Whether March comes in like a lion or a lamb, it’s usually a blustery, unpredictable month. One day teases us with promises of spring in warm breezes and bird calls, and th
e next (in my part of the world) covers everything with snow and freezing rain. Amid March’s see-saw weather, one constant is the need to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and do some joywriting. Here are some prompts to keep the words flowing this month.
1. March 21st marks the vernal equinox when day and night hours are perfectly balanced. Do you strive for balance in your life? How do you achieve it? How do you cope when the dark overwhelms the light in your life? How would your character answer these questions?
2. Consider words/ideas associated with the words ‘lion’ and ‘lamb’ and see what stories are hiding in them: Lamb Chop, soft, woolly, Mary and the lamb, lamb to the slaughter, MGM’s lion, roaring, fierce, Androcles and the Lion, Africa, Serengeti, pride, hunter, Lion King.
3. Use one, some, or all of these words to spark a story or poem: march, crock, blue, bloom, roof, stone
4. March has two astrological signs: Pisces the fish and Aries the ram. What characteristics are suggested by those two animals? Do they apply to anyone you know? Think about what animals your characters could be. When Laurence Olivier created his role of Richard III, he saw him as a spider.
5. Some opening sentences to play with.
a) Marnie sat in front of her computer, staring at a screen full of photos. “Delete,” she whispered and the screen went blank.
b) The room looked so dull now all the cards were put away.
c) A year had passed and it still hurt to walk in the house and not hear his/her voice.
d) Pat walked ino the library and flicked the light switch. A flash, a hollow pop, and darkness.
Have fun!
