Greetings, friends! How did the first day of writing go?
I couldn’t wait to start–all week I’ve been thinking about characters and plot, making mood boards and naming cities. But yesterday I felt frozen–it took me all day to muster up the courage to type my first words. Those words were hard too. I have to have a good beginning, I told myself.
So did I really just psych myself out?
Yes.
Continue readingI never know what to do for writing prompt intros. Do I talk about the world? About me? About writing? I guess it’s a reminder that the blank page can always be intimidating. If you’re a writer and you’ve never sat in front of blank page feeling your palms get sweaty and you mind go blank, then I refuse to believe you are human. What is your superpower? Please share your secrets.
The blank page problem is one reason why I like writing prompts so much. The prompt and the time limit don’t give me a chance to procrastinate and feel intimidated. You press go on the timer and out comes a beautiful cascade of word vomit. And any words are better than no words, right?
Name of the game: Snap Shot
The rules: Stare at the picture. What does it make you think of? What story is it telling? Okay–thought of something? Good. Now set a timer to 10 minutes and start writing that story. Ready, set, go!
The image:
My finger itches. Yes, I can be a real whiner, but I have a reason.
I’ve spent this week mostly sleeping and eating, which has admittedly been very nice. Unfortunately, typing is exhausting right now so I won’t be joining in on this writing prompt, but it’s a fun one!
Name of the game: Spelling Bee
The Rules: Write down the list of words at the top of your page (notebook, laptop, typewriter–whatever you prefer). You have ten minutes–set a timer–to write whatever comes to mind, using all the words in the list, in whatever order you like, crossing them off as you go. But they ALL have to be in there. Minor alterations are okay, like jump to jumped, but stay reasonable. Are you ready? Go!
The List:
If you enjoyed this writing prompt and feel like sharing what you wrote, post it in the comments! I love seeing what people come up with.
Have fun!
It is week 2. Day 12. Technically week 2.5. Already, NaNo participants, you have done incredible things. For example, Germany who have a combined total of 31 MILLION words from 3,787 people so far (I didn’t realise this region scoreboard existed–it’s really cool!). Week 2 is all about rolling out from week one with a purpose: you know your characters, you know what they want, you know their world–now you can get down to creating drama; the beautiful snowy hill is in front of you and it’s time to get on that sledge.
If instead of this, you’re still struggling with the actual forming of your snowball story, don’t worry. As the data from the region scoreboard indicates, there are so many people in your shoes. But you’ve started and you’re going to do this thing! I’ve compiled some games, some tips, and some very fun quotes from authors to try and help all of you, struggling or not, to stay motivated. Hope they help! Continue reading
As some of you know, we’re 8 days into NaNoWriMo. So far, I’m just hanging on by the skin of my teeth. And yes, I’m counting every word of this intro as a word because otherwise, this post wouldn’t exist–sometimes you just have to compromise. Now, I usually write whatever comes into my head for these writing prompts, but today I’m going to try to tie in the prompt with my novel and use it to inspire wacky new plot ideas. Feel free to join me in trying to weave in your NaNo novel, or just write whatever you feel like! Continue reading
Sonora Hills 