Write a short story on the theme or idea of:
SURPRISE
Getting Words Written
It is what links all modern writers. We all struggle with how to get words written in this crazy-busy, highly distracting modern age. So, stop hanging your head and feeling shameful - you're not alone. Luckily, I have discovered a few tricks that keep me writing and I'm going to share them in the hopes that they help you finish your masterpiece.
Still my best and favourite:
I turn off my phone. I wrote most of my first novel with my phone turned off. It was the only way to train my friends and family that my writing time was serious. It also taught me to take my writing seriously. I still turn off my phone when I have a deadline or when I am stuck and really need to concentrate. Trust me, they'll leave a message or call back. Probably both.
A Secret I Wish I Had Discovered Sooner:
Set a timer. I love this and have been using a timer a lot lately. I am amazed how much more I can get done by setting a timer on my desk. And I don't mean I do timed-writing practice where you have to keep your pen moving. I use a timer like a bargaining tool with myself: I'll say to myself, okay if you write for forty-five minutes you can take a ten minute break to surf the Internet. This keeps my bum in the chair and my brain focused on my work. Give it a try!
Finish the Things You Start:
You're a writer. You're creative. Ideas pour from you like water over Niagara Falls. I know, I know. But it is a mixed blessing because if you are always starting new projects, it might mean you're not getting many things finished. So be selective. Work on the stuff that speaks to your heart in the deepest way and bring those projects to completion before moving on. And don't forget to celebrate when you finish a writing project!
Let's face it, it's not the easiest thing in the world to be a writer, is it? But if you don't tell your stories, who is going to? Exactly. Okay, everybody - back to work!
Still my best and favourite:
I turn off my phone. I wrote most of my first novel with my phone turned off. It was the only way to train my friends and family that my writing time was serious. It also taught me to take my writing seriously. I still turn off my phone when I have a deadline or when I am stuck and really need to concentrate. Trust me, they'll leave a message or call back. Probably both.
A Secret I Wish I Had Discovered Sooner:
Set a timer. I love this and have been using a timer a lot lately. I am amazed how much more I can get done by setting a timer on my desk. And I don't mean I do timed-writing practice where you have to keep your pen moving. I use a timer like a bargaining tool with myself: I'll say to myself, okay if you write for forty-five minutes you can take a ten minute break to surf the Internet. This keeps my bum in the chair and my brain focused on my work. Give it a try!
Finish the Things You Start:
You're a writer. You're creative. Ideas pour from you like water over Niagara Falls. I know, I know. But it is a mixed blessing because if you are always starting new projects, it might mean you're not getting many things finished. So be selective. Work on the stuff that speaks to your heart in the deepest way and bring those projects to completion before moving on. And don't forget to celebrate when you finish a writing project!
Let's face it, it's not the easiest thing in the world to be a writer, is it? But if you don't tell your stories, who is going to? Exactly. Okay, everybody - back to work!
Dialogue Prompt
Use this line of dialogue as the first line, last line or any line of a short story:
"I could have drowned!"
"I could have drowned!"
Quote
"On writing - a matter of exercise. If you work out with weights for fifteen minutes a day over the course of ten years, you're gonna get muscles. If you write for an hour and a half a day for ten years, you're gonna turn into a good writer."
~ Stephen King
~ Stephen King
Try
All writers have work locked away in drawers or filed away on our computers that we have giving up on. For whatever reason we could not bring that short story, novel or poem to life, but we also could not bring ourselves to throw it away or hit the delete button (smart decision - never throw anything away!). Today I would like you to dig that piece out and have another look at it. I did this recently and am having so much fun working on my story again. Suddenly I can see where it is weak and what needs polishing. Sometimes all we need is time. When we look at our work with fresh eyes instead of seeing all its faults we see all that is wonderful and worth saving about it - and that infuses us with the energy to start another draft.
If you have any creative breakthroughs, I'd love to hear about them!
If you have any creative breakthroughs, I'd love to hear about them!
Prompt #189
Craig laughed when I told him, which was no surprise; he never takes anything I say seriously.
Dialogue Prompt
Use this line of dialogue in a short story. It can be the first line, the last line or any line in between.
"Shut up!"
"Shut up!"
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