Tag: writing prompts

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A mystery boxful of creative writing possibilities

At the last Island Writers meeting, I gave you the assignment title, The Mysterious Box. And the only stipulation was that the box should NOT contain the traditional sort of treasure, i.e. gold coins, jewels etc.

Our treasure-themed meeting had already produced several variations on the idea of a box found in the attic after someone had died, so perhaps we can come up with some other ideas.

It doesn’t need to be an ancient wooden chest, of course. It could be a battered old biscuit tin, a plain cardboard box, a pretty gift box, a filigree metal casket or an elegant china trinket box.

Perhaps your box is mysterious simply because it’s an unexpected parcel, or a strangely-wrapped gift.

Or maybe the box itself looks peculiar, hinting at some unusual contents?

How did it come into your (or your character’s) possession?

Did it arrive by postal delivery, or was it given as a present, or was it hidden there, unnoticed, until it was found?

Was it meant for you, or have you accidentally received an item intended for someone else?

Will opening the box bring pleasure or sadness, interesting knowledge, special power, disappointment… or danger? Or will what you find inside start an unexpected chain of events?

So – if it’s not a personal question – what’s inside YOUR box?

We’ll find out at our next meeting on Tues 2nd April.

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Where the road ends…

Our latest writing assignment is Where the road ends… – but that needn’t be a barrier to your creativity.

What kind of road will you (or your character) choose? A winding, overgrown country lane, a street of suburban houses, an unmade track into the desert or a busy motorway?

How are you travelling? Trudging on foot, or walking easily and confidently? Cursing at your unreliable, battered old truck? Or speeding along without a care in the world, until suddenly…

Are you alone, or accompanied by your family or dog, or following a crowd of others?

So, where can your journey lead you? Maybe at the end of the road there’s a town or building which will be important, a strange experience, an escape from danger or someone you’ve been waiting to meet. Perhaps you don’t know what you’ll find, and the point of your story or poem is the journey itself rather than the ending.

Of course, it may not be an actual road you’re travelling. A road can be a metaphor for your journey through life, or through an emotional experience.

The next Island Writers meeting is Tuesday 19th March, so if you haven’t thought about your assignment yet, it’s time to get writing. After all, who knows where the road ends?

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Tunnel vision: secrets, surprises or life changes

Our next writing assignment is The Tunnel.

It can be any kind of tunnel, from a rocky cave entrance with deep-hidden secrets, to a journey through a modern road or rail tunnel.

It could be a scenic tunnel effect made by trees, the Tunnel of Love at a fairground, an animal’s burrow, a coal mine, or even a child’s colourful play tunnel!

The topic was chosen because in a piece of writing, a tunnel can function as a portal, with some kind of surprise at the other side.

The emotions created by enclosed spaces can also be a trigger to realising important truths, or making decisions about life, with a change happening to your character between entering and coming out the other end.

Your tunnel could be metaphorical, representing a frightening or sorrowful experience. Or perhaps it is a place of safety, to shelter from dangers outside?

As always, your assignment piece can be poetry or prose or any other style of writing, with no limitation on genre.

And if you can’t get inspired by tunnels of any kind – simply do some other new writing on a different subject.

Our next meeting is Tuesday 5th March, so tunnel out and come and share your latest writing.

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Hot tips for creative writers

Things are hotting up now, and it’s time for a reminder about our latest writing assignment. Our topic this time is Feeling the heat – this month has been so flipping cold and miserable that I need warming up!

If you’re struggling to decide what to write, try making a list of hot and warm locations – a tropical island, beside a cosy log fire, a sauna, right next to a radiator, a desert landscape, inside a car on a hot day, snuggling under a quilt with your hot water bottle…

Or you could consider activities which make you hot or warm – anything from jogging or cooking over a hot stove to working on the footplate of a steam locomotive or flying a spaceship too close to the Sun…

… and, yes, that too, if you like!

You can be as quirky as you like, so whether your character is falling accidentally into a vat of hot custard, taking over as the next person in charge of Hell, or being boiled in a cannibals’ cauldron with extra chilli sauce, it’s all cool with the rest of us.

Your piece of writing can be poetry or prose in any style or genre. And if you can’t get inspired by our latest topic, simply choose a different one. Frankly, as long as you do some new writing, we really don’t care if you decide to write a beautifully vivid description of the items on your bedside cabinet. Or, indeed, a rather dull description.

You simply can’t get this wrong, except by not writing anything.

There are just eight days left to complete the assignment, so let’s get started. Our next meeting is Tuesday 19th February. Meanwhile – the heat is on.

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Panoramic views: a writing prompt with wide possibilities

The next Island Writers meeting is on Tuesday 5 February, so we have just a few more days to come up with our latest assignment: A view from a window.

