Category Archives: Get Writing!

Ay carumba! Winter takes a last stab

IMG_5172Okay so I disappeared last week because of snow and related difficulties (no power, no internet), and coincidentally my website disappeared too! I’ve just got it back up again, not sure how many days it was missing in action, sorry about that everyone!

As I write I can hear the sound of rain and dripping all around, and there was just a big rumble as snow fell off one side of my roof, so hopefully we’re on the seasonal upswing now. (Firmly knocking on wood.)

And since it is Monday I’d like to give you a Writing Prompt to start your week off right.  It’s another old movie still – take a close look. Who are these people, what are their names, personalities? What’s their relationship to one another? Now write them some snappy dialogue…

of human bondage

 

Comments Off on Ay carumba! Winter takes a last stab

Filed under Get Writing!

Writing Club: Writing Group Etiquette

Greetings! The winter months drag on but there is a glimmer of hope as the days grow long. Spring, o spring will you please hurry??

images-45-minute prompt: SCHOOL

Five minutes, stream of consciousness, write whatever comes to mind on the topic… GO!

Your own schools, schools from fiction, schools from film. Hogwarts maybe? Terrible schools or brilliant schools. Terrible teachers or brilliant teachers. Sights, sounds and smells. And think about how different elementary schools are from high schools…

Continue reading

2 Comments

Filed under Get Writing!, Writing Club

Writing Prompt: a swellegant trio in a taxi

Hi there, just a quick Monday writing prompt.

What’s going on here? Who are these people? What are they up to?

(If you’re stuck, first think of the most likely scenario, then think up the least likely scenario.)

designforliving_NEW

Comments Off on Writing Prompt: a swellegant trio in a taxi

Filed under Get Writing!

Movie Stills for Dialogue Prompts

Here’s a good idea for a writing prompt – look up photos of scenes from old movies, and fill in the blanks. What’s happening here? What’s the backstory? What happens next?

Write some dialogue for this scene…

movie prompt_NEW

 

Comments Off on Movie Stills for Dialogue Prompts

Filed under Get Writing!

Writing Club: Three Act Structure

Today we’re going to look at the basic structure of stories, which should really help you organize the events of your plot. But first a warmup…

IMG_40315-minute prompt:  WINTER

What do you think of when you think ‘winter’? Think of as many words for different kinds of snow and ice as you can. (Skiers and snowboarders should be good at this.) Can you think of any specific smells, sounds or tastes you associate with winter? Continue reading

Comments Off on Writing Club: Three Act Structure

Filed under Get Writing!, Writing Club

Writing Club: Character Arc and Motivation

What, more character work? We’ve created our characters, now it’s time to figure out where they’re going.

But first…

Bannor_Toys_Wooden_Toy_Car_Set_original5-minute prompt:  CAR

(5-minute, stream-of-consciousness exercise, write whatever pops into your brain on the topic. Don’t bother with sentences, paragraphs, or punctuation. Just write.)

Think of all the kinds of motor vehicles, makes and models of cars you know. There are an awful lot of specific terms for all the different parts of a car, and how each can break down as well! (My 20-year-old auto is always teaching me this lesson.)

How about all the sounds a car can make?

Cars can also be a tool to revealing character: what assumptions do you make about people based on what they drive? Continue reading

1 Comment

Filed under Get Writing!, Writing Club

Young Writers Contest

logo_template2Calling all writers! Here’s a new contest, this one from the Young Writers of Canada.

for writers aged 5 – 18

360 words maximum

open theme (but no fan fiction)

DEADLINE: March 14, 2014

cash prizes!

check out their website here

— Poster and entry form to print out —

Comments Off on Young Writers Contest

Filed under Contests, Get Writing!

Contest Update: Be in a Novel!

Calliope, the Muse of Epic Poetry, thinks: "I wish I could be in Kim's next book!"

Calliope, the Muse of Epic Poetry, thinks: “I wish I could be in Kim’s next book!”

The Eldritch Contest for Writers and Artists has a great new first prize to get you motivated. How would you like to have a character in the Eldritch sequel named after you?

If your story or artwork is drawn as the winner from the entries I receive by March 15, 2014, I will write you into the second Eldritch novel!

Literary immortality awaits! Get to work on your short story and/or illustration and send it in.

Contest details:
– open to all school-age kids!
– deadline: March 15, 2014

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 and be entered twice!

For more information, and how to enter, click here.

Comments Off on Contest Update: Be in a Novel!

Filed under Contests, Get Writing!

Writing Club: Writing Games for the Holidays

IMG_3984Snow day! Here on Salt Spring our first significant snowfall has occurred, on the first day of vacation! I decided to give the old car a break and not drive down the mountain into town for our last Writing Club meeting (awwww!). Here are the fun exercises we were going to do…

banana-peel5-minute prompt: FUNNY

(5-minute, stream-of-consciousness exercise, write whatever pops into your brain on the topic. Don’t bother with sentences, paragraphs, or punctuation. Just write.)

What’s funny? What makes you laugh? Who makes you laugh?  How many different words for ‘laugh’ can you think of?


 Who Am I? Game

A little character-invention fun. For each of these faces answer the following: Continue reading

Comments Off on Writing Club: Writing Games for the Holidays

Filed under Get Writing!, Writing Club

Writing Club: Introducing Your Character

Today we’re going to work with characters a a little more, and talk about how to introduce and describe them.

But first let’s warm up…

6a00d83451be8f69e20168e6823b8e970c-320wi5-minute prompt:  FACE

(5-minute, stream-of-consciousness exercise, write whatever pops into your brain on the topic. Don’t bother with sentences, paragraphs, or punctuation. Just write.)

Sometimes we can go on and on with descriptions of someone’s clothes, hair and build, but neglect the most important feature of all, their face! Continue reading

Comments Off on Writing Club: Introducing Your Character

Filed under Get Writing!, Writing Club