Dave Cousins's Blog, page 2

Writing Prompt (Title Series #4) – Unexpected Item in Bagging Area

I went to the supermarket for supplies yesterday. As directed, I used one of the automatic checkout machines. I followed the on-screen instructions and everything was going fine.

Please swipe an item. Check.
Place the item in your bag. Check. 

I was getting into it, picking up some speed, getting a good rhythm … and then the following message flashed up on the screen.


I looked at the bunch of bananas I'd just put in my bag. There was still a picture of them on the screen. The robot checkout had just told me to put them in there! How unexpected could they be???!

I won't bore you with what happened next – it's not a great story. BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN! On the way home I started thinking – what is the most unexpected item you could find in the bagging area? What if you found something REALLY weird? There could be a story in that, I thought.

So this is your challenge for today! Write a story, or a poem, about finding something REALLY UNEXPECTED in the bagging area at your local supermarket. 

What's the weirdest thing you can think of? A baby? An elephant?! A surface-to-air rocket launcher? What's the funniest thing you can imagine finding? What's it doing there and what are you going to do about it?

This one might be good for a cartoon, or a picture. What's the strangest object you can draw, waiting in the bagging area? Design a weird and wonderful object so people have to try and work out what it is, what it's for and how it got there!

OK, I realise I said at the start of the week that I wouldn't give any hints for these prompts – but hey, it's Friday and I'm a generous kind of fella … so you're very welcome.

Have a great weekend. Y'all stay safe now!

Writing Prompt (Title Series #3) – LOST!

Today's title prompt is LOST!
You could be lost … in the dark, in the woods, in a strange unfamiliar city. Or maybe you've lost something important. What would be the WORST thing you could lose?
Or perhaps something, or someone, that WAS lost is found … by you. What happens next?

P.S. I wanted to do a picture for this one and thought of a lost pet poster – which got me thinking about cats, which of course led me to my favourite cartoon feline – HOBBES, the tiger from Calvin and Hobbes . I attempted the above in respectful homage to the brilliant Bill Watterson. If you've never read any Calvin and Hobbes – seriously, go and check it out. NOW!!!

Writing Prompt (Title Series #2) – I Laughed So Much I Cried!

When was the last time you did this? Write about something funny that happened, or make up something that might!

Continuing the series of title prompts – just a single word or phrase to spark an idea.

Write a short story, a poem, a song, draw a comic, make a film, weave flowers into an ornate tapestry of hilarity – it's totally up to you. (PS. If anyone does that last one, please post a picture!)

Good luck. See if you can have a laugh with this one …

Writing Prompt – Big Up The Small Things! (In honour of National Tea Day)

Poet John Cooper Clarke said that you can “underline the importance of everyday things when you big them up in a poem … the kind of things that people (usually) ignore”.

Today’s challenge is to write a poem about something that people don’t normally give a second thought to. 

Life has changed a lot for everyone recently, and that can affect how we see things. Stuff we took for granted suddenly becomes important. Is there something apparently small and insignificant that means a lot to you, especially now? Maybe it’s something you really miss that you took for granted before.

In honour of National Tea Day, I've had a go at writing something about one of my most favourite "small things" …


Me with a beloved brew!
(And, no that's not a tea cosy on my head … What? It's cold in the shed. Shut up!)

LIFE TASTES BETTER WITH TEA! 
(AKA MY TEA RANT!)


it’s a cup of tea
for me
a mug’s better
actually
no messing about with saucers
and you get more tea in a mug!

a cuppa
a brew
a mash up
one lump or two?

you want to know the secret
for making a perfect cuppa?
I’m a generous fella
So I’ll tell ya

for a start
YOU DON’T PUT THE MILK IN FIRST!

boiling water
from a kettle
(not one of those satanic urns
that constantly churns
simmering until the water tastes like tin
and your tea’s only fit for the bin)

tea bag
in mug
boiling water
then give the bag a bit of a stir
GENTLY!
don’t bludgeon the poor thing to death

tea needs time
                                 and space
       to bloom
you need to coax those tannin textures
set free the earthy delights
exotic notes from the far flung fields of Hebden Bridge

tea should be the colour of beer
not lager (another travesty to the taste buds)
then put the milk in while the bag is still brewing
and give it a stir

then check the colour
and if you need to confer
a Pantone Colour Matching Chart
can be a useful aid
available online
expensive
but a worthwhile addition to your shopping cart

bag in the recycle bin
and then you’re done

now for me
tea tastes best out of doors
but take yours where it belongs

purists will tell you
that the only way to make proper tea
is with leaves and I’d probably agree
but if I started on that
this poor excuse for a poem
would become epic

we’re here today to talk about the small things
and as my mother always told me
if you can’t be good
be brief

(failed again, Ma!)


I think I've earned a cuppa after that! Sure you can do much better too. Have fun. Post your poems in the comments below! Now, I wonder if there's any biscuits left …


PS. Normal service and the Title Prompt Series I started yesterday will continue tomorrow. I couldn't ignore National Tea Day!

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 – FEAR! Writing Out Our Worries.

