Heaven's gate

Heaven's gate

What's a warm up?

Once Upon a Paragraph

Gary Provost, a writer of writing books, said in How To Tell a Story that 90% of books have some form of the following plot:

Once upon a time, something happened to someone, and he decided that he would pursue a goal. So he devised a plan of action, and even though there were forces trying to stop him he moved forward because there was a lot at stake. And just as things seemed as bad as they could get, he learned an important lesson, and when offered the prize he had sought so strenuously, he had to decide whether or not to take it, and in making that decision he satisfied a need that had been created by something in his past.

How very clever! He's got all the elements, from inciting incident to black moment to character growth all in one paragraph. :-)

Jamie Smiles Investigations

Jamie Smiles is a crime investigator in a future Earth that includes enclaves of otherworld species. The most recent crime involves the headless corpse of a Slarpeon male.

Headless males aren't unusual among the Slarpeon. After mating, the female removes the male's head for preservation and the body is ritually disposed of. This body was found outside the enclave. Though his sperm sack had been ruptured no one has claimed to have mated with him.

This particular male was odd for a Slarpeon. Rather than the manual laborer most males are, he had demonstrated artistic talents that his hive had given him the freedom to pursue.

So, what's behind the crime?

Empire State Express

Empire State Express

What's a warm up?

Break on through to the other side

Pop!

Ritual enhancements

Maori Haka

Create two scenes for characters who have adopted superstitious rituals to aid them in their endeavors. One scene is of a high-end thief, perhaps art, jewelry or something uniquely valuable to his or her world as the thief prepares for the evening's heist. The other is of the law officer who has been on the thief's trail for 19 years as she or he prepares to finally capture the thief.

(As always, you needn't confine yourself to contemporary times or even Earth based.)

Nine lives

Nine lives

What's a warm up?

What's your rush?

Supernatural writing prompts from LitBridge

What a wonderful collection of story and poetry prompts at LitBridge about the supernatural (and mundane) world. The site is dedicated to helping writers of all levels become more professional with information about writing programs, contests and more.

On the writing prompts page, are links organized by a huge collection of categories from seasons, to mythological creatures, to beautiful words. Each page has 10-30 prompts. The collection the supernatural links below were taken from is about halfway down the page.

Creative Writing Prompts About Aliens Creative Writing Prompts About Demons Creative Writing Prompts About Dragons Creative Writing Prompts About Dreams Creative Writing Prompts About Fairies  Creative Writing Prompts About The Future Creative Writing Prompts About Gargoyles Creative Writing Prompts About Ghosts

Creative Writing Prompts About Heaven Creative Writing Prompts About Hell Creative Writing Prompts About Mermaids Creative Writing Prompts About Superheroes Creative Writing Prompts About Werewolves Creative Writing Prompts About Vampires Creative Writing Prompts About Zombies What If Creative Writing Prompts

Here's a sampling:

Write a story about a man who virtually chats with an alien unknowingly. The man starts to fall in love with this mysterious stranger. What happens next?

Write a poem about yourself from the perspective of an alien.

Write a story about different dragons from varying cultures meeting each other. Try to research how different cultures perceive dragons to better give your dragons more realistic and culturally appropriate attitudes.

Write a poem about how to care for a dragon.

Write a story about a demon who wants to become good but faces resistance from fellow demons.

Write a story about a baby demon who is learning to help humans sin, possess their bodies and ultimately take their souls.

Write a story from a perspective of a main character who is looking for a dream. Why is he or she looking for a dream? What happened to their prior dreams? Describe the journey.

Write a poem about alternative views of fairies such as them being demoted angels, having connection to death, or as another race.

Write a story about a young psychic who discovers that she has the ability to communicate with people living in the future.

Write a poem with the following words: granite, evil, aqueducts, and gargle.

Write a story about a human who wakes up as a stone gargoyle. The story could be about the people the human gargoyle sees everyday. During the story, the gargoyle may be turned back into a human. What happens next?

Write a story that is entirely based in a ghost world.

Write a poem in the form of a ghost story.

Read literature that describes what heaven is like. This literature can include various religious texts. Write a poem dedicated to each of these types of heavens. Feel free to include your own perceptions of these heavens.

