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Need a writing prompt to get your pen or keyboard moving? Try one of these:
1. Invent an ad for a new shampoo made out of vegetables.
2. Create a superhero who saves civilization with a magic scooter.
3. Find an ad in the newspaper for a lost pet. Describe the family that placed the ad.
4. Think of a movie you've seen recently. Write a new ending.
5. Compare a person in your life to an animal. Write a story in which the person turns into that animal.
Try writing for 15 minutes without stopping. That should get your pens moving and the ideas churning!
Verbs are the workhorses of writing.
Why say "went" when we can write "trudged, skipped, shuffled, scampered, or bolted?"
Of course sometimes "went" is perfectly fine. But strong verbs use our writing muscles--just as horses use their muscles to charge, sprint, or gallop. Strong verbs paint a vivid picture and draw our readers into the action.
Take this passage:
The dog went down the sidewalk and saw a cat. He went after it. The cat wasn't friendly.
How about:
The dog raced down the sidewalk and spied a cat. He tore after it. The cat spit and arched its back.
Take a passage from one of your stories and try to put more "muscle" into your verbs.
See if you can turn your verbs into workhorses. Let your verbs gallop through your sentences!
Last week we talked about a Smelly Alphabet. This week it's Loud Numbers.
Just as the sense of smell makes our writing more vivid, including sound in our stories can make our words pop off the page.
Numbers don't really create a sound, but we can make them shout, squeak, burp, sizzle, murmur, shriek, and zing.
Here's now. Count as high as you'd like, including an object and sound for each number. Try not to use the first sound that comes to mind, but one that is fresh and unusual.
1 horn squawking
2 elephants blaring
3 bells pinging
4 skis whooshing
5 helicopters chugging
If you want to get silly, try nonsense Loud Numbers.
1 horn mooing
2 elephants clucking
3 bells croaking
4 skis thundering
5 helicopters mumbling
Keep going! Unlike the alphabet, numbers are limitless. See how far you can go with your rumbling, ringing, tooting, hissing numbers.
What is a smelly alphabet?
It's not stinky ABC blocks that fell into the sewer.
It's not a page from a skunk's beginning reader.
A smelly alphabet is one we create ourselves, using words from A to Z that refer to our sense of smell.
For each letter of the alphabet, think of something that has an aroma, scent, fragrance, stench, odor, or bouquet. Whatever we call it, smell is a powerful sense to include in our writing.
Here's the start of my smelly alphabet:
Argyle socks found in the garbage can
Bread fresh from the oven
Cauliflower soup
Dirty T-shirt in the laundry basket
Elephant poop
You get the idea. Create your own smelly alphabet and remember to use scents and odors in your writing.
Whether smells are "good" or "bad," they can bring up vivid emotions. Just think--your smelly alphabet could make someone laugh or cry!
