Julie Duffy's Blog, page 148

September 9 – Will Reader Response Work in Fiction?

Today’s prompt is all about turning a trigger into a larger piece. We’re all inspired by something, and that likely changes daily. Today, we’ll focus on a specific inspiration and then see how each person interprets it.     The Prompt Write a story based on Gabriel Fauré’s “Pavane.” Tips • Listen to this orchestral […]

Sept 8 – Tension Tuesday

Hi, I’m Malcolm and welcome Tension Tuesdays! Every story needs tension, it’s what keeps the reader guessing and turning the pages. Tension can take many forms, positive or negative.  This week we start with the negative – conflict. In every story there must be conflict. Possibly not all out war or physical violence, but different […]

[Reading Room] The Goat Variations by Jeff VanderMeer

The Goat Variations, by Jeff Vandermeer, plays with reality and alternate realities, in the best traditions of ‘what if’ speculative fiction. It starts with a scene that most people who were sentient in Sept 2011 (or shortly thereafter) will recognize, but then things get weird. Slowly you start to realize that things are not as […]

Sept 8 — Use These Elements

Today’s prompt comes from writer Sarah Cain, who suggested a list of elements that your story must contain. The story should be around 1000 words, but since she’s feeling kind, Sarah has said you can have a limit of plus-or-minus 200 words. The Prompt Write a story that includes the following elements: a black-and-white cat, […]

Sept 07 – Mystery Monday

Write a Mystery or suspense story with this plot line: “A killer is on the loose, having broken into the home of a wealthy woman and left her for dead. He absconded with a few items, then left the initials, ‘M.A.’” To mix things up a bit, create a sleuth who is not such a good […]

Sept 6 — Abandoned

Today’s prompt is a look at location. Location can define characters, shape plots, and create conflict. So what happens if your location is a place that has been abandoned, or seems to be abandoned? Who lived there? Who left it? Why? The Prompt Write a story set in an abandoned location. It could be a […]

Sept. 5 — Dark, Gloomy Forest

Today you’re going to drop your character into the depths of a Deep, Dark Forest, and let him or her fend for their self. You Heartless Author you! The Prompt Your character is alone in the woods and finds blighted trees, drooping plants…rot and slime everywhere. It once was beautiful but overnight is turning into a swamp–its […]

Sept 4 – Friday Favourites 1

Hi, all! I’m Monique and I’m going to be posting prompts each Friday this month. The theme is “Friday Favourites” and means that each prompt will be a generic premise for a story that is also the description of a classic (or favourite!) novel. The Prompt A person wakes up, not quite remembering what happened […]

Sept 03 — Lost in a Maze

This prompt will place your character in a maze or a labyrinth. Only you, the Mighty and Invincible Author holds the key to your character’s freedom! *Mwahahaha* Savor your awesome powers for a moment. Now, let’s get writing! The Prompt Your character is lost in a maze with the instructions to find a very important document […]

10 Tips for Writing A Story A Day Without Losing Your Mind

You’re trying to write a story a day. Some days will be harder than other. For those days, here is some tried-and-tested advice from the StoryADay archives. [tl;dr version: The world needs your story. You need to write. Don’t quit.] 10 Tips To Help You Keep Writing Every Day, Not ‘Some Day’ Lessons from 5 Years […]