Write a story where the main character has a genuine fear of spending eternity in heaven.

Write a story where the main character is trying to be recruited by Lucifer to become the Antichrist.

Write a story about mermaids who live in modern civilization and have regular jobs, schedules and responsibilities.

Write a story from the perspective of the villain who happens to be a close friend or lover of a superhero.

Write a poem about a modern or fictional superhero who has truly failed in a crisis.

Write a story that begins with a superhero’s death and how the world reacts to it.

Write a story about a child who is raised in a family of werewolves. However, he did not inherit the family trait of being a werewolf.

Write a poem about transformation. Try to use an analogy that compares transformation with the type of transformation a werewolf may have.

Write a poem with the following words: mocking, blood, fangs and immortality.

Write a poem about the relationship between vampires and religion.

Write a funny story about a character who truly believes he/she is a vampire even though he may not be one at all.

Write a story about a zombie who slowly falls in love with another zombie.

What if your friend joined a cult that worshipped dogs?

What if your pet could only talk to you at midnight for an hour?

What if you could make any religious belief truly real? Which one would you pick and why?

A lóng he came ...

Write a scene introducing a character who looks human but is actually a dragon -- without revealing their secret. Describe their movements, the quality of their voice, their quirks. Anything that a reader would later recall as clues when the secret is later revealed. Include dialog. Perhaps the dragon is a shop keeper, a client, a new neighbor.

龙

---

This reminds me of a wonderful book, Tea with the Black Dragon by R.A. MacAvoy. I don't think the sequel lived up to it, but this one had a lovely relationship between the main character and the man who aids her in her quest for her daughter, who may or may not be a 2000 year old Chinese dragon.

Space junk

Space junk

What's a warm up?

Valentines from the Universe

Are you up to the challenge of creating the story of love behind each one? ❤️

Cupid's little prank

Cupid's little prank

What's a warm up?

In the end ...

Here are the last lines. Pick one and write the story that led up to it.

• A unicorn followed her. Then another. Then another.
• It was satisfying punishment for the worst Best Chef in the kingdom.
• He dropped a match onto the mound of torn papers, splintered furniture and bloody rags. He waited until the fire strengthened, devouring the memories more greedily. Then he left, locking the door behind him.
• We descended into the tunnels before the dawn could heal us.
• Sure it was just a chicken. But what a magnificent chicken it was.
• She set the golden tooth into the tray and closed the slender drawer on the cabinet. Now her hobby didn't seem so strange anymore.
• "Peacekeepers," he grumbled, watching the last departing vehicle turn the corner. He turned back to the disheveled room, picked up a broom and began sweeping.

10,000 days

10,000 days

What's a warm up?

A story come to death

Gulliver's Travels abandoned amusement park, Japan

Fairy-fied

Retell a fairy tale starring your characters. From a current work. From a favorite work. From several works. Have them meet!

Or create a fairy tale world populated by your characters. Who would make the best Cinderella? The best Big Bad Wolf? The best giant slayer? Might there be surprising age, sex and species differences?

(I do go on fairy tale kicks occasionally!)

As mentioned in last week's post, a fairy tale list (and links to other lists) is at Fairy Tales, and a random picker at Tale of Two Tales.

Speed demon

Speed demon

What's a warm up?

Uprising

#11 25 Places That Look Abnormal But Are Real

The aftermath

The outcomes of humiliation and defeat are familiar in fairy tales but not what happened afterward. What happened to the emperor after his embarrassing buff walk through town? What happened to the duck family who was so clueless that one of their children wasn't even a duck? What happened when all the servants in Sleeping Beauty's castle found out the king knew they might all lose everyone and everything they had if his daughter touched a spindle? What happened to the rabbit who lost to the turtle when his family and friends found out?

The fairy tale list (and links to other lists) is at Fairy Tales, and a random picker at Tale of Two Tales.

---

Inspired by B.J. Novak's "The Rematch", a tale of what happened to the rabbit who lost to the tortoise in One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories.

Animal I have become

Animal I have become

What's a warm up?

