Short scene. Here’s the prompt: He got horribly sunburned. How did this happen? Write the scene from the point of view of someone who expected this would happen, and had warned him.   Who best to warn someone about being sunburned? Your mother, of course.   Xavier’s Long Run “Xavier got burnt, Xavier got burnt!… Continue reading X is for “Xavier’s Long Run”

This is a fun little character-inhabiting exercise, and I think I’ll try this from time to time, for all the people I see throughout the city of Chicago: Here’s an idea for a five minute + writing exercise. It can be expanded infinitely, or that it can be picked up again whenever you have five… Continue reading V is for “Victimized”

R’s prompt is all about backstory. The prompt, courtesy of Poets & Writers: Write a scene in which two characters who are close (friends, relatives, a couple) are secretly angry at each other about something that has happened in the past. Decide what they are angry about before writing the scene, but don’t write about it directly.… Continue reading R is for “Relative Anger”

I AM NOT GIVING UP! Life got the better of me. And once you skip one, it’s so easy to say, “I’ll do it tomorrow. I’ll do three tomorrow. Five…” And now I’m a week behind. Quality and length may decrease, but I’m determined. I will complete the challenge. Today’s prompt: From any book or… Continue reading O is for “One Day’s Words”

Fiction today; just a simple little scene. Here’s the prompt: Fred has high blood pressure. But Linda brings home some items from the grocery store that are not so good for Fred. Write the scene with dialogue.   Nothing too complex, just a little domestic dialogue, a mini-spat if you will. Linda’s Mistake Linda elbowed… Continue reading L is for “Linda’s Mistake”

I’ve learned my lesson; next year, I’m totally spending the last week in March marathon-writing these blog posts because trying to find the time in my busy schedule of — well, life, is reallyreallyreally HARD. BUT. I am not going to let the day go by without eventually posting. So here’s today’s prompt (courtesy of writer Susan Hanniford… Continue reading J is for “The Job Fair”

After yesterday’s terrible entry (don’t try to convince me otherwise, that piece definitely has an odor and needs a massive rewrite), it’s time to righten the ship. Appropriately, for “F” day, I pulled a fiction prompt. It’s another “take all these weird things and make a scene out them” type prompt, which, frankly, I find… Continue reading F is for “Fuzzy Slippers”

A fiction prompt this time! Or, at least, I’m taking it as a fiction prompt. I’m not entirely sure of the source of this prompt, but here it is:   Write something — anything — that includes the following five words/phrases: urged When the servant entered with the soup show him the way zeal dead… Continue reading C is for “The Cartwright Dinner Party”