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Daily Writing Prompts!

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Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Ylanne on Sun Oct 02, 2011 9:59 pm

DAILY WRITING PROMPTS
Ylanne S.


Are you suffering from writer's block?
Do you want to better understand your character(s)?
Are you developing a new character?
Do you need a break from your novel/current roleplay/school papers/reports for your boss?
Do you want to stretch your writing abilities beyond your comfort zone?
Are you looking for a place to receive a daily writing prompt?
Do you want to receive constructive criticism?
Do you want to learn how to give constructive criticism?
Do you want prompts that don't force one specific genre?


If so, you've come to the right place.


How does it work?

Every day (or sometimes every other day), I will post a prompt to this thread and any necessary instructions. I will create a separate thread in the Writing subform of the Creative Realm forum for each day's prompt. All prompts will be usable in any genre, unless specifically stated otherwise.

If you would like to share what you wrote in response to the prompt, post it as a response to the prompt-specific thread (there will be a link here). Give it a title, too. If you would like to receive constructive criticism, make a note at the top or bottom of your post asking politely; if you do not want constructive criticism, you must make a note at the top or bottom of your post. Once you have seen other people post, you may add posts to that thread giving constructive criticism of previous posts as long as the other person has specified that they would like constructive criticism.

Check back to this thread each day! Each post will contain a prompt and a link to the thread created for that particular prompt. It's up to you to decide whether or not you want to respond to a prompt, and it's also up to you whether or not you want to share publicly your writing produced from the prompt.

What are the rules?

  • Use spellcheck. Most internet browsers have built-in spellcheck, but you can also use Microsoft Word or similar programs to run a spellcheck program.
  • You may interpret the prompt however you wish.
  • You may not publish a response to the prompt in the thread here if it violates one of our site's rules.
  • You cannot criticize any post in a prompt's thread unless you have posted in that thread. (You can do so, however, via PM to the author.)
  • You cannot publish constructive criticism of a response if the author requested not to receive criticism. (You can, however, send a PM to the author asking permission to share some constructive criticism.)
  • Most of the time, there will be neither a word count minimum or maximum unless explicitly stated in the prompt. I do ask, however, that if your response is excessively long, you may wish to refrain from posting it into the thread -- this is at your discretion.
  • You can post responses to prompts in any thread. It doesn't have to be on the same day that the prompt was posted.

Excellent! Where's the first prompt?

In the post below this one, I will add the first prompt. As the days increase in number, you will see more of these prompts.
​“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”
― Arundhati Roy

“The only way to survive is to take care of each other.”
― Grace Lee Boggs

“every day is another chance to practice living out the values that matter most to us. to be our best selves. to be the legacy we want to leave.”
― Mia Mingus

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Re: Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Ylanne on Sun Oct 02, 2011 10:04 pm

SUNDAY, 2 OCTOBER 2011


A person has awoken one morning only to find that his or her spouse or partner, or someone else in the household who would normally be present, is not there. This person does not respond to attempts to contact, and does not make contact.

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Re: Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Ylanne on Mon Oct 03, 2011 10:51 am

MONDAY, 3 OCTOBER 2011


Your character has returned from a journey only to receive news of the death of a relative or close friend at the hands of an enemy.

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Re: Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Ylanne on Wed Oct 05, 2011 1:14 pm

WEDNESDAY, 5 OCTOBER 2011


There are two today, including one for yesterday.

1. Consider the following quotation.

Few of us will ever do anything that will be recognized by more than a handful of people. We are not great. We may be good, honest, fair, hardworking, loyal, and kind... but we are not considered great. Greatness comes along so rarely that when we see it we want to touch it.
— John Grisham


It is very easy to conceive of a character who holds a position of greatness, either metaphorically, in regards to abilities or powers, or in position or socially. Examples include someone in high position, someone of noble or royal birth, someone with renowned prowess in one particular area, and such concepts. Consider the richness of possibilities for crafting a story centering around an ordinary individual who has no claim to greatness and will in all likelihood never "be recognized by more than a handful of people."


2. Think of a time when you found yourself doubting a principle or belief that you had previously held to be unquestionably true. Place your character in a situation where something he or she does, witnesses, hears, or learns challenges a principle or belief that he or she has previously accepted wholeheartedly.


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Re: Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Ylanne on Thu Oct 06, 2011 10:19 am

THURSDAY, 6 OCTOBER 2011


Consider the following quotation.

