Magic Pen Story Starters Part IV

It's time for more Magic Pen Story Starters! I hope these prompts inspire you to put pen (or pencil) to paper or tap words onto your screen. 

Remember, there are no rules. Find a Magic Pen Story Starter that grabs you, and write away! 

1) Write a story about:

• a couch that breaks out of the furniture store

• a lost dog that moves into your classroom

• a brother and sister who find magical leaves in their backyard

2) Write these folktales:

• "Cinderella Goes to Broadway"

• "Hansel and Gretel: The Prequel"

• "Little Red Riding Hood Opens a Wolf Shelter

3) Write a story with this first line:

• The ice broke under my feet, plunging me into the cold water.

• The penguin waddled over the snow and searched for her mother.

• I went to the store and bought a shovel, a map, and a banana.

• "Stop!" he yelled, but the thief sprouted wings and flew away.

4) More writing ideas:

• Write a story about a family that takes a vacation in their backyard.

• Write a story or poem about the new crayon in the crayon box. 

• Write a story with the title, "Me Big Caveman."

• Close your eyes and think about five things you can find in your backpack. Then write a story about a space alien who steals your backpack and eats those five things.

Use your imagination and let your magic pen soar!

Spring

It's spring this week! Where I live, the sun is shining more, frogs are croaking in the pond at the end of our road, and best of all, the grocery store has Peeps for sale. 

Last summer I posted in Yellow Pencils about writing an "End of Summer" poem. Now let's write an "Ode to Spring." An ode is a poem that is addressed to the thing you're writing about. 

I'll get us started. You fill in with your creative, spring-like images. 

Ode to Spring

Spring, I love your _____________________________. 

I don't like when you ___________________________.

When the wind _______________ and the trees ___________, I know you're on your way.

When the clouds ______________ and the earth smells like ____________________________, I know you can't wait to arrive.

I can't wait, either. Spring, hurry up and __________________! 

Ode to Spring

Spring, I love your blossoms like shiny pink skirts. 

I don't like when you rain all day and make my polka-dot umbrella turn inside out. 

When the wind whooshes and the trees reach up their arms, I know you're on your way.

When the clouds race and the earth smells like oozy earthworms, I know you can't wait to arrive.

I can't wait, either. Spring, hurry up and bring puddles to stomp in! 

Collage

Pieces of Jordi #1

Those of us who are writers may say, "I'm not an artist." Or, "I can't draw." Or, "I can't do anything artistic."

If you are artistically challenged (or think you are), collage is a great way to express yourself in a different medium. 

Collage is the art of arranging various materials onto a backing such as construction paper, cardboard, or wood. 

I like to create a collage for each new piece of writing I do. Here are two collages I made for my middle-grade novel, Pieces of Jordi, while I was working on it.

The story takes place on an island like Bainbridge Island where I live. It also involves a tunnel that is reached by a path through the woods. So I included a ferry schedule and some leaves.  

The collage on top is from when the novel was in rough draft form. I ended up taking out several elements I thought would be in the book, like the dogs. 

This second collage is from when the manuscript was closer to being finished. Here I had a much clearer idea what the novel was about.

Pieces of Jordi #2

Creating a collage about my characters and story helps me figure out what I'm trying to say. It uses a different part of my brain, which is always fun.

To create a collage about your story, get a large piece of construction paper. Gather your materials: scissors, glue stick, magazines you can cut up (ask your family first), and anything else that relates to your story. 

Maps, stickers, stamps, tickets, postcards, photos, nature objects, old calendars, wrapping paper--all can be used in your collage. 

Don't worry too much about planning it. If you're wondering what to include, pretend you are your character. What would he or she put into a collage? You may discover something new about your story. 

When you're done, hang up your collage in a prominent place. Be proud of it. You created something new--and artistic! 

A Mechanical Mouse?

I saw this "mouse" in the woods of Bainbridge Island the other day, and immediately thought, What is this???

Is it a sculpture? Is it some kind of machinery, abandoned long ago in the woods? (Machinery that has the head of a mouse?) 

Or is it a mechanical mouse that appeared in the woods just so people would wander by and ask, What if? 

What if this odd mouse was sent by Mechanical Mousedom to take over Planet Earth? What if it was left behind by mechanical explorers several thousand years ago? What if it retired from working at Disneyworld, got old and rusty, and now longs to entertain children again?

Come up with your own "What if" and write the story of "A Mechanical Mouse."