writing prompt – Sherry D. Ramsey

So, you know how sometimes you get a fun idea, and you want to run with it, but your common sense speaks up and says, “Hang on, you have far too many plates in the air already, stop this nonsense and save that for another time”? And you sensibly listen to your common sense and put the idea aside?

Yeah, I don’t listen, either.

So here’s what happened. I was making an infographic in Canva the other day, and I noticed that they have a whole lot of free layouts for Pinterest graphics as well. Customizable images you just add text to, and voila! A lovely, pinnable, Pinterest pin.

“Cool,” I thought, and went on with my infographic. But a little voice in the back of my mind (NOT my common sense) was saying, “you could do something fun with those…”

And then I thought it would be fun to make some writing prompts with them, using the graphic images as inspiration. And then I thought I could try to create a writing prompt for each of them that Canva provides for free. AND THEN my writing prompt personal challenge was born.

I created a Pinterest board (naturally) as a home for the project. Here’s how I described it:

I’m challenging myself to create a writing prompt based on each free Pinterest graphic offered on Canva. I’m trying for five per week until I’ve done them all, and they will quite probably be SF/F/H prompts (have you met me?). I’ll pin the prompts here, and anyone can take a prompt and run with it. Have fun! If you write something based on one of the prompts, let me know! :)

Now, I’m not sure how many images there are. For all I know, there could be no end to them. Or Canva could go away and leave me in the lurch. And hey, sure, this could fizzle out like so many ideas do, but for now I’m having fun with it. There’s only one pin on the board so far, but another will follow today. Pop over and have a look! Who knows…they could get you started on a whole new story…

If you write anything based on one of the prompts, let me know! I’d love to hear about it.

At our writer’s group meeting last night, we did a freewrite, which we haven’t done in a while, but we’ve been meaning to get back to. “Freewriting” means taking a prompt and writing immediately for a set amount of time–no planning, no stopping, no editing, just see what happens. If you haven’t tried it, do so! It’s fun.

The 5 Pictures idea is one where I pull out five (or so) images from a huge stack I’ve cut from magazines over a number of years. Writers can choose whichever one they want to write about, and the way we do it, no-one is under any obligation to share what they’ve written when the time is up. Usually people want to share, which is great and makes the exercise even more fun as we read our pieces aloud afterwards, but there’s no pressure. I think the knowledge that there’s no expectation of sharing makes it easier for people to let go and write.

Anyway, I rather liked mine from last night, although when I randomly pulled this picture from the pile my first thought was, “boring!” In the end, though, this was the one that spoke to me. We wrote for ten minutes, which is not long to tell a whole story, but I think I pulled it off…

“What They Don’t Know”

House-hunting with Marta is a bitch.

“Nothing too big,” she admonished, “because how many bathrooms can one person be expected to keep clean?”

I closed the browser tabs for all the places over 5000 square feet.

“And lots of windows,” she added, smoothing her dark locks.

“With wide windowsills,” I said, “for you to sit on.”

“Goes without saying, but yes.” She stuck her pink tongue out at me impudently.

“Neighbors?” I asked.

She gave me a green-eyed stare at that.

“Right,” I said. “No neighbors too close.” I closed more browser tabs.

“And you know how I feel about dogs,” she said, stretching over to look at the laptop screen.

“Well, the density of canine population isn’t usually part of the property listing,” I reminded her. “We might have to take our chances.”

Marta sighed languidly. “Of course, you’re right, darling. We’ll just have to ask the agent when we go for a viewing.”

I stroked the silky fur on the back of my wife’s neck. “I assume you’ll be in human form for that?”

She butted her head against mine with a rumbling purr bubbling up like laughter. “Darling,” she said. “Who in their right mind would sell a house to a shape shifter? But what they don’t know…”