Naturally flamingo

#19 25 Places that look abnormal but are real

Telescopic text

Oops! Should be one EYED cat.

Go to Telescopic Text. Click on Write.

Start with a simple sentence. Expand it, word by word, phrase by phrase to something gloriously twistedly complex.

See if you can create a story that grows from a simple sentence. Or keep changing the meaning of the sentence by adding words to what you have. Or just play to see where it takes you. :-)

To see a demo, you can play with Joe Davis's "I made tea."

There's a page with some Ideas to get you started and another on How to use the writing tools.

You'll need an account to save any Telescopic Texts you create. The feature to add your texts to the gallery seems not to be working. (The site hasn't been updated since 2011 so that's unlikely to be fixed. But creating a text still works fine.)

Frosty freeze

Jack Frost is tired of the negativity that goes with his job. Everyone complains about the cold and the snow. No one appreciates the beauty. They only care how it inconveniences them. Bunch of ingrates!

He wants a new job. He's in your office at Career Counseling For Magical Beings. Get to know him. Help him find a job he'd be perfect for.

In the process, perhaps after he's tried some of these new jobs, talk about what other magical beings have said they'll do or are doing with his Jack Frost job.

A touch of evil

A touch of evil

What's a warm up?

Chicken's Wedding

Click for LARGER view (That now works!)
(Click the magnifying glass on the larger view in the lower right to zoom in on the details.)

Chicken's Wedding is the actual title of this piece. With monkeys. Which look kind of lizardish. (Sorry ancient artist. Quite possibly he'd never seen a monkey and was only copying other artists' monkey drawings (who were copying ... etc.))


It's a singerie, which Wikipedia tells me is "Monkey Trick", a picture depicting monkeys aping (ha!) human behavior. There's a human head on the front of the wagon drawn by leopard lion dogs which are either giant or the horses and elephants are tiny. The more you study it, the weirder it gets.

(Singerie: The Chicken's Wedding at the National Tile Museum in Lisbon.)

Frost and Fire and Rock

For decades global warming has shrunk the borders of the Frost Giants' land. As the thawing pushed them deeper into their territory, the frost giants begged their queen to do something. As is the nature of government, it wasn't until the ice palace's south tower collapsed that the queen decided it was time to take action. She has declared war on the Fire Giants. Ice dragons, ice fairies and other ice creatures are gathering.

The Fire Giants claim they aren't responsible. They say it's clearly the Sun God's wishes for them to have the world's largest volcano. The deep ice that had kept the volcano from the Fire Giants has melted. Now the giants have set up a mining operation. Fire dragons, fire demons and other hot beasties are flocking to defend the site.

It would all be no one else's business if it weren't for the Rock Giants who live down slope. The Rock Giants have been carving the mountainous foothills into wondrous sculptures for 10,000 years. If the Frost and Fire creatures clash, the tsunami of melting runoff from their fighting will wash everything away.

It's up to three friends from the three elements to find a peaceful solution.

Humans being

Humans being

What's a warm up?

Ice palace

St. Joseph's Lighthouse, MI, Arctic blast of 2014

The Bingo Queen and the Health Nut

Health Nut by Jayson Hotchkiss

Pick two from below who have naturally opposing views on life. Two who will clash as soon as you throw them together. Now put them in a scene or short story where they're vying for the same thing or must cooperate. The last piece of pie? The beneficence of a benefactor? Stuck in a vampire's holding pen together?

I stumbled across this list while moving stuff to a new computer. I'm guessing it came from a NaNoWriMo "take a character/leave a character" folder someone created in 2006. Now the NaNoWriMo forums have an official Adoption Society folder with lots of things to adopt like plots, names, titles ... fears, super powers. Though the forums are archived and cleaned out each year, the link should hopefully keep working.

