Ian Dawson's Blog - Posts Tagged "public-domain-images"
Writing Exercise of the Week: Fun in the Public Domain
In my last post, I discussed media in the public domain and how it can inspire new ideas without the fear of dealing with copyright-protected media. Today, I present three writing exercises you can do as you explore public domain properties.
While you can easily do these with other media, if you use public domain works and are inspired to take your creative journey further, you won’t have to deal with any legal headaches in the future.
You can use this public domain site as a launching point:
https://publicdomainreview.org/
Let’s jump in!
Exercise #1 – A Free Picture is Worth 1,000 Words
Find a public domain photo, painting, or sign and write a 1,000-word story about it. You can either write a fictional story based on what’s in the photo, painting, or sign or write about why the piece grabbed your attention and what you might be able to use it for in a future project.
Exercise #2 – For the Love of Reading
Find a book in the public domain and read through it, noting any ideas, plot points, character moments, or story concepts that interest you. Jot down what you find and list what types of future stories these elements could be used in.
Take a few of the ideas and brainstorm a short story (let’s stick with the 1,000-word model). How can you enhance or transform these ideas into something unique but inspired by the original text?
Hundreds of public domain fiction and nonfiction books are worth a look and are excellent resources for mining ideas!
Exercise #3 – A World of Audio Awaits!
Explore public domain audio and find a song, speech, poem, or other audio clip that grabs your attention. Is there a quote you heard that you liked? Maybe it was the speaker’s cadence or personality that grabbed you.
Use that element as a springboard to write a 1,000-word short story.
Final Thoughts
The possibilities of what public domain media will inspire one of your future writing projects are endless. Explore and find photos, books, audio, and more that might give you your next big idea!
Happy Writing and Exploring, and I’ll see you next time!
While you can easily do these with other media, if you use public domain works and are inspired to take your creative journey further, you won’t have to deal with any legal headaches in the future.
You can use this public domain site as a launching point:
https://publicdomainreview.org/
Let’s jump in!
Exercise #1 – A Free Picture is Worth 1,000 Words
Find a public domain photo, painting, or sign and write a 1,000-word story about it. You can either write a fictional story based on what’s in the photo, painting, or sign or write about why the piece grabbed your attention and what you might be able to use it for in a future project.
Exercise #2 – For the Love of Reading
Find a book in the public domain and read through it, noting any ideas, plot points, character moments, or story concepts that interest you. Jot down what you find and list what types of future stories these elements could be used in.
Take a few of the ideas and brainstorm a short story (let’s stick with the 1,000-word model). How can you enhance or transform these ideas into something unique but inspired by the original text?
Hundreds of public domain fiction and nonfiction books are worth a look and are excellent resources for mining ideas!
Exercise #3 – A World of Audio Awaits!
Explore public domain audio and find a song, speech, poem, or other audio clip that grabs your attention. Is there a quote you heard that you liked? Maybe it was the speaker’s cadence or personality that grabbed you.
Use that element as a springboard to write a 1,000-word short story.
Final Thoughts
The possibilities of what public domain media will inspire one of your future writing projects are endless. Explore and find photos, books, audio, and more that might give you your next big idea!
Happy Writing and Exploring, and I’ll see you next time!