Everyone gets worried or scared from time to time. The way things are at the moment means there is more than usual to worry about! Often it helps to distract yourself by doing something you like, but sometimes that doesn’t work and the only thing to do is to face those fears and acknowledge them. 
I find that the simple act of writing down what’s bothering me can help. It’s almost as if some of the worry is actually transferred from my head onto the page! OK, I know that probably sounds hard to believe, but give it a go – you might be pleasantly surprised.

Another thing you could try, is to write a story or poem, or draw a comic strip, about a character who is afraid. Sometimes it’s easier to give your feelings to someone else and help them to work it out.

When we watch a film or read a story about someone going through a scary experience – we share their anxiety and fear. But when we see the character survive and emerge stronger for the experience, we realise that it's possible to get through these things and can feel more able to deal with our own fear.

TIP – Stories get good when things go bad for the main character! 

So, in this story your character should find themselves in a situation where they are forced to face their greatest fear. This will give you instant TENSION and CONFLICT – two essential ingredients for a story that will keep readers turning the page.

Remember Indiana Jones in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark ? He suffers from ophidiophobia – a fear of snakes. So when Indy finally finds the location of the Lost Ark and is lowered into the chamber, what does he find? Snakes – of course! But Indy keeps going, he gets past the snakes and survives.
One final thought – not being afraid doesn’t mean we’re brave. Courage is when we face our fears, despite being scared.
Good luck and take care.
Best wishesDave

Writing Prompt – The Secret Life of Pets!

What do pets get up to when their owners go to sleep or leave the house? When the cat disappears through the cat flap and over the fence, where does she go? Perhaps she explores for miles to go on daring adventures … or maybe she just finds a nice warm spot on someone’s roof to go to sleep, like our cat!?
Today's challenge is to write or draw from the point of view of a pet animal/bird/fish/reptile/insect etc. If you have pets at home, you could write as one of them.
Think about how the world appears to an animal or bird. You might have to get down on your hands and knees to find out what things look like from carpet level or on high (Please don't try to find out what it feels like to fly though! You can take research too far and it's bound to end badly.) 
• What do pets think about? • What do they think of us? • Do they understand what we say to them? • What’s the most important thing in their daily lives? 
You could write about what happens when they wake up. Do they wait patiently for you to appear and let them outside, or do they go and hassle you for food?

Have a think about how your pet might actually write! What words would they use? Listen to “Big Dog’s Best Poem” by Nick Toczek for some inspiration!

Have some fun with it and don’t forget to 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.

Writing Prompt – Tiny Diary, Big Secrets!

If you haven’t already seen it, there’s a great online project starting over at https://www.ourcoronadiary.com/ with a huge resource of writing and drawing tips from LOADS of great authors and illustrators.

A couple of my writer mates were involved in putting the project together and kindly invited me to supply a diary themed writing prompt. So here it is:

TINY DIARY, BIG SECRETS!
  
One of the best things about keeping a diary (at any time) is that you can be totally honest about how you feel. Have a rant, vent some spleen, write down all the things you’re too polite to actually say out loud! Be honest and get any frustration, fears and anger you might be keeping to yourself, out onto the page – it might help.
For instance:• What’s the worst part about being stuck indoors? • Who is the most annoying personyou’re confined with? • What do you miss about life as it was before?
But also, what’s the best part about being in lockdown? See if you can think of one good thing to go with every bad aspect!
*
OR … you could use YOUR experience to write about somebody else – a fictional character who finds themselves in confinement. They might not even be in our world or time! 
• Who are they? • Where are they? • What is their ‘prison’ like? • Why can’t they leave? • What would happen if they managed to escape? Will they try? • How do they pass the time in confinement?
Sometimes it’s easier to write about how YOU feel by giving your feelings to a fictional character and seeing how THEY deal with the situation. A fictional character can say and do things that maybe you can’t.
*
To give a twist to this challenge, try writing or drawing your diary on very small pieces of paper. (They will be a lot easier to hide from prying eyes if they’re small!)
Maybe your character in confinement isn’t supposed to be writing so they have to hide their diary too? Or perhaps paper is in short supply, so they have to write on whatever scraps they can find.
The idea is that your story will be physically confined to a small space too!
For example, you could take a sheet of A4 and cut it into long thin strips (like bookmarks), then write or draw a comic strip on those. If you have some very small Post It notes, you could use those. You could even cut up a sheet of A4 to make a tiny book to write or draw in!


What’s the smallest space you can find to write a story? It would be great to see how you get on, and how small a space you managed to squeeze a story into!
Have fun and don't forget to check out all the other great ideas and suggestions over at the Our Corona Diary project.
Stay safe and all the best,Dave

Writing Prompt – With great power …

It’s Monday! Wahey!
OK … I appreciate that Monday isn’t most people’s favourite day of the week, so I thought I’d make today’s writing prompt a bit of fun.
So … if you could have a super power, what would it be? More importantly, what would you do with it?
Note – stories get GOOD when things go BAD for the characters. Try to find some downsides to your new power. Maybe you can fly but discover that you are scared of heights or suffer from air sickness! Perhaps you can become invisible but only for as long as you can hold your breath … Problems create conflict and tension in a story, and that's what keeps us turning the pages.
And don’t forget – with great power comes … (you know the rest!)
Have fun and don’t forget to design yourself a good outfit. “No capes darling …”