• bingo queen
• bartender who doesn’t drink
• nerdy criminologist, expert on criminal psychology, loser on figuring out social skills
• collector of orally-told, ancient stories, wandering about the continent
• ninja incompetent
• bumbling wanna-be ruler of the world who attracts others eager to change the world, looking for a leader
• seller of addictive substances who is convinced he’s being a help to society
• rescuer of animals in a world that treats them as disposable
• teenage emperor pretending incompetence as he ferrets out the ones who would take over his empire
• world weary vampire, who doesn’t have the strength of character to kill himself
• proselytizing health and exercise nut afraid of dying
• cherry picker who dreams of climbing the highest peak in the kingdom
• spirit who has returned 20 years after his death when the fortune and estate he spent a lifetime building is being frittered away
• young boy left behind by his migrating family is taken in by his tribe's enemy
• spiritual girl in a land of atheists
• vampire that feeds off fear
• girl possessed by her dead grandmother as she seeks to continue her research into a cure for a disease that is wiping out the neighboring enemy
• crazy cat lady who is the contact point for her cadre of cat spies.
• wish-fulfillment fairy who can’t fulfill her own wishes. She was cursed by an ogre who was killed in retaliation by her boyfriend.
• giant with a mullet and an obsession for butterflies

Life on the edge

Life on the edge

What's a warm up?

Cliff road

#11 15 More images you won't believe aren't Photoshopped

Bucket list

Supernatural: Slumber Party

Your character has won a cosmic lottery to be transported to her favorite fictional universe for one year. Create at least 12 items on her bucket list.

Everything is going fine until the fifth item on her list goes horribly wrong. It looks like she won't get to the rest of the items on her list. Just as bad, one of her favorite characters is revealed to be much different than had been portrayed.

But, since this is a fantasy, all is well and everything turns out much better than she could have planned.

Feel free to choose your favorite fictional universe.

Shot in the dark

Shot in the dark

What's a warm up?

Sand painting

#7 17 Images you won't believe aren't Photoshopped

Ded Moroz

This is Ded Moroz. He is the incarnation of the winter holiday. So who is he? What does he do each winter holiday? What ways does he interact with the people celebrating? What is his history? What if he began as an evil figure? Why was he evil and what changed him?

Create a Wikipedia article about him.

---

For the real story, Wikipedia has a good article on Ded Moroz.

I wish I had an angel

I wish I had an angel

What's a warm up?

Black and White Christmas

#16 17 More images you won't believe aren't Photoshopped

Accidental minstrel

Snow Soldier by The Paper Lady 42 

For each set of 5 words create a sentence about winter or your favorite winter holiday. (Feel free to tamper with word forms.)

✵ rumble minstrel mist accident heart
✵ flash tremble vanity tease soldier
✵ cold shard crumble navigate reporter
✵ nunnery rumple dampen silver cling
✵ gypsy embrace temper shade obey

(Sorry for the delay. It was time for a new computer. And time to discover new software often has a distaste for old files.)

This is both cool and kind of creepy! Google created this automatically from the picture and stuck it in my notifications.

My guitar wants to kill your mama

My guitar wants to kill your mama

What's a warm up?

Apicem rhoncus

#12 17 Images you won't believe aren't Photoshopped

(Hmm. Clearly I was struggling for titles when I scheduled these a few months ago. Google translates it as "peak pricing", though it also says rhoncus can mean "range" or "the range" which is obviously what I meant. But, I have no idea why I chose it. And, really, it just comes across as snooty rather than intriguing! Sorry about that!)

Mental slavery

Mental slavery

What's a warm up?

Critical mass

#15 17 Images you won't believe aren't Photoshopped

Greenplanet

In the Icelandic sagas, it is said that Norwegian-born Erik the Red was exiled from Iceland for murder. Along with extended family and thralls, he set out in ships to find a land rumored to lie to the northwest. After settling there, he named the land Grœnland (translated as "Greenland"), supposedly in the hope that the pleasant name would attract settlers. (Wikipedia)

With the advent of inexpensive faster than light travel, many new planets have been found suitable for human colonization. Some, more pleasant than others.

Your family has found a planet that is less than a paradise. You fully believe with some work it could be a really great place to live but it needs the right people and the competition for new places to live is high.

Write a promotional piece to encourage people to come settle on your planet. Emphasize the quirkiness. Or the challenge. Give it a good coat of "green" wash.

Some of the things you'll need to "sell" are:

"Spiders" the size of kittens.
Frequent dish-rattling earthquakes.
There are 12 tiny moons.
Occasional drops in oxygen.
All day all the time. Except on the other side of the planet.

