Fiction Writing Prompts From Emily 1. The Prompt: I danced with death in Bermuda, she thought as she made her way up the beach and back to her hotel.
Suggestions and Hints: Explore the power of the image and metaphor. Or is Death really there, dancing? Let your imagination fly free!
2. The Prompt: “Writing is the ax that breaks the frozen sea within us.”
Suggestions and Hints: This is a quote from Franz Kafka. Copy the quote down, put pen to paper and write. Write fast, without thinking. This quote demands a visceral response.
3. The Prompt: I knew he'd been there because he'd stubbed out his cigarette in the sink...
Suggestions and Hints: Dramatic tension is calling you here! Does the I person know the guy (or woman) who left the cigarette in the sink? Here's a list of What Ifs" Is he a stalker? A cop? An ex-husband or lover? A son? A father? Is the POV character scared? Excited? Wary? Sad? Was the POV character expecting him to be there when he got home. Is disappointed, glad, furious that he isn’t? What’s the relationship between the two? What’s their past story? It can be anything. Play big with this prompt! Take an outrageous risk. Have fun!
4. The Prompt: Use the three elements as part of a story: A horoscope, a garbage truck and a tiger.
5. A Two-Part Prompt: A father and his daughter are waiting for the wedding music to begin so he can take her down the aisle. He grasps hold of her, kisses and gently and says, “It’s not too late to turn back now, Baby.”
Suggestions and Hints: This is an emotionally taut and says a lot about the family. First write the scene from the father's POV. He clearly doesn't want his daughter to marry this guy. Why? Does her feel something is wrong about the man her husband chose? Is he scared for her? Jealous? Afraid of her leaving him? Does he feel she is too young. Too foolish? Have they fought over the marriage? Is she pregnant? What happens in the end?
Part Two of the Prompt is to now write the scene from the bride's POV. She will have a very different story and you, the writer, will learn great insights about the powerful technique of Point of View!