Choose one, or three, or all of them and make a wish - be it yours, a character's, a friend's, whoever.
Challenge: Write a memoir that's as good as fiction. Rather than just telling the story like you'd tell it to your friends, embellish the words and make your story creative. Don't forget the power of literary devices and emotional appeal. Writing isn't entirely about telling a story, it's about putting the reader in a scene and making him or her feel, see, hear, smell everything around them just as you once did.
Tip: Repetition is a wonderful tool that can make your point. You could start each paragraph with "I wish..." and continue to tell the story after each statement. This can give the piece a simple feel when, really, there are complexities and tales twisted throughout it. Repetition can take some practice to get just right, however. You need to know at one point it becomes overused (when you have twenty pages of repeating phrases) or when you don't use it enough to allow the audience to understand what you're doing (when you only use it twice or you use it a handful of times without any reason to its placement). Give it a try!
Ready. Set. Make a wish.
Wishing wells. Genies in bottles. Dandelions. Crossing new bridges. Prayers. There are all these superstitions where you're supposed to close your eyes and make a wish. Choose one, or three, or all of them and make a wish - be it yours, a character's, a friend's, whoever.
Challenge: Write a memoir that's as good as fiction. Rather than just telling the story like you'd tell it to your friends, embellish the words and make your story creative. Don't forget the power of literary devices and emotional appeal. Writing isn't entirely about telling a story, it's about putting the reader in a scene and making him or her feel, see, hear, smell everything around them just as you once did.
Tip: Repetition is a wonderful tool that can make your point. You could start each paragraph with "I wish..." and continue to tell the story after each statement. This can give the piece a simple feel when, really, there are complexities and tales twisted throughout it. Repetition can take some practice to get just right, however. You need to know at one point it becomes overused (when you have twenty pages of repeating phrases) or when you don't use it enough to allow the audience to understand what you're doing (when you only use it twice or you use it a handful of times without any reason to its placement). Give it a try!
Ready. Set. Make a wish.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Day 5
Hope.
What does the word really mean? How can hope affect a person's life? How does hope show itself on a daily basis? Is hope even real? Investigate.
Challenge: Write an entire piece about hope, but never say the word. Instead, use symbolism to make your point about hope.
Tip: Figurative language is your best friend. Metaphors that are started at the beginning of the piece can be carried throughout the entirety of the work. This often brings the piece together and creates something quite cohesive.
Ready. Set. Hope.
What does the word really mean? How can hope affect a person's life? How does hope show itself on a daily basis? Is hope even real? Investigate.
Challenge: Write an entire piece about hope, but never say the word. Instead, use symbolism to make your point about hope.
Tip: Figurative language is your best friend. Metaphors that are started at the beginning of the piece can be carried throughout the entirety of the work. This often brings the piece together and creates something quite cohesive.
Ready. Set. Hope.
Day 4
(Sorry for the absence but the prompts are back!)
Travel back in time. Listen to the love songs of the fifties (ex. Under the Boardwalk; Who Put the Bomp; My Girl) and grease your hair or put on your poodle skirt. You're falling in love 60 years ago. Create characters, a setting, and unravel a story that could have only happened in the fifties.
Challenge: Write something that breaks the sheltered mold the fifties usually surround themselves with.
Tip: Take five minutes and do a bit of research. What was popular during the fifties? What were the social custom like? What was the slang? Make your piece as accurate as possible.
Ready. Set. Time Travel.
Travel back in time. Listen to the love songs of the fifties (ex. Under the Boardwalk; Who Put the Bomp; My Girl) and grease your hair or put on your poodle skirt. You're falling in love 60 years ago. Create characters, a setting, and unravel a story that could have only happened in the fifties.
Challenge: Write something that breaks the sheltered mold the fifties usually surround themselves with.
Tip: Take five minutes and do a bit of research. What was popular during the fifties? What were the social custom like? What was the slang? Make your piece as accurate as possible.
Ready. Set. Time Travel.
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