Update

Hi Everyone!

As you can tell, I have fallen behind on my postings and prompts. For the last two weeks I've been working as a temp which has taken up my writing time (but provides a good income and is a great environment). This week I've been dealing with sinus issues so I've been in bed trying to relax and recuperate.

I will be getting back on track very soon. Along with the prompts, I hope to announce soon the launch of the anthology with the current working title of The Charm or the Strikeout. I am still working out the schedule of it but hope to have it launched by October.

Thank you all for your support and for helping me keep the dream alive.

Starstruck Prompt Day Nine: What I Love About Sunday

Sundays are a great day. In one of my stories, they are the center of a ritual within a relationship. In my life, they are quickly becoming a day of leisure, especially as I return (temporarily) to working. Sundays are a day of relaxation as they should be. Today my Sunday will be a day of cooking, preparing for the work week, sipping tea, and watching an old black and white movie. The only thing missing is the rain. However, I live in Oregon. If I wait five minutes, I could get some rain.

What do you love about Sunday? Be vivid in the details of sight, sound, color, tastes, feelings and so on. If you don't love Sunday, why? What makes Sunday so unpleasant? What day do you prefer?

Starstruck Prompt Day Eight: Photographic Jogging

Pictures can provide a great jump start for your writing. I've written entire stories based on pictures. So every once in awhile for the prompts, I will use a photograph to help you generate ideas. Today's picture is from my private collection of photographs. Use this picture to tell any story you wish.

No Prompt Today

My day job is picking up (I'm a temp) and I've been working on logistics for possible assignments so I will be taking today off from posting a prompt. I'll be back tomorrow with something great.

Starstruck Prompt Day Seven: Escape

Today hasn't really been a good day for me. When I have bad days, I feel like packing up and moving to a tropical island until things come down.

What is your dream escape? A tropical island with lots of umbrella drinks and sunbathing? A hotel suite in a big city with room service and movies? How long do you plan to stay there? Be descriptive and vivid as you talk about your life in paradise.

Starstruck Prompt Day Six: Brain Drain

Sorry for forgetting today's prompt. Lots of writing going on here.

When I was a freshman in high school, we had a student teacher give us an assignment before we wrote. We took a few minutes to write everything that was on our minds at the time. We wrote it as a list. I do this every once in awhile before I write to get everything out of my mind so I can focus.

So for today's prompt, do a brain drain. Write a list of everything on your mind. Do this for about fifteen minutes. Then proceed with your regular writing.

What do you think? Was it helpful? Why or why not?

Creative Writing Space

The wall by my bed holds two dry erase boards. The best things for writing late night thoughts, outlines and quick ideas. I live in a small space where space is at a minimum so I have to get creative. However, it comes in quite useful.

Starstruck Prompt Day Five: Cute

Start writing using this sentence to get started: The cutest thing I ever saw....

Starstruck Prompt Day Four: Bedtime Part Two

You have your list from yesterday? Good. Write a story with any character or setting you choose and incorporate the items into the story. To make it more challenging, don't write about someone in their bedroom.

Starstruck Prompt Day Three: Bedtime

I'm exhausted at the moment from writing like crazy all day after a late night writing marathon. I forgot to post a prompt this morning (and yesterday's after a system glich) but I'm back.

I'm going to break up today's prompt into two parts. This is a modification of an assignment from my fiction writing class.

Look at your bedside table. Make a list of everything that is on the table. If your table has a drawer, make a separate list of the items in the drawer. If you don't have a drawer, make a list of the items around your table.

Starstruck Prompt Day Two: The Season For Writing

It's a lazy working day here at the Cline house. I'm in my desk (my bed) working on my novel while Elliott's laying on the floor in a twisted position just kind of staring off into space. It's warm but gray and cloudy today. It feels like fall. Most of all, it's a perfect day to write.

Fall is easily my favorite time of year. I love the chill in the air, the leaves on the ground, the excuse to drink tea all day and the sense of newness that surrounds me. Almost every year, I have a new job or am starting a new term after a summer off. Last fall was very intense but as I look back, my mind remembers only the good and I love that.

What is your favorite season? Rather than write a composition of "Why I Love (my favorite season)," write a story that takes place in your favorite season. Describe the colors, sounds, smells, tastes. Be vivid.

Starstruck Prompt Day One

There are several sites out there that provide writing prompts. Ideas can come from so many places. I wanted to try and help my fellow writers with ideas. I will give credit where credit is due whenever the idea is borrowed from someone else. Each day I will post a new prompt with the title of "Starstruck Prompt." I will try to post in the mornings. This is totally informal. Use it when you can. Ignore it if it doesn't work for you. I will try to keep up with the prompts myself but I can't make any promises.

Our First Prompt!

Welcome. My 2012 Ikea Catalog arrived today. I love catalogs. I subscribe to several. They're often free so they're easy to come by. I think with some providers, if you don't buy from them within a certain amount of time, they stop coming, but they're really helpful. I miss Sears Big Books which were discontinued in the early nineties. Those had lots of ideas.

But today's catalogs can be helpful. For today's prompt, pick a page from any catalog. Write for fifteen minutes about the people who live there. Where do they live? What room are they in? What are they doing in the room? These are just starters. Feel free to use whatever you like. Don't forget to keep the picture.

Commercial Break: John From Cincinnati

I totally forgot I checked this out from the library. I saw it in January before Deadwood and am looking forward to watching it again now that I'm pretty well caught up on Deadwoood. David Milch has a great way of creating complex and interesting characters. I'm also interested in seeing how many Deadwood alums show up. The dialogue is just as complex and interesting as in Deadwood. I'll report back later once I do a thorough comparison of the two.