It may sound strange, but this is the way it really happened. I have been asked to write a sketch about myself as a writer. For an entire year and without any apparent reason, I have been procrastinating. This year I decided to do it, still postponing things even as I decided to start work. I started and found myself returning to that area of my life that I have always tried to avoid remembering, my earliest childhood. I wrote several pages and then stopped. I tried again, but was obliged to stop again. This time, the cause was a severe migraine that attacked me several times a day. I was examined by doctors who said that there was no apparent reason. It tried to ignore it so as to fulfill my promise on schedule, but the migraine got worse and worse. I had to stop again and to lie down in bed for a while. I seemed to be physically sick. One month later now and apparently cured of my illness I can think of no other cause for the onset of these migraines than my sudden decision to face my childhood, something that lurked in my subconscious memory as a spot labeled "taboo"; almost as though it carried a sign saying "Very painful memories; no trespassing."
— Yusuf Idris (1927-1991)


What is your character's most painful memory, and why? Has your character ever talked to anyone about it? How long has it been since it happened? Think back especially to the character's childhood, and what coping mechanisms he or she might have employed since then. What would happen if your character suddenly decided to confront this memory, or these memories, and was forced to do so pretty much alone, and without outside aid, unable to rely on the support of friends? Would the character experience symptoms of physical illness, like those that Idris describes? If forced to engage in conversation—but unable or unwilling to discuss the memories or the process—what would he or she say to explain him or herself?


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Re: Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Ylanne on Fri Oct 07, 2011 9:08 am

FRIDAY, 7 OCTOBER 2011


Think of an ordinary location from your story or roleplay's setting. Examples could include a grassy field, a bus stop, a cargo hold, or even a small hill. Describe this place using all five senses. Avoid abstract adjectives.

For a refresher on abstract adjectives, an abstract adjective is one that cannot be physically observed with one of the senses. For example, "free," "courageous," "devastated," and "disloyal" are abstract adjectives. Concrete adjectives can be physically observed with one of the senses, and include adjectives such as "jingling," "flashing," "bulbous," "fat," "squishy," or "soft."

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Re: Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Ylanne on Sat Oct 08, 2011 6:12 pm

SATURDAY, 8 OCTOBER 2011


Start with the sentence "You are not welcome here."


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Re: Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Ylanne on Sun Oct 09, 2011 2:54 pm

SUNDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2011


Most people have a place that is like a community or a home for them. For some people, this is a school or university. For others, it is a religious group, an interest club, a service organization, or a workplace. Sometimes it is a specific group of people, or a specific location.

Where is the place where your character is most at home and most comfortable? Write a scene in which this place or group of people suddenly becomes uncomfortable for your character.


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Re: Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Ylanne on Mon Oct 10, 2011 10:35 pm

MONDAY, 10 OCTOBER 2011


Consider the following quotes.

Evil is always unspectacular and always human, and shares our bed, and eats at our own table.
— Wystan Hugh Auden


In every barbaric act there is a human element. That is what makes the barbaric act so inhuman.
— Henning Mankell


Aye, but the hand that had murdered had once pressed the mother's breast into the thirsting mouth, had stolen into the father's hand when they went out into the dark. Aye, but the murderer afraid of death had once been a child afraid of the night.
— Alan Paton


Imagine the villain, antagonist, or bad guy. Describe an everyday moment in his or her childhood, or, alternately, his or her usual morning routine.


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Re: Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Ylanne on Tue Oct 11, 2011 1:00 pm

TUESDAY, 11 OCTOBER 2011


Consider the following quotes.

Of course it is happening inside your head, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?
— Albus Dumbledore


A belief is not merely an idea the mind possesses. It is an idea that possesses the mind.
— Robert Oxton Bolton


We know from history that any idea, no matter how absurd or evil it might seem to the majority of the world community, can become so real in the minds of those who possess it that it inevitably and necessarily impacts their actions. One example is the German Nazi Party's fixation on the superiority of the "Aryan" race and the need to exterminate "Untermensch," or subhumans. Another example is the religious visions that drove the Lafferty brothers to murder a woman and baby. One last example is the philosophy of Usama bin Ladin about the necessity of a worldwide Caliphate driven by literalist interpretations of the Qur'an.

What is a belief or idea that your character has that is not shared with or accepted by the majority of the people around him or her? Write a scene in which the essential conflict over this belief or idea creates a major shift in an important relationship with a friend, family member, romantic or sexual partner, colleague, associate, rival, or enemy.


