A Cat's Point of View

Point of view is a term describing who is telling a story. "View" means to look, so when we talk about point of view we're talking about seeing a story's events through a character's or narrator's eyes.

This is my cat Zoey, and I bet she has a great story to tell. What is she doing, or what is she about to do? What is she thinking about?

Write a story from the cat's point of view. It can be an "I" first-person story, or a "she" third-person story. Have fun being a cat--at least while you write your story!

Holiday Magic

No matter what holiday you celebrate at this time of year--or even if you don't--there's something magical about going outdoors and seeing all the lights.

What if you were a space alien seeing stores, houses, and apartment windows lit up for the first time? What kind of creatures would you think Earthlings were?

For our writing prompt today, imagine you're a space alien. Your ship has just landed next to a brightly lit shopping market, like in the photo above. What are you going to tell your space buddies back home?

Be creative. Why do Earthlings have so many lights?

Holiday Parody

A scary Christmas tree? That's what you get when you say, "Twas the fright before Christmas...." and that's called parody.

What is parody? According to Sarah Ellis in The Young Writer's Companion (a wonderful book), parody is "A humorous, exaggerated imitation of a poem, song, character, or writing style."

Other holiday parodies?

"Jingle bells, Santa smells, ninety miles away...."

OR

"Joy to the world, the school burned down."

Can you come up with other holiday parodies? Think of your favorite (or least favorite) holiday song or poem, and give it a try:

"Rudolph, the snot-nosed reindeer, had a gooey, gobby nose...."

"Frosty the jail man, had a big, big set of keys...."

Have fun poking gentle fun at the songs we hear over and over at this time of year. Who knows? Your parody may become the next big hit!

Opening Doors

Sometimes starting a new story is as easy as opening a door.

If you need an idea for getting started, try using a door in the first sentence or paragraph. Doors are portals, or openings, to the outside world. When we hear a knock on the door, we're interested. When we open a door, we meet--someone or something.

Try using these first sentences to start a story, or make up one of your own. Whom or what will you meet on the other side of that door?

• I opened the door, and....
• When the doorbell rang, Adam ran to be the first one there.
• The door was so low, Uncle Jake had to stoop to come inside.
• I'd never seen a door painted flamingo-pink before.
• Creak!!! I pushed the door open and found....
• The name carved into the wooden door gave me shivers--it was my name.
• The door slammed with such force that Julie jumped.
• I knocked three times and waited. And waited.
• Hello? I'm a 500-year-old door, and I have a story to tell....