Friday, January 18, 2013

Have FUN Writing! (with writing prompts)




There are a few things I always associate with FUN:


  • Fridays
  • Saturdays
  • Parks and lakes
  • Ice cream
  • Yellow
  • Balloons
  • Bubbles

You'll notice something very important is missing from this non-inclusive list. 

WRITING!

But writing is fun, right?

Well, it usually is. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it always is... except when it isn't.

Times when writing isn't fun include: 
  • writer's block
  • December 1st, the day after NaNoWriMo
  • post-accident/baby/surgery
All other times, though, writing is SOOOO much fun we're all just giggling manically, right? Maybe that's a bit of an overstatement. Last night, I wrote until 1:30am before I forced myself to synopsize the rest of the story in my head and go to bed... for the sake of the kids the next day. 

Why was I writing so long? I was having the time of my life. It is FUN to make up conversations and relationships and conflicts that only I can resolve. It is FUN to create a whole new world with made-up slang and rites of passage and...

Mmmm...
Oh yeah! Magic edible sparkles!


In fact, there's no job more fun than writing. 

So if you are writing today and you aren't having fun, take a step back and try one of these prompts instead:
  1. You're a zoo animal the night before a planned zoo/prison break.
  2. You're a socialite/social climber with a huge zit on a prominent body part the night of your engagement party to the man or woman of your dreams.
  3. You're a five-year-old child in a war-torn town.
  4. You're Scooby-Doo.
  5. You're a 7-foot tall man who's falling for his English tutor. 
  6. You're the last pickle in the jar.
  7. You're a dynamite performer of the charisma level of Elvis and Justin Bieber all wrapped into one, and your stage just collapsed with you and all your favorite people on it.
  8. You're Castle meets Veronica Mars meets Doctor Who.
  9. You're a five-time mixed martial arts champion with a sprained toe going into the last fight of your career. 
  10. You're a small town CPA who starts an a cappella group in the basement of your professional tax preparation office.

Also, see the Writing Prompts tumblr page (not mine, but so awesome) for more inspiration.


6 comments:

Angela Townsend said...

Great post! And I love those magic sparkles!

Anonymous said...

Thanks, I needed this today. I felt like every letter of every word was superglued to the inside of my brain, hiding behind large amounts of brainy mush, and laughing gleefully as they slithered just out of reach from the brain waves trying to carry them through my fingertips to the page.

Scooby snack, anyone?

Anonymous said...

Love it! Thanks for sharing...kind of like imagining being the last pickle in the jar, lolol. Enjoy the weekend!

Anonymous said...

Love it! Thanks for sharing...kind of like imagining being the last pickle in the jar, lolol. Enjoy the weekend!

Michael Di Gesu said...

These prompts are awesome!!!!! Certainly should take ANY writer out of a 'writer's block!"

Katrina L. Lantz said...

Hee hee. I'm glad the prompts were helpful.

Angie, I do love sparkles, especially the edible kind!

Deb, that's my favorite, as well.

RB, I KNOW that feeling!

Michael, thank you very much, sir!