Let’s get our week started with a little writing fun, shall we?
After the Thin Man (1936), with Myrna Loy and William Powell
First: what are their names? occupations? favourite cocktails?
Next: write some dialogue that matches their expressions perfectly.
Another option: write dialogue that runs counter to their expressions.
And another: what’s the dog thinking?
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Wow, what a week I’ve had! From my quiet country life to the raucous, celebratory hullabaloo that is the Forest of Reading Festival! And now that I’m back home, on my sunny deck listening to the wee birdies twitter (actual birds, not the 140-character ones), I’m ready to share my adventures.
First stop was the mighty city of London, Ontario, and their first-ever Festival of Trees event.
Kevin Sylvester (author of the Neil Flambe series) and I arrive at the Progress Building fully caffeinated and ready to go. (photo by Kevin)
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Here’s another story for some Writing Group fun – another Fill-in-the-Blanks story. (See previous post for our first example.) Basically you just write words on slips of paper and drop them into the appropriate bowls: NOUN (character), NOUN (object), NOUN (location), ADJECTIVE, VERB, or ADVERB. Then proceed with the story and draw a word every time you need to fill in a blank.
Here’s one our Friday group came up with:
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Thanks to everyone who entered the Eldritch Contest! The winner of the contest is… drum roll please…
Sarah (Gr 6) from Lackner Woods Public School in Kitchener, Ontario! Sarah sent me a wildly imaginative story called “The Curse of Agatha’s Knife”. Congratulations, Sarah!
Among other prize items, Sarah will have a character named after her in the sequel to Eldritch Manor! More details on that to follow…
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The game that has taken my writing club by storm recently is what I call the Fill-in-the-Blanks Story. We start by writing words on slips of paper and dropping them into the appropriate bowls: NOUN (character), NOUN (object), NOUN (location), ADJECTIVE, VERB, or ADVERB. Then we proceed with the story and draw a word every time we need to fill in a blank. The results can be… weird. Continue reading
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Happy Monday, busy writers! A new week begins like a fresh new notebook full of blank pages – pages that can inspire either eagerness or terror in a poor writer’s heart. Here’s a starter for you today, another movie still prompt.
Introductions at a party – put some outrageous dialogue to this picture:
In case you’re wondering, this is a scene from All About Eve, from the famous party scene in which Bette Davis intones “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy night!”
(And yes, that is Marilyn Monroe, pre-superstardom, in a bit part)
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A writing prompt for a spring-ish Monday. (Here at least.)
Write some dialogue and the what-happens-next for this scene:
(photo from the movie Arsenic and Old Lace)
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Here’s a Monday morning Writing Prompt for you. The only thing better than the craziness of this photo is the name of the movie it comes from: Voodoo Man (1944).
Looks like a seance to me. Who are all these people? And what happens next?
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Welcome to another edition of writing tips, prompts and folderol. (Look it up.) Today we’ll look at writing dialogue that isn’t clunky, baffling or boring. But first we warm up…
5-minute prompt: TRAVELPlanes, trains, automobiles, boats, bicycles, or feet. Five minutes, stream of consciousness, write whatever comes to mind on the topic… GO!
For some reason most of my thoughts on the topic tend to the befores and afters and not to the actual travelling: airports and train platforms, figuring out schedules, waiting in line, delays, waiting for luggage, missing luggage, etc.
What’s the strangest mode of transport you’ve ever used?
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Where does the time go?? Only 11 days until the deadline…
“Zounds! I must get busy!”
Deadline: March 15, 2014
All entries must be emailed by, or postmarked with this date.
1. Write a Short Story (any length) about a Senior Citizen with a surprising past or a secret identity
OR
2. Illustrate a scene from the novel Eldritch Manor by Kim Thompson
OR, if you like, DO BOTH!
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