Today’s prompt comes from another wonderful writer from my local network.
The Prompt
I had a nightmare last night. I woke up and started writing….
About Maria Hazen Lewis
Maria Hazen Lewis writes women’s fiction in Pennsylvania.
Misapprehension – A writing prompt from
Today’s prompt is about the (sometimes comedic) art of misapprehension.
The Prompt
Today’s prompt focuses on misapprehension – that is, interpreting something incorrectly. Too often, in fiction, every character communicates perfectly. That’s not the way it happens in real life.
Example: award-winning author Harlan Ellison once misheard a conversation at a party. He overheard a woman say, “”Jeffy is fine. He’s always fine.”” What Ellison actually heard was “”He’s always FIVE.”” That inspired the story “”Jefty Is Five,”” about a boy who never grows up.
Alternately, the misapprehension could be visual. True story: when I graduated college, I moved to a southern town – one of those places where anti-intellectualism seemed to be the prevailing attitude. I met lots of girls there, but I was looking for an intellectual girlfriend. One day, while sitting in dingy waiting room, I saw a pretty girl outside. To my amazement, she wore a tee-shirt with the letters “”SPQR”” on it. SPQR stood for – in Latin – “”The Senate and the People of Rome.”” What kind of woman wore a tee-shirt that referenced Ancient Rome? I had to meet her! I rushed outside, saw the girl…and discovered that her shirt didn’t say “”SPQR.”” It said “”SPORT.”” Stretched around her well-endowed chest, the final letter was hadn’t been visible from where I sat. (I was so disappointed, I didn’t even speak to her.)
So that’s your prompt: misapprehension, either verbal or visual.
About Tony Conaway
Born in Philadelphia, PA, Tony Conaway has written and ghostwritten everything from blogs to books. He has cowritten non-fiction books published by McGraw-Hill, Macmillan and Prentice Hall. His fiction has been published in eight anthologies and numerous publications, including Blue Lake Review, Danse Macabre, Rind Literary Magazine, qarrtsiluni, The Rusty Nail and Typehouse Literary Magazine.
His odder work includes co-writing the script for a planetarium production, and jokes performed by Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. He blogs at http://wayneaconaway.blogspot.com/ He was recently a guest on the Indy Writer Podcast, talking about writing short fiction.
A Mysterious Situation – Writing Prompt from Bea from The Busy Muse
Today, Bea from The Busy Muse gives us a scenario and encourages us to stretch our genre expectations…
Don’t forget, you can listen to the audio-only by subscribing to the podcast
The Prompt
Your company sends you to meet a costumer at their house. It’s a standard, nice neighborhood.
You ring and ring but nobody answers. The door is ajar, and you enter, calling aloud.
All is in order in the living room apart from an overturned potted plant on the expensive-looking rug…
Tips
- You choose the atmosphere. Did the costumer run out to get milk or got kidnapped?
- The setting is quite anonymous: can you create a fantasy story out of this? What about a science fiction piece?
- Have fun thinking outside the box!
About Bea from The Busy Muse
Bea is a bilingual writer and freelancer currently living near Venice, in Italy. She blogs and helps writers with their writing and creativity at . The Busy Muse. She brainstorms new ideas with her cat, who is very good at listening but not at providing solutions.
Chance Encounter – Writing Prompt from Sarah Cain
Today’s prompt, from author Sarah Cain, features a chance encounter. This is going to be fun!
Podcast version:
The Prompt
The chance encounter. Have you ever run into someone you know when you look grubby? Or maybe you see an old boyfriend at Starbucks. Or perhaps, as in Alfred Hitchcock’s famous Stranger’s On a Train, you run into a stranger who offers to do you a service, like murder, in return for you returning the favor. Think of a chance encounter that could leave you shaken, stirred, or in deep trouble.
About Sarah Cain
An Unlikely Meeting – a writing prompt from Charlotte Rains Dixon
Today, Charlotte Rains Dixon indulges in some whimsy, and I can’t wait to see what you come up with for this!
The Prompt
Write a story about what happens when a nun in a wimple, a man in cowboy hat and boots, and a bartender with a handlebar moustache wearing a red and white polka-dot bow tie meet in a tavern on a rainy night.
About Charlotte Rains Dixon
Charlotte Rains Dixon mentors creative writers from passionate to published. Charlotte is a free-lance journalist, ghostwriter, and author.
She is Director Emeritus and a current mentor at the Writer’s Loft, a certificate-writing program at Middle Tennessee State University. She earned her MFA in creative writing from Spalding University and is the author of a dozen books, including The Complete Guide to Writing Successful Fundraising Letters, and Beautiful America’s Oregon Coast. Her fiction has appeared in The Trunk, Santa Fe Writer’s Project, Nameless Grace, and Somerset Studios and her articles have been published in Vogue Knitting, the Oregonian, and Pology, to name a few. Her novel, Emma Jean’s Bad Behavior, was published in 2013, and she is represented by Erin Niumata at Folio Literary.
Her prompt book, Just Prompt Me, was released in 2016, and is the first in a series.
Learn about her annual writing workshops in Europe at letsgowrite.com, and visit her blog at www.charlotterainsdixon.com, where you can find all kinds of tips and techniques on writing and creativity.
The Secret – a writing prompt from Marta Pelrine-Bacon
Today, Marta Pelrine-Bacon encourages us to get a bit mysterious.
The Prompt
She waited a week before revealing the secret.
About Marta Pelrine-Bacon