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Re: Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Skuld on Tue Apr 24, 2012 5:42 pm

Hey Ylanne!
I'm a bit late to the party, but I'm disappointed to see this got such a limited response! I think it's a great idea and would love to see it get picked back up.

:)
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Re: Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Ylanne on Wed Apr 25, 2012 3:10 pm

Thanks, Skuld. That might be the right amount of inspiration for me to return to this.

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Re: Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby TheFinalOne on Thu May 31, 2012 1:19 pm

I just found this and was hoping you'd reboot.
ImageRespect ma authoritah!
Are you irritated at coming last in every single thing? Don't worry. For just a cookie, I'll be TheFinalOne.

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Re: Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby mombie on Thu May 31, 2012 2:50 pm

I, too, would partake if this were to come alive again.
M•O•M•B•I•E
Kids. Roleplay. School. Work.

Stay away from negative people,
they have a problem for every solution.
--Albert Einstein


♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
If it doesn't open,
it is not your door.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
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Re: Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Andrea Rose on Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:06 am

I would too, c:
maybe we'll survive the second round.

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Re: Daily Writing Prompts!

Tips: 0.00 INK Postby Ylanne on Sun Jun 03, 2012 1:30 pm

Well, then, here you are! And I apologize for the excessive reading I've now created. But I am going to be posting these more often now. Here's one for today to mull over. The link to the thread where responses should be posted is at the bottom of this post for you.

SUNDAY, 3 JUNE 2012


Consider the following quotes.

I don’t think the great vocabulary debate will be over until people really see other people as equal in spirit, and they don’t make the “less than” distinction at all. Then we will say what we mean, without having to be careful to use certain code words. If we are talking about someone’s color, we will describe the color as chocolatey or tan (people don’t come in white). If we are talking about someone’s academic performance, we will describe it. If we are talking about someone’s neurotype or personality type, we can use descriptive words like extroverted, autistic, or messy. There just isn’t any reason to resort to projecting groups.
— Ian Ford, from "The I-Word"


I don't have autism. I am autistic.

That's a thing I've been saying forfuckingever. And yet people keep insisting on pointedly saying that I and others "have autism", are "individuals who happen to have autism", are "living with autism", or the ever popular "are individuals who just happen to have autism".

Those are a lot of words just to deny a fundamental part of who I am, huh? It's like people think if they wedge enough words between their identifier noun and the word autism, they'll pry the condition off of us.

— Kassiane Sibley, from "I don't have autism. I am autistic."


I’m calling this phenomenon “group creationism”. The group comes to exist because it is identified, talked about, and people believe it exists and that it identifies a real bounded set of people. That does not cause it to really exist in a scientifically measurable sense, however.
— Ian Ford, from "The I-Word"


But language is powerful and language is political. And when I or others, whether they use the same language as me or not, discuss the significance of semantics, it is intellectually and culturally irresponsible to trivialize discussions about language as unimportant and shallow. Whether we like it or not, using different language in different contexts with different audiences or interlocutors invariably alters perceptions through nuance, connotation, and cultural baggage than if another type of language had been used.
— Lydia Brown, from "On Language"


What I consider accommodating, they consider unreasonable.

What I consider insulting, they consider complimentary.

What I consider hate, they consider love.

What I consider feeling and compassion and emotion and just plain being in the world, they consider pathology and blight and madness and something just plain worthy of extermination.

— Melanie Yergeau, from "First-class autistic, second-class citizen"


Political language — and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists — is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.
— George Orwell, from Politics and the English Language (1946)


Place your character in a situation where the language that your character uses is profoundly and repeatedly misunderstood and misinterpreted by another person, twisted against your character, used as a weapon against your character, and derided as wrong or incorrect. How does your character react to this? How does your character attempt to communicate? Does your character feel strongly about the language that he or she uses that he or she defends his or her use of language or attempts to explain or justify it? Does your character accept what he or she is told about his or her language, and adapt or alter his or her language to meet the demands of the other person or people? How do the constructions created by the language that your character uses both reflect and influence your character's perception of self, others, or environment? What distinctions are created by your character's language? How does language shape your character's identity? Explore these questions in a conversation in which you focus specifically on the thoughts in your own character's mind.

You may consider writing this as a stream of consciousness style -- that is, not editing or omitting any of your character's thoughts, but including each one in an uninterrupted flow. Don't forget to include the words or language used by the other person or people.


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