It could be a story or poem based on something exciting, tragic, unusual or hilarious seen from inside a window. Was it seen by chance, or an expected event? Did the person inside realise what they were seeing, or were they mistaken?

The window doesn’t need to be part of a house – your piece could be a description of stunning scenery from a hotel room on holiday, an imagined view from a castle or historic building, or a view whilst travelling, from the window of a car, train or aeroplane.

Or perhaps the view itself isn’t the important part – maybe your writing will focus on the feelings of someone inside the window who wants to be outside. It could be a tedious school classroom, a prison cell, a workplace or a hospital. How would life be different if they could get out there?

Anyway… now’s your chance. The window of opportunity closes soon!

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Revving up to get writing again

There’s one week to go before our first Island Writers meeting of the New Year. So, how are you feeling?

All revved up and raring to go?

Or more like an old car that’s been stored in the garage too long – it probably still works, but it might need some jump leads and a bit of a push to get started again after all this time?

Here’s a quickie writing exercise to give you that push:

A. Make a list of words and phrases to describe the car in this photo.

B. Write a piece about the car (prose or poetry).

Feel free to post your answers to A or B on the blog or on the Island Writers Facebook page. No answer is ‘wrong’, so give it a try!

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Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good… write!

A very Happy Christmas to you all from Island Writers!

Here are some sprinkles of Christmassy writing inspiration to keep you all going over the break – because you won’t have anything else to do, right?

These are of course totally optional, but I’m sure some of you would enjoy a few writing prompts to work on. Anything to get out of the washing-up!

  • Make a list of words and phrases including ‘Christmas’.
  • You or your characters are snowed-in unexpectedly on the day before Christmas Eve without some important things – gifts? food? booze? decorations? electricity? your guests? – How does Christmas turn out?
  • A present wrapped in gold.
  • A family has been invited to spend Christmas in Australia. Will they go?
  • Find something on the doorstep on Christmas morning.
  • What’s the significance/history of the items on your Christmas tree?
  • The worst gift turns out to be the best gift. Why?

Have an enjoyable Christmas and we’ll meet up in the New Year.

There’s no meeting on New Year’s Day, so the next Island Writers meeting is on Tuesday 15 Jan 2019, at Ryde Library, 7pm-9pm.

Let’s make 2019 our best writing year ever!

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A tide in the affairs of… writers

pixabay-wave-1517436_1920Not much longer to wait – the next meeting of Island Writers is on Tuesday, 4th December.

So if you haven’t had a chance to think about your assignment yet…

The assignment prompt from last session is: “Swept by the tide.”

Perhaps it’s a person, a treasured possession, something evil or dangerous, a special place or even a whole way of life which has been swept away.

Or maybe the ‘tide’ isn’t made of water, but something else?

There’s no limitation on writing style or genre –  choose prose, play script, poetry in any style or genre – whatever suits your subject and your preferred writing style.

Still struggling? Try completing this limerick:

There was a young lady from Ryde
Who was swept away by the tide…

Don’t feel ‘tide’ (sorry!) to this subject – simply choose a different topic, or get on with writing another chapter of your novel instead of ‘editing it’ for the 27th time.

Just try to get some new writing done. On any subject.

See you on December 4th at 7pm, Ryde Library.

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Eek!

pixabay-mouse-3194768_1280Just a quick post to remind you all that the next meeting of Island Writers is next Tuesday, 20th November.

And we WILL be asking you how much writing you’ve done since we saw you last!

Eek!

Time to get your mouse moving – or your pen.

The assignment prompt from last session is: “Just before nine o’clock…”

It could be just before 9am, and something happens to cause a memorable day. Or just before 9pm, and the first sign that the evening isn’t going as planned.

Maybe it’s a flash of realisation, a spur-of-the-moment decision, a change in the weather, a meeting/ visitor, or a mysterious/ tragic/ delightful event. Anything from a parcel arriving to an attack by aliens!

It can be prose or poetry in any style or genre – whatever suits your subject and your preferred writing style.

If you still can’t think of anything, don’t drag out a piece you wrote three years ago that will do if you add “Just before nine o’clock,” at the beginning. The idea is to prompt you to feel excited and inspired to create some new writing, and definitely not to make you feel stressed because you haven’t dutifully ‘done your homework’!

Try writing a description of this mouse, or a poem about why mice have pink toes, or a letter complaining that this blog is infested with mice.

Just write something new. On any subject.

And we’re quite happy if you come to the meeting and say, “My novel was going so well I didn’t have time for the assignment,” or “I decided to write a funny poem about cucumbers instead!”