Writing Prompt – LIAR!

Hi folks, Hope everyone is doing OK.

This week I’m going to post a series of titles – a single word or a phrase. No hints or examples, just a set-up that will hopefully spark an idea.

Today’s title prompt is just one word:

As it’s Monday, and we all need a bit of help to get going, I've drafted a few questions below that might get you thinking. 


I find that writing stuff down really helps when I’m trying to come up with an idea. I can sit and chew my pen staring into space for hours trying to THINK up an idea. But if I write out what I’m thinking – a few questions to answer – before I know it, I’m writing! I call it THINKING WITH YOUR HANDS! Give it a go, you might be pleasantly surprised.


For this prompt you might write questions like:

– WHO IS THE LIAR? Is it YOU, the narrator? If so, can we believe anything you write?

– WHY DO YOU LIE? Can you simply not help yourself? Do you lie to be kind or to get your own way, or to stay out of trouble? Can you simply not help yourself? 

– OR IS IT A BIGGER LIE? Are you hiding a huge secret that means your entire life is a lie?!!

– WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO GAIN BY LYING?

– DO YOU FEEL BAD ABOUT LYING TO PEOPLE?

– WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU TOLD THE TRUTH?

– WHAT TROUBLE WILL THE LIES GET YOU INTO? This is the best one. Remember: Stories get good when things go wrong for the characters!

Good luck! Have fun. Let me know how you get on.

 

Writing Prompt – Random Words Story Generator!

Today’s challenge is to create a poem, story, comic strip, song, painting, origami animal (OK, maybe not that last one …) from three words chosen at random.

You can take the words from a dictionary, novel, magazine, comic book, newspaper, item of food packaging – anywhere you can find a good selection.

For example – find a dictionary, then close your eyes and open it at a random page. Then, with your eyes still closed (no cheating!) point to a spot on the pages and open them again. The word you are pointing at is your first random word. Repeat this twice (or more, if you want to increase the challenge) until you have three words to work with.

Next, write something that includes the three words you picked. Simple, huh?!

I had a go with these three words I picked at random from a carton of orange juice: APPROXIMATELY, DELICIOUS AND SQUEEZED. From which I wrote the following. (WARNING: Don’t read this if you’re eating!)

The spot was approximately
five centimetres in diameter
Ripe and ready to pop
“Delicious!” she said
and squeezed.

(Sorry! But you were warned.)

OK, I’ll admit that probably isn’t my best work. I was a bit disappointed, so I had another go – this time selecting the words from a dictionary. My finger landed on:

SARRUSOPHONE (a brass musical instrument resembling an oboe with a metal tube)

CLING (to adhere closely by grasping or embracing)

MORTIFY (to humiliate or wound)

This is what I came up with:

I found the SARRUSOPHONE under a hedge.
I thought it was dead –
Until I nudged it with my foot
And heard it gasp a rasping breath.

“You don’t look too good, mate!”
I said, not wishing to MORTIFY.
The sarrusophone groaned
and opened one eye.

It looked so sad I picked it up
and took the bus home.
“One adult and one sarrusophone!”
The driver raised an eyebrow
at the strange thing shivering in my arms.

“You’re safe now, mate!”
I told it. “No need to CLING!”
Finally the sarrusophone relaxed
And then it started to sing.

A strangely mournful honking sound
that wasn’t to everyone’s taste.
This I discovered when they threw us off the bus
then drove away in haste.

We landed underneath a hedge
and I didn’t know what to say.
“Who’d have thought,” said the sarrusophone
“that the same thing could happen
twice in one day!”

I think this is an improvement on the spot one, but I’m sure you could do better!

You’ll notice that I took a few liberties with the word SARRUSOPHONE. To me it sounded more like a creature than a musical instrument, so I went with it! But that’s OK. The words are there to spark your imagination – don’t be afraid to follow where ever it leads!

Have fun, and let me know how you get on.