I’ve decided to expand things a little and add some story starters and writing prompts for pre-teens to this website. Check this link or the new tab at the top of the page to find 90 new prompts for young writers and their teachers. If you write stories for grades 5 through 8, you might find something there to spark your imagination, too!
If the February blahs have been distracting you from your writing, Kristi Holl has a great blog about getting your writing life back on track. Needless to say, with my creative history, I bookmarked that one. If you’re looking for some inspiration or advice about writing, publishing, freelancing, and just about anything else writer related, try The Write Life’s 100 Best Websites for Writers–definitely a “something for everyone” compilation of websites.
Hope you have a great week ahead!
I’m currently working on a new book, Writing Fiction: A Hands-On Guide for Pre-Teens. If you would like to know when the book comes out, please fill out the following form. I promise that you will not be bombarded with spam emails, just the odd thing that I come across that you might find useful, a couple of sample chapters as I work through the project, and my newest writing prompts.
The people in my part of the country don’t need a groundhog to tell them how long winter is going to last. We know we’re dreaming if we think we’ll actually have green grass in six weeks. Even if the temperatures warm up, the giant mounds of snow we have piled at the sides of our roads and driveways and side walks will be a long-lasting reminders of the freezing and snow-filled winter we’re still enduring. The only weather predicted above 0 degrees Celsius in the next two weeks is for two days of freezing rain next week, and we’d all be happy to skip that, thank you. To say spring will be welcome is an understatement. I hope you are having some sunny days where you are.
Primulas
Even with the temperatures so cold, it’s amazing what a difference a sunny day can make to my spirits. I spent most of today working in the livingroom and enjoying the sun that was streaming through the windows. Yay for laptops. After finishing the draft of an article that I have to send in on Friday, I spent a chunk of the day doing research for a new project I’m thinking about tackling. So far, so good on that front.
Do you find that the weather affects your spirits? Does a gloomy day inspire you or make you want to curl up in a blanket and nap until it’s over? I’ve added some cheerful spring photos to the blog today to remind me that winter will finally end–with or without groundhog. 🙂
Well, I can’t say that I will miss January. Bitter cold temperatures, high winds,and too much snow shovelling, a furnace that wouldn’t work properly making for some very cold mornings and not terribly warm days, a blocked sink due to water frozen in the pipes, and in the midst of it all my husband ended up in hospital for 5 days having emergency surgery. He, the first priority in all of this, is now doing fine, though unable to do anything strenuous right now, and hopes to return to work some time next week. The sink is unblocked and the furnace is being kind, though now the pump beside it is leaking–another service call for Monday, and lots of mopping up in the meantime. And the weather? Pretty much the same. The temperatures have risen a little bit (-3 degrees Celsius actually felt warm yesterday) but we’re expecting another snow dump today. Good-bye January, and good riddance!
Do you ever have times like that when so many problems conspire to challenge you all at the same time? How do you cope? I put a lot of things on the back burner. I cancelled classes, so I could be home when my husband came home from the hospital. I asked for an extension on a freelance project deadline, and tried hard not to feel guilty. We are all still tired, but grabbing a bit more down time is necessary right now. My son’s been off school for several days because of end-of-term final exams, so we’ll all be getting back into the rhythm of work life next week. In the meantime, small bites for everything else, and some time by the fire with a good book or my journal.
Onward to a new month and a fresh start! And to get some February creativity going, here are some new writing prompts.
1. Try using one, some, or all of these words in a poem or story:
clock, chain, grip, moon, shade, lock
band, star, blue, fever, petal, lie
2. Here are some opening sentences to try:
“Carly hates me.”
Peter hid under the table.
The jewels sparkled in the sunlight.
Marcus pulled his cloak more tightly around his shoulders
“When was the last time you saw Henry Marsh?”
Margot closed the book she was reading and turned out the light.
3. See if you can come up with a story to go with one of these titles:
Night Among the Mad, Spineless. The Secret Three, The Journey Home, Walking on a Shroud, In the Mirror, The House by the River
4. Think of a memory that involves a piece of music: a popular song that you always sang along to, a lullaby, a TV show or movie theme, a melody that you or someone you knew played on an instrument, a song you sang on the way to camp, or in church. Describe the events, people, or emotions that you associate with that piece of music. Do the same exercise for the main character in your story.
5. What scene can you weave around these lines of dialogue?
I’ve decided to expand things a little and add some story starters and writing prompts for pre-teens to this website. Check this link or the new tab at the top of the page to find 90 new prompts for young writers and their teachers. If you write stories for grades 5 through 8, you might find something there to spark your imagination, too!
