Nostalgia

“Nostalgia is a seductive liar.”
 George Wildman Ball

Today's writing warm-up for my A to Z Challenge is N for Nostalgia.

It has to be said: everyone is partial to sentimentality. Even creatures with no soul, such as myself.

1. You come across your old childhood toy. Describe the toy in vivid detail (throw in the senses: touch, smell, hear, sight and - dare I say it - taste). Does it stir up positive/negative emotions? Does it remind you of other aspects of your childhood, such as old friends, or family members long since passed?

2. Sketch a mind-map using the key word as the nucleus, then branch out in whatever direction you please. You might find yourself going in completely unrelated paths (which I personally prefer). Do a five-minute freewrite incorporating as many (or few) branch words as you like. Here is my mind map (created using the SimpleMind app on my phone).

3. Choose one of the following sentence starts and freewrite for a few minutes, letting the words tumble out without a second thought:

• She always thinks the grass was greener...
• He wanted to go back to a simpler time...
• I couldn't believe she'd kept my teddy bear, after all these years, and after everything I'd done to her...

I find it best not to read my freewrites for at least a few days. Why not stuff them in a drawer and surprise yourself? It's blatant evidence that our minds work in mysterious ways. Plus, I defy you not to find an array of story seeds amongst your work.

Do you have any writing warm-ups you'd like to share?

Take care,
Catherine x

Note: All photo prompts in the A to Z Challenge 2013 are my own. Feel free to use/copy/share to your hearts content. Help yourself. :)  



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Nostalgia

Imprisonment

“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.” 

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

Today's writing warm-up for the A to Z Challenge is I for Imprisonment.

1. There are many ways you can be imprisoned:

• Literally (the tin pail): what are you in for? Who's your cell mate? Are the guards treating you terribly? Are you due any visitors? Or have you been disowned by all?
• Physically: you've lost all use of your body in a freak accident and can only observe things with your eyes. What happens when you can't answer back (I'm writing a short story about this right now, as it happens)?
• Mentally: you're so crippled by anxiety you can't see past what's bothering you. Trapped in your own mind, you delve into a whirlpool of paranoia. Scribble down your thoughts...

2. Sketch a mind-map using the key word as the nucleus, then branch out in whatever direction you please. You might find yourself going in completely unrelated paths (which I personally prefer). Do a five-minute freewrite incorporating as many (or few) branch words as you like. Here is my mind map (created using the SimpleMind app on my phone).

3. Choose one of the following sentence starts and freewrite for a few minutes, letting the words tumble out without a second thought:

• 'You're not leaving until you tell me...'
• Nobody else believed him when he said he didn't do it...
• I'd have to break the glass to escape...

I find it best not to read my freewrites for at least a few days. Why not stuff them in a drawer and surprise yourself? It's blatant evidence that our minds work in mysterious ways. Plus, I defy you not to find an array of story seeds amongst your work.

Do you have any writing warm-ups you'd like to share?

Take care,

Catherine x

Note: All photo prompts in the A to Z Challenge 2013 are my own. Feel free to use/copy/share to your hearts content. Help yourself. :)

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Imprisonment

Footprints

With minutes to spare... here is today's writing warm-up for the A to Z Challenge:

F is for Footprints.

1. Footprints can be quite symbolic. It can represent the impact (wanted or unwanted) someone makes, on the road, in our lives. A journey has been taken, but many people wish they could go back and retrace their steps. Spend 5 minutes writing down any thoughts you have about this.

2. Sketch a mind-map using the key word as the nucleus, then branch out in whatever direction you please. You might find yourself going in completely unrelated paths (which I personally prefer). Do a five-minute freewrite incorporating as many (or few) branch words as you like. Here is my mind map (created using the SimpleMind app on my phone).

3. Choose one of the following sentence starts and freewrite for a few minutes, letting the words tumble out without a second thought:

• There were two sets of prints in the snow...
• He didn't cover his tracks...
• The carpet was covered in muddy paw prints...

I find it best not to read my freewrites for at least a few days. Why not stuff them in a drawer and surprise yourself? It's blatant evidence that our minds work in mysterious ways. Plus, I defy you not to find an array of story seeds amongst your work.

Do you have any writing warm-ups you'd like to share?

Take care,

Catherine x

Note: All photos in the A to Z Challenge 2013 are my own. Feel free to use/copy/share to your hearts content. Help yourself. :)

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Footprints

Birthday wishes

My theme for the A to Z Challenge is: writing warm-ups.

I find if I start a writing session with a five-minute warm-up, I have a much more productive session.

There are several ways I like to do this. For each day of the challenge, I shall suggest various exercises such as photo prompts, mind maps and freewrites. I'm confident you'll find your muse lurking beneath one of them. Grab a cuppa and a notepad...

Today's warm-up is: B for Birthday.

1. Do you believe in birthday wishes? What would you wish for? Do you celebrate birthdays or is it a sore subject? Imagine a birthday party scene (small & intimate or excessive & lavish) and write it down, filling it with devious and eccentric characters.

2. Sketch a mind-map using the key word as the nucleus, then branch out in whatever direction you please. You might find yourself going in completely unrelated paths (which I personally prefer). Do a five-minute freewrite incorporating as many (or few) branch words as you like. Here is my mind map (created using the SimpleMind app on my phone).

3. Choose one of the following sentence starts and freewrite for a few minutes, letting the words tumble out without a second thought:

• She didn't tell them it was her birthday...
• He thought back to how different things were on his last birthday...
• Another year older...

I find it best not to read my freewrites for at least a few days. Why not stuff them in a drawer and surprise yourself? It's blatant evidence that our minds work in mysterious ways. Plus, I defy you not to find an array of story seeds amongst your work.

Do you have any writing warm-ups you'd like to share?

Take care,
Catherine x

Note: All photo prompts in the A to Z Challenge 2013 are my own. Feel free to use/copy/share to your hearts content. Help yourself. :)
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Birthday wishes