Magda Marczewska manipulates photographs in ways that show unique and sometimes sad or frightening aspects to her subjects. (Some nudity in her subjects, although IMO it is tastefully done.) Pick a photograph and use it as inspiration for a plot, character, or simple free association.

Technorati Tags: free-writing, journaling, photographs, prompts, write, writers, writing

This morning I made a blog post titled World Building in the Twilight Time. It was actually a reference to a world building article in a zine called Twilight Time, but the title of the blog post got me thinking. A world set in the “twilight time” of its civilization(s) can make a fascinating setting. While twilight is more commonly used to refer to dusk, it can also refer to dawn:

Twilight: The soft, diffused light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, either from daybreak to sunrise or, more commonly, from sunset to nightfall … the period in the morning or, more commonly, in the evening during which this light prevails … a terminal period, esp. after full development, success, etc.

Therefore, a world or civilization set in its twilight time would probably be on the verge of falling apart after a long period of development and success (think fall of the Roman Empire), but it could also refer to the beginning stages of such a civilization.

Today, free-write about a civilization entering its twilight years–of either variety.

Technorati Tags: fantasy, fiction, free-writing, journaling, prompts, science fiction, world building, write, writers, writing

Author Lynn Viehl, as quoted in Alison Kent’s “Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Erotic Romance,” says, “…every character I imagine takes form by answering three basic questions: Who are you? What do you want? What’s the worst thing that I can do to you?” Today, ask your fictional characters those same three questions: Who are they? What do they want? And what’s the worst thing you can do to them?

This can start you off with a great basis for the conflict and struggle in your fiction.

Technorati Tags: characterization, characters, fiction, journaling, prompts, write, writers, writing

Another web source of prompts is the livejournal community Darkening Days. One of my favorite recent prompts from there is this Lewis DeSoto quote. It’s a poignant thought, and one that could serve as a marvelous journal meditation or story starter.

Any quote that inspires you can act as an exercise prompt–either through indirect association or through direct inspiration. I can even imagine a character starting off a narration by quoting this particular piece–done right, I think it would be positively magical.

Killing Off Characters

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I always try not to do too many image-based exercises in a row, because they won’t be everyone’s cup of tea and because the images in question won’t always be out there for you to click through to. But the truth is, there are a ton of inspiring images out there on the web–enough to populate a world full of books.

Today, take a look at this sand sculpture of a crowd of people standing on and around a hill. Free-write about it, use it as a story starter, use it as a plot device, or something else. Perhaps the sculpture itself will appear in your story. Perhaps you use it metaphorically or free-associate from it. Perhaps it gives you an idea for a story or scene involving a crowd of people on a hill that has nothing to do with sand sculpture. Maybe it’ll inspire you to write about a public event you attended, or to wax poetic about a particular type of public gathering.

Images can activate parts of your brain not touched by plain words, and there are so many different places you can take such inspiration. No two writers’ results from this exercise would be the same.

Technorati Tags: free-writing, photographs, sand sculpture

Take a long look at this lovely photograph taken inside of a Mosque. Now set a timer for 15-30 minutes and do one of the following:

• Describe the room as though you were there. Be as intimate as possible.

• Set a scene (or an entire short story) in this location.
• Write about what’s going on right outside those windows.
• Write about the figure seen in the distance silhouetted against the light.

If you’re a fantasy writer, use this photograph as inspiration for a setting in your world, perhaps adapting one of the above exercises.

Technorati Tags: journaling, prompts, write, writers, writing

I’ve introduced exercises before that consist of taking several random words and free-associating off of the combination to see what emerges. I’ve also introduced “spam game” exercises based on odd spam emails I receive that have subject lines made up of two randomly-chosen words. Now it seems that the latest subject pattern is the four-word random line, and this couldn’t help but remind me of the free-association game, particularly given the combination I received this morning:

nails salt burns shed

I don’t know about you, but I think this could yield some particularly interesting results. Write these four words at the top of a piece of paper. Set a timer for 15 to 25 minutes and free-write. Have in mind that you want to write some sort of narrative story, but this is just a place to start–if something else comes out, that’s fine. Just make sure that either way, you include all four words at some point, or some form of these words.

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In “Novelist’s Boot Camp,” author Todd Stone tells us, “When you’re done with your dialogue, what you have is counterfeit speech that feels more authentic than real speech. When you’re done with your description, what you have is an invented, counterfeit perception–using all of the senses–of reality that feels more real than reality itself.” He’s talking about the need to craft description out of carefully-chosen details, rather than simply taking a camera-real snapshot of your setting.

Today, look around the room you’re writing in. Free-write a list of descriptors–adjectives, phrases, etc–anything you might say to describe that setting. Go through that list and circle the particularly memorable or interesting ones, or the ones that you think best represent your environment or what it means to you. Cross out anything dull or uninspired, or that duplicates information conveyed already by a more interesting piece of description.

Finally, use what you have in a carefully-crafted prose description of your environment.

Technorati Tags: free-writing, journaling, Novelist’s Boot Camp, prompts, Todd A. Stone, write, writers, writing

In previous “spam game” exercises, I’ve suggested that you take one of those weird randomly-generated spam subject lines and imagine what product the email would be trying to sell if the subject accurately represented the contents of the email rather than being randomly generated. Then you use the product in a story, write a pitch for it, or something similar.

Today I’m going to give you a slightly longer list of possibilities:

• Take several of these subject lines and list the words individually down the side of a sheet of paper. Number them. If you have dice or some other sort of randomizer, use that to choose several at random. Otherwise just close your eyes and mark several with a pencil. Use this new set of words in one of the following exercises (or some other exercise that uses a random prompt) in place of actual spam headlines.

• Choose a subject line at random and imagine that you’ve received an email from someone important to you (best friend, beloved aunt, older sister, etc.) with that subject line. Write the email, or a first-person stream-of-consciousness from your point of view as you read it, or a story in which you receive that email.
• Choose a subject line at random, write it at the top of a sheet of paper, and free-write from it as a prompt. Just let go and draw random associations.
• Choose a subject line at random and use it as the title of a short story.
• Choose a spam email at random–one that includes non-randomized text–and study its structure. Write a short-short story duplicating the structure as closely as possible. For bonus points, use the subject of the spam email to give you ideas for the story.

If you think of other possibilities, feel free to leave them in comments below.

In case you don’t get as much spam as I do, here are some of the more interesting spam headers I’ve received recently:

• Complication skyscraper

• Evolution bodice
• Impeachment secede
• Indefinitely sherbet
• Inspiration checkpoint
• Phlegm glossy
• Pinup prodigal
• Technical wholesome
• Trust, nutrient ratio
• Trust, paper jogger

Technorati Tags: free-writing, journaling, prompts, write, writers, writing

Today, turn this lovely and unusual violinist into a character. Study her face and the expression in her dark eyes. Take in her costume. Do one of the following:

• Write a first-person stream-of-consciousness piece from her pov, taking place on this big day.

• Write a short story in which this photo “appears” as a scene.
• Free-write about this photo.
• Write a one-page bio for this young woman.
• Write a poem about this scene.

If you have other ideas to add to this list, feel free to leave them in the comments.

Technorati Tags: characters, free-writing, journaling, photo.net, photographs, prompts, write, writers, writing