Tag Archives: brainstorming

Why Today Is Great For Writers

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Each day has the potential to be great. And for writers that greatness all begins in our heads.  I’ve decided to post a brainstorm this morning.  Perhaps you can add to it, comment on it, or just enjoy it.  This is a list of how writers can make every day a great day. If you’re a reader and not a writer, it doesn’t matter.  Perhaps something on this list will help you smile,think, plan, hope, act, or just enjoy your life too.

Timer, watch and schedule

Brainstorming the writer’s life.

Ready? Set your timer for 15 minutes, and list how you’ll make today great:

  • Today, the sun has come up and I’m at my desk, with all I need to write–keyboard, notepad, pen, and a great attitude.
  • The Internet is a constant source of information and inspiration.  I can’t imagine how Jane Austen or Charles Dickens found all they needed in terms of information.  How lucky I am to be a writer in this day and age!
  • Who needs one more mystery? We all do!  I write mysteries because I never grow tired of playing with clues and puzzles.  They keep the brain active.  So, whether I read them and try to figure out who did it, or I’m writing one where I’m playing hide and seek with clues, mysteries keep us sharp!
  • Writers can make ANYTHING happen.  Give me a phone, a bee, and a little girl, and I’ll give you and adventure where she has to make a life-saving call, while under attack from that bee–and she’s allergic!  Now you play with this, and give me a story.
  • Stories!  We as connected human beings need them.  The most popular book of all time–the Bible–is full of them.  Stories thrill us, teach us, give us hope, and connect our very humanity.  As a writer, it is an honor to join the chorus of storytellers across the world.
  • Today is the day a writer will journal, will play with memories, and create new challenges–then use his or her imagination to overcome those challenges, and we as readers, will get to come along on the journey.
  • Today, I will read an article.  It may be on the Internet, it may be in my writer’s magazine, it may be something scientific or something about homemaking.  The articles keep my brain filled with images, and when someone asks me what I’m doing?  I can say, guilt-free, that I’m working. How cool is that?
  • Any experience I have today is something that may fit into a story.  I just have to be aware of what makes me laugh, cry, or learn.  Experience mixed with emotion leads to good story.
  • Daydreaming is the realm of writing.  As children in school we’re scolded for daydreaming, as workers on a factory line or in an office we may risk being fired for daydreaming.  But as writers, daydreaming is essential, and no one can fault a writer for daydreaming. It’s part of the essential story stew.
  • Killing off people you don’t like.  Ooh, how fun is that!  The old boss who fired you? Gone. The colleague who stabbed you in the back at work? Nothing like a good knifing on paper to get even. This is the MOST FUN!  And when do other people get to say their work is fun?
  • Helping others. Yes, we writers help those around us.  The stories we share help them see things in a new light.  We help them escape from unbearable surroundings.  We inspire people to action.  We make words matter.

And with the last bullet point, my timer rang.  How did you do with this exercise?  What kind of day will you make today?

Wishing you every reading and writing happiness.

Brainstorming Day & Contest

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Have you ever heard the expression, “wherever God closes a door He opens a window?”  How ’bout the stories and references to the flexibility of the willow tree?  Point here is, that I’m taking a break from the website work I’ve been doing for the past week, and moving in another direction–back to my roots in writing.

Here is a fun exercise:

Go through your old photographs and find one, or part of one, that has nothing familiar to you.  Use it as a jump off point for a story.

I like taking snapshots. I say “snapshots” because I’m not in any way a photographer. Mostly I use my camera (yes, the real, old-fashioned, I-only-take-pictures, device I hang around my neck) to snap places and people I find interesting.  Shh! Don’t tell anyone, but I don’t even ask permission for such a daring adventure.

Picture of a House In Littleton

What around you inspires a story?

A summer or two ago, I wandered the streets of Littleton in search of places I might use for sketches as part of my watercolor painting hobby.  I found this interesting looking house.  This morning, I’m using it for a short inspiration.  Perhaps you want to play with me?  You can use my photo. Go ahead. It’s fun.

Just in case your server doesn’t translate this photo well (it looked so much better in my iPhoto file!), this is a small green house whose back door looks over an empty lot. A weathered fence separates the viewer from the house and lot and there are wire frames mid-ground for what I think may have been canvas slung chairs at one time.

Okay.  That was just the facts.  Now, let’s play with story.  Who lives in that house?  Why are we interested in them? What’s about to happen that will grab people’s interest?

What if . . .

  • Someone in the house saw you taking this picture?
  • You heard an explosive sound coming from that direction?
  • A little boy wandered out into the vacant lot…with a heavy load in a black bag… and started digging as if he intended to bury that loaded bag?
  • A young woman in the vacant lot started picking up and pitching pebbles at the windows?

Now It’s Your Turn

Take the questions and one of the what-if scenarios from above to write a story, no more than 100 words. Did I tell you Pike’s Peak is sponsoring a flash fiction contest?  Go for it! You can do this.

I’m going to piggy back on Pike’s Peak, but focus on the “flash” part of the fiction.  Write a  100-word story (yes, I’ll use WordPress to check out the word count) based on the photo above.  Be the first to send it to me and I’ll do two things with it:

  1. I will publish it on my blog — hey, you could be discovered as the next O. Henry.
  2. I will send you an ARC (advanced reader copy) of “Sliced Vegetarian.”

Just write and submit using my contact page.  My mailbox keeps track of when something is sent to me.  If you are the first person to submit that 100-word thriller (or romance, mystery, fantasy or whatever your heart desires) I’ll be popping a copy in the mail to you.  This is my way of saying “thanks” to everyone who’s been following this blog for so long.

Other chances to win an ARC . . .

I’m working with someone who knows how to work in Goodreads, so I believe there will be a chance to win a copy of Sliced Veggie there within the next few months.  I also hope to figure out ways to get copies to loyal friends in my late spring newsletter (sometime in April, May, or June).  If you’d like to have a chance at that, or are interested in being on my mailing list, please let me know.

Meanwhile, although temperatures in Littleton remain chilly, the sun has come out again for a few days, and all is well.  Wishing you all a happy week ahead.