Into the arena

Into the arena

What's a warm up?

Going down

#21 21 Images you won't believe aren't Photoshopped

Best Thanksgiving episode ever

For your favorite series, create a Thanksgiving episode.

What's the goal? To get everyone together? To survive? To find something to be thankful for?

Be sure to include a unicorn.

Colour of life

Colour of life

What's a warm up?

Birth

#5 19 Images  you won't believe aren't Photoshopped

No thanks

Use at least 15 of the following words in a piece that is NOT about the Thanksgiving holiday.  (Just like eating a Thanksgiving feast, it helps to pace yourself rather than try to cram them all in at the beginning!)

pie
turkey
thanks
giving
cornucopia or horn of plenty
family
fall
feast
gravy
relatives
harvest
oven
squash
Thursday
tradition
pudding
pilgrims
gather

Spy in the night

Spy in the night

What's a warm up?

Instigation: Creative prompts on the dark side

I've referenced Michael Arnzen's horrifically twisted writing prompts a couple of times.

Instigation: Creative prompts on the dark side is a book of 500 of them. For all of NaNoWriMo month -- November for those who haven't discovered NaNoWriMo yet! ;-) -- it's half off. (Since it's usually only $3.99, if you miss the special, it's still affordable. :-)

From his website: "This ebook is available for all reading devices (including .pdf) and features 500 "prompts" and includes special help and articles for all you binge writers madly typing away on a novel in the month of November. Offer ends Dec 1st at Midnight, so act quick:  Get your copy now for just $1.99."

Beached

#6 19 Images you won't believe aren't Photoshopped

Fool's errand

by Julian Totino Todesco

As part of your wizard training, you've been sent on a Fool's errand.

Who is the Fool?

What does the Fool want?

Why is following the request of a Fool a useful training exercise?

Moscow is calling

Moscow is calling

What's a warm up?

Tree spirits

3D Projections on Trees – Clement Briend in Cambodia

(There are several more of these art installations at the link.)

Valued values

I can't believe I never posted a list of abstract values. Unless I called it something weird so it doesn't show up in a search.

Well if I didn't, here's a list. The values are divided into 5 basic categories: Aesthetics, Mental, Power, Practical, Social, Spiritual. Each also is identified by a type. The types span categories, so there are, for example, Aesthetic, Social and Spiritual ways to form Connections. (Categorized according to Gordon Allport's scheme in Allport-Vernon-Lindzey Study of Values. I changed the words used for the categories since his language was outdated.)

If you'd like to sort them, Story Sculptor comes with a spreadsheet version. The Values sheet does some other nifty things like a randomizer and the ability to check off the ones that match your character. (The list is also larger with over 400 values. Which is probably way more than anyone needs! ;-))

