Category Archives: Prewriting

10 Writing Prompts for August 30

Word Art (6)

  1. “Yes, it is my fault. But I can’t undo this.”

  2. “The time is now. We can worry about the others later.”

  3. I wasn’t sure I could handle this pressure…

  4. “Don’t freak out on me now. I need you! We all need you!”

  5. “Faking a call on your cell is the oldest trick in the book!”

  6. We had just saved a thousand bucks and it was time to celebrate…

  7. “You treat that dog better than you treat me!”   

  8. “Who’s your friend?”
    “Well, if you must know…”

  9. “That’s a whole lot of real estate you just bought.”

  10. Every time he raised that scalpel, I swear I…

For more ideas how these warmups might help…How to use writing prompts by Emily Wenstrom.

Writing prompts–Where do they come from?

writing prompts circle cloud

  1. We saw no reason why he poured that stuff in the tank, but it seemed to work.

  2. “Quick. Tell me two good reasons why we should be together!”
    “Uhhh, two?”

  3. The 80’s came and went, but left this guy on our doorstep.

  4. “Right about now would be a good time to buck up and tell the truth.”

  5. We were ju-u-uust about there…

  6. “You really don’t see the problem here?”

  7. “Let’s get a little less selfish here.”

  8. In this case, patience would not be the solution.

  9. “Your behavior was more than a little provocative.”
    “You’re blaming me instead of the guy with the gun?”

  10. “You’re going to need someone to help you navigate these waters.”
    I smirked. “And I assume that someone is you.”

Where do these ideas come from?
Some of my sources…

  • Listening to [eavesdropping] on others’ conversation.
  • Reading novels.
  • Reading the newspapers.
  • Listening to TV dialogue.
  • Looking through lists of nouns and verbs.

 

For more ideas how these warmups might help…How to use writing prompts by Emily Wenstrom.

10 Writing Prompts for August 17

Word Art (3)

  1. “Yes, it is my fault. But I can’t undo this.”
  2. “Let’s talk right now. We can worry about the others later.”
  3. We weren’t so sure he could handle this pressure…
  4. “Don’t freak out on me now. I need you! We all need you!”
  5. “Faking a call on your cell is the oldest trick in the book!”
    “Trust me, I was desperate.”
  6. She dropped a thousand bucks on the table. “Go for it.”
  7. “You treat that dog better than you treat me!”   
  8. “What’s your point?”
    He reached inside his coat. “I’m glad you asked.”
  9. “That’s a whole lot of real estate you just bought.”
  10. Every time he raised that scalpel…

For more ideas how these warmups might help…How to use writing prompts by Emily Wenstrom.

Writing prompt of the day: Time passages

Here’s a fun image that might spark a fun short story or some thoughts about ‘real life’.

surreal-time passing

Need some musical inspiration?

Try this. [I’m thinking you won’t need to listen to all 15 minutes. ;->]

Or this.

Or this.

Disclaimer: These suggestions are pertinent to the topic of time and do not necessarily reflect the tastes of the author of this post. [Unless, of course, you like the selections, in which case the author is a genius.]

 

10 Writing Prompts for August 10

imagine word cloud

  1. We saw no reason why he poured that stuff in the tank, but it seemed to work.
  2. “Quick. Tell me two good reasons why we should be together!”
    “Geez, two?”
  3. The 80’s came and went, but left this guy on our doorstep.
  4. “Right about now would be a good time to buck up and tell the truth.”
  5. We were juuuust about there…
  6. “You really don’t see the problem here?”
  7. “Let’s get a little less selfish here.”
  8. Pacing was not going to help here.
  9. “Your behavior was more than a little provocative.”
    “You’re blaming me instead of the guy with the gun?”
  10. “You’re going to need someone to help you navigate these waters.”

10 Writing Prompts for August 8

Writng Prompts Word Art 4

  1. “If you’re taking this seriously, why are you blowing bubbles while I’m talking to you?”
  2. “Do more with less. Then we’ll talk about advancement.”  At that moment, I certainly wanted advancement…of my fist on his forehead.
  3. “I’m pretty sure I don’t need a psychiatrist.”
    “Ohhh, I’m pretty sure you do.”
  4. “Here’s what you have to do. Shut up and follow instructions.”
  5. “You keep an eye on my house for a day and you’re expecting a parade?”
  6. “Maybe we should take turns.”
  7. “The data doesn’t lie.”
    “Actually, sometimes it does.”
  8. “Do you really know what you’re doing?”
  9. “This is the first stage of total organizational failure.”  
  10. “Thanks for the positive strokes. I really needed them right about now.”

Comments: #’s 2, 5, and 7 could certainly take place in an HR office.

I could see #9 being uttered in a conference room of stuffed shirts.

But as I type these suggestions, I’d say it would be even more fun to choose a setting completely opposite in nature.

10 Writing Prompts for August 2

Writng Prompts Word Art 4

  1. “Get your girlfriend’s family here as soon as possible!”
  2. We knew we didn’t belong, but we were all she had…
  3. “Quick, contact social services!”
  4. It looked completely safe to me.
  5. “The worst thing I could do for you is feed your chocolate habit.”   
    I formed a fist…
  6. “A second injury? No way!”
  7. We needed it to be low-cost and under-the-radar…
  8. “Hey, I’m not here to marry your daughter!”
  9. “Go ahead, make my year.”
  10. “Honest! It’s 100 percent pure!”  
    “Oh, yeah, something here is definitely pure.”

Other use for writing prompts:

I look for one that speaks to what has happened to me or what I’ve read or seen in the last 24 hours that spurred anger, gratitude, or laughter.

Number five applies to my wife’s recent attempts to cut back on sugar. [No, no fist was formed in the making of that writing prompt.]

Word clouds…a productive diversion

I’ve worked with word clouds for at least four years, but just added this short tutorial to my ESL course.

Other projects I’m working on: [some more actively than others]

  1. http://nextstepenglish.net/
  2. https://retirerenew.com
  3. http://stretchingtech.teachable.com

10 Writing Prompts for July 27

  1. “Cool! A key to the executive bathroom!”

  2. “You got the career I always wanted. Now hire me back.”

  3. We had no clue what was going on in his head…

  4. “Trust me, I am not worried about the soul of the person standing in front of me.”

  5. “Don’t you understand why you’re here?”

  6. “Of course, I’m capable of meeting my obligations! Here, take a look!”

  7. “Do you regret any of what just happened?”

  8. “Is talking about this upsetting you?”

  9. “What are you thinking about right now?”
    I could keep this date going and lie. Or I could be honest.

  10. Anyone would shut down from something like this.

10 Writing Prompts for July 23

  1. “I swear I heard you use that argument with your own mom.”
  2. “Clearly you all planned this.”
  3. Here was a thought: Could I divorce my whole family?
  4. “Congratulations, you’ve turned your mother into a monster.”
  5. “It’s not so easy being the one who’s always right.”
  6. “You two never show me any appreciation!”
  7. “Let’s just say you’re off our Christmas card list.”
  8. “Lights! Camera! No! No! No!…”
  9. “There’s a problem. We stink..on ice.”
  10. “Maybe she won’t notice…”
    How I might use these prompts: Numbers 1-6 offer built-in conflict that could shape a story.

    fire-and-water-2354583_640