Prompts
--Just breathe normally.
--I knew then I was lost. --"For heaven's sake, take those gloves off." --I cannot eat soup with just a knife. --Oh, by the way . . . --Anybody can die, evidently. --Really, families like that deserve what happens to them. --"If you see this boy," said the ballerina, "do not - I repeat, do not - try to reason with him." --They decided to exchange heads. --Being __________ isn't all that bad. --Becoming a ___________ wasn't part of the plan. ==When ________ grew up she/he planned to know everything and to keep it all a secret. --Main character: scared female chemist; key object: diary. Create a setting and conflict involving this character and item. You may add additional characters. --It will grow back --Three days passed before they found the body. --Here's what we brought to the party: --Think of specific cities and list them and what each offers that no other city offers. Combine specifics and details in an interesting way. --Nothing was ever the same again after ... --Here's what we threw away: --Here's what we recycled:
sensory language prompts
--I moved through majestic depths of silences, silences so immense I could hear . . .
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children's stories prompts
--(interesting proper name) couldn't sleep another second
--What kind of hair should an elephant wear? --"If I had a [giraffe]... holiday prompts
--Beginning the day after Halloween, Grorley, in combined shame and panic, began to angle for an invitation to somewhere, anywhere, for Thanksgiving."
--"Twas the night before..." --"The last thing I do on [Christmas Eve] is ... --The holidays bring out the best in people--but not at the mall. miscellaneous prompts
--There's nothing subtle about . . .
--You have only wasted . . . --"Keep it in the pantry." --"This is what we threw away" --Dear [Inanimate object], Thank you for writers' prompts
--I don't want to ...
--"I am to see to it that I do not lose you." --"I speak for the slaves and the masters of slaves." --"Come on, let's go astray." --"How do I know what I saw till I see what I say?" characterization prompts
--"After Gerald confessed his [love], he...
--_______ gave me four choices. I chose the third. --Chris made it a goal to dance badly around the world. --_________ made life miserable. If you see this boy," said the ballerina, "do not - I repeat, do not - try to reason with him. They decided to exchange heads “In this part of the story I am . . . “ Being __________ isn't all that bad. Working in groups. Combine two of your characters--unlikely combos and place them in one of the following settings: lifetime fitness, ferris wheel, Pirate-O's, Tiki room, tattoo parlor. Now Introduce one of the following objects that the characters have to deal with: rolling pin, rotisserie chicken, rusty cheese grater, slice of moldy bread, 1/2 deflated beach ball. Show what happens. Use dialogue. --Becoming a ____wasn't a part of the plan. --When ________ grew up she/he planned to know everything and to keep it all a secret. --Three days passed before they found the [body] Dialogue prompts
--Chose one or more of the following lines of dialogue and create the first paragraph of a short story:
"I'll dream." "I bought a present for Doris." "I don't want to share." "Did you hear that?" personal exploration prompts
--I was [age] when I first held a
--Arms open, I welcome . . . --This is what the world does. It lets you ... --"I arrived first." --"I knew it was a mistake to ..." --I remember the disguise distinctly (write about a time you hid from someone or disguised yourself. It can be literal or figurative) --Write about a time when you saved the day. metaphor/simile prompts
Begin each new line with "Throwing out my cell was as ______ as _____ ,"
create as many new unexpected, surprising similes as you can. Ex: Throwing out the phone was as disturbing as a page turning. as disturbing as a flower blooming. as disturbing as an eyelash falling. --Compare a recent experience to a meal or a TV show or a school subject or an animal --Conner Jessop Poem --Youtube Wooden Heart (extended metaphor) |
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