AESTHETICS
Beauty	Beauty
Balance	Calm
Comfort	Calm
Contentment	Calm
Equanimity	Calm
Peacefulness	Calm
Silence	Calm
Solitude	Calm
Tranquility	Calm
Nature	Connection
Romance	Connection
Sensitivity	Connection
Sensuality	Connection
Sexuality	Connection
Tradition	Connection
Adventure	Energy
Creativity	Energy
Optimism	Energy
Passion	Energy
Youthfulness	Energy
Freedom	Individualism
Independence	Individualism
Individualism	Individualism
Individuality	Individualism
Liberty	Individualism
Originality	Individualism
Entertainment	Joy
Happiness	Joy
Hopefulness	Joy
Humor	Joy
Play	Joy
Pleasure	Joy
Satisfaction	Joy
Wit	Joy
Order	Order
Perfection	Purity
Purity	Purity
Charm	Style
Dignity	Style
Looking good	Style
Simplicity	Style
Change	Variety
Richness of living	Wealth
MENTAL
Intuition	Cleverness
Inventiveness	Cleverness
Curiosity	Curiosity
Awareness	Thought
Impartiality	Thought
Logic	Thought
Reason	Thought
Truth	Thought
Understanding	Thought
Wisdom	Thought
POWER
Aggressiveness	Aggression
Ambition	Aggression
Assertiveness	Aggression
Boldness	Aggression
Competitiveness	Aggression
Control	Aggression
Power	Aggression
Winning	Aggression
Fame	Attention
Popularity	Attention
Respect from others	Attention
Status	Attention
Strength	Attention
Leadership	Thought
PRACTICAL
Coolness	Attitude
Self-control	Attitude
Self-reliance	Attitude
Stability	Attitude
Confidence	Determination
Discipline	Determination
Perseverance	Determination
Resilience	Determination
Steadfastness	Determination
Competition	Energy
Determination	Energy
Endurance	Energy
Industry	Energy
Persistence	Energy
Tenacity	Energy
Cautiousness	Exactness
Diligence	Exactness
Meticulousness	Exactness
Vigilance	Exactness
Thrift	Frugality
Foresight	Growth
Purposefulness	Growth
Success	Growth
Cleanliness	Health
Fitness	Health
Longevity	Health
Security	Health
Education	Knowledge
Experience	Knowledge
Intelligence	Knowledge
Knowledge	Knowledge
Maturity	Knowledge
Wealth	Prosperity
Autonomy	Self
Family security	Self
National security	Self
Self	Self
Conscientiousness	Skillfulness
Discernment	Skillfulness
Efficiency	Skillfulness
Flexibility	Skillfulness
Mastery	Skillfulness
Organization	Skillfulness
Preparedness	Skillfulness
Readiness	Skillfulness
Speed	Skillfulness
Usefulness	Skillfulness
SOCIAL
Acceptance	Connection
Belonging	Connection
Citizenship	Connection
Commitment	Connection
Connection	Connection
Cooperativeness	Connection
Dependability	Connection
Faithfulness	Connection
Family	Connection
Helpfulness	Connection
Loyalty	Connection
Remembrance	Connection
Respectfulness	Connection
Responsibility	Connection
Service	Connection
Sharing	Connection
Altruism	Fairness
Charity	Fairness
Duty	Fairness
Equality	Fairness
Fairness	Fairness
Forgiveness	Fairness
Generosity	Fairness
Justice	Fairness
Lawfulness	Fairness
Philanthropy	Fairness
Sacrifice	Fairness
Selflessness	Fairness
Tolerance	Fairness
Bravery	Heroism
Courage	Heroism
Heroism	Heroism
Fidelity	Honesty
Honesty	Honesty
Honor	Honesty
Integrity	Honesty
Trustworthiness	Honesty
Conformity	Peacekeeping
Correctness	Peacekeeping
Humility	Peacekeeping
Meekness	Peacekeeping
Modesty	Peacekeeping
Morality	Peacekeeping
Non-violence	Peacekeeping
Obedience	Peacekeeping
Patience	Peacekeeping
Peace	Peacekeeping
Peaceful world	Peacekeeping
Privacy	Peacekeeping
Prudence	Peacekeeping
Restraint	Peacekeeping
Sportsmanship	Peacekeeping
Tactfulness	Peacekeeping
Temperance	Peacekeeping
Sincerity	Truthfulness
Truthfulness	Truthfulness
Compassion	Warmth
Consideration	Warmth
Courtesy	Warmth
Friendliness	Warmth
Friendship	Warmth
Gentleness	Warmth
Gratitude	Warmth
Hospitality	Warmth
Kindness	Warmth
Love	Warmth
Mercy	Warmth
Openness	Warmth
Politeness	Warmth
Thoughtfulness	Warmth
SPIRITUAL
Salvation	Belief
Spirituality	Belief
Transcendence	Belief
Tradition	Connection
Unity	Connection
Abstinence	Practice
Chastity	Practice
Detachment from things	Practice
Devoutness	Practice
Faith	Practice
Mindfulness	Practice
Moderation	Practice
Piety	Practice
Reverence	Practice
Ritual	Practice

Super Alpha

by Andrey Pavlov

For each later of the alphabet create a superhero name. They can be alliterative -- each word of the name starting with the same letter -- or just the first.

Flames of love

Flames of love

What's a warm up?

Cloud deformations

#19 19 Images you won't believe aren't Photoshopped