Write Over the Hump

Sometimes the seemingly innocuous can spark our imagination. What kind of spark does the following prompt create for you? You have only 15 minutes to capture it all… start now! Oh, that’s right, you haven’t met me yet.

Write Over the Hump

I’m always amazed at what different writers do with the same opening line. Here’s an opening to a flash-fiction piece I wrote in one of my classes. My story has an eerie quality about it. What will you do with … Continue reading

Write Over the Hump

We’ve all had this happen to us… or seem to happen. In the dead of night, when the shadows hover close, when we don’t know who is there, or what will happen… set your timer for 15 minutes and begin … Continue reading

Write Over the Hump

Our characters can’t always be right. They can’t always succeed, or our stories would be only a few pages in length. They have to fail, sometimes over and over, and deal with the consequences—and emotions—that come with failure. So, again … Continue reading

Write Over the Hump

Humor can help ease things when tension mounts too high. It also gives readers a place to breathe, before the tensions ramps up again. And the lighter side of characters helps bond them to readers. So, here’s a prompt to help … Continue reading

Write Over the Hump

Still in the theme of Halloween and weird, scary stuff, this prompt will make you work for your ideas. Just what is happening here? Is it real, or??? I’d never before seen time run backwards.

Write Over the Hump

Here’s another suspense-filled opening to sink your teeth into. Just what is happening here? Set your timer for 15 minutes and write: It was the gun she held that convinced me she was serious.

Write Over the Hump

The completely strange and foreign can serve as a spark for story ideas. Even if you never want to write science fiction or fantasy, venturing out into the genre can help your imagination soar when you return to what you … Continue reading

Write Over the Hump

We have all felt alone at times, been places where we didn’t seem to fit in, where no one spoke to us or noticed us. We can mine those emotions for our stories. Here’s a prompt to help you do … Continue reading

Write Over the Hump

I thought of my son (whose birthday is tomorrow) and his little BMW when I wrote this. It set my mind spinning. Does it do the same for you? What was it about the car? Whose car was it? And … Continue reading