[Write On Wednesday] Making Good From Bad
First lines.
They can be the inspiration of something great. Or they can be the omen of bad things to come.
We all know that clichés are one of the things to avoid as a writer. Lines like “It was a dark and stormy night” sounds like a pretty good mood setter to a beginner writer…well, maybe not even to them.
But suppose you use a bad first line on purpose? Suppose the entire point is to take that bad first line and write a story around it that is…not as tacky? Or makes the reader forgive the first line or make it totally acceptable? Continue reading “[Write On Wednesday] Making Good From Bad”
Write On Wednesday – Writers Bloxx with Gary Zenker
Allow me to introduce Gary Zenker, a flash fiction writer, game designer, marketer, and awesome leader in my local writing scene.
After eight years of reading mostly-my-prompts, I wanted to give you the opportunity to play in someone else’s sandbox from time to time. I looked around for someone I trusted to be both creative and generous, and didn’t have to look any further than Gary.
Please leave a comment and make him feel welcome!!
Hi!
Julie invited me to be her guest-prompter ongoing for each third Wednesday of the month. Thanks Julie!
As a flash fiction writer, I love short story writing and challenging myself in doing so. I found that sometimes, picking things that don’t go together brings out my creativity even better. The bigger challenge offers better results.
So I created a game, WritersBloxx™, that generates random prompts in six categories. We use a PromptGrid™ and six special 20-sided dice that point us to the prompts to be used.
Each PromptGrid generates up to 64 million different combinations.
As a game, participants are challenged to write a short story in 6–7 minutes using all six prompts and then compare them to the others’ stories. Solo writers can opt for a bit more time and a more developed story. I recommend 15 minutes with a hard stop.
Hints
In this play, you aren’t looking for perfection. You are looking to challenge yourself to complete a piece quickly.
Use all six prompts and tell a real story…don’t simply shove six prompts into a narrative.
You are looking to create at least one memorable character, a conflict and a resolution.
Your Prompts
We rolled the dice for you and here’s what you ended up with:
- Genre – Crime/Detective
- Character – Auto Mechanic
- Object – High Heel Shoes
- Timing – 1970s
- Setting – Italian Restaurant
- Event – Fishing
Check out the full game at www.WritersBloxx.com.
Next time around we’ll make it more challenging by adding a few additional elements. Be sure to show us your resulting masterpiece!
Gary Zenker is a writer, a marketer, a game designer and co-wrote a book with his six-year-old son. He would love for you to share the stories you came up with, in the comments!
Nightmare – A writing prompt from Maria Hazen Lewis
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.