darren r hill

the creative minimalist

Category: Writing

Posts relating to writing, either my own fiction, poetry or prose, or the writing of others.

  • Prognosis fear — Friday Fiction Writing Prompt

    A Fiction Writing Prompt exploring fear to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore. Warning: this prompt may trigger deep emotions if you have or are dealing with illness. You may want to avoid it.

    The doctor glanced one final time at the computer monitor, as if for confirmation. She then turned to me and said… Friday Fiction Writing Prompt

    The doctor glanced one final time at the computer monitor, as if for confirmation. She then turned to me and said…

    Writing Prompt Expanded

    This Friday Fiction Writing Prompt is all about the narrator’s reaction. It is linked to my weekly creative prompt ‘fear’. So often, as we wait for something we spend our time worrying about what will happen, we fear the outcome. This is a learned response, however, without all the facts our fear is often unfounded. We go to the doctor because we don’t know. The doctor is the one who can interpret the situation correctly.

    The doctor is about to speak:

    • What do they say?
    • What is the reaction?
    • Is it positive or negative news, or even something else?
    • Are the words for the narrator or another member of the family?
    • What is the emotional response?

    Writing this prompt in the first person allows you to really get under the skin of your character. There is an emotional scene in the TV series Breaking Bad. Walter White is told that he has terminal lung cancer. The doctor is talking, but Walter isn’t listening to the words. Walter is focussed on a sauce stain on the doctor’s coat. That’s Walter’s reaction to the doctor’s words. What will the reaction be in your fiction?

    This may trigger very personal memories. Don’t attempt to use this prompt if that is so. However, it can be a good way to begin exploring your feelings and emotions, of the past and perhaps the future. Do seek professional help and guidance if you want to explore this further.

    As always these writing prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story, something a little more grandiose or some personal journal time. If you do write something, please share it or a link, in the comments or tag me #ffwp or @darrenrhill. I’d love to read what you create. Write and enjoy the learning process.

    Original medical image by StockSnap from Pixabay

    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

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  • Friday Fiction Writing Prompt exploring the cold

    A Fiction Writing Prompt exploring the word cold to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

    She pulled the blanket up around her neck. Only her face was left exposed. The room was cold just like her thoughts. Friday Fiction Writing Prompt

    She pulled the blanket up around her neck. Only her face was left exposed. The room was cold just like her thoughts.

    Writing Prompt Expanded

    It’s no secret that a little sunshine can lift our spirits. Likewise, a damp grey sky can have us crawling for a mug of hot coffee and a seat by the fireside. Alternatively, you may dislike the sun and like the wet and gloomy, either way, the weather has an effect on the way we feel.

    This prompt is all about linking the physical; the weather, the temperature, to the thoughts and feelings of the person we are writing about.

    • What was she thinking?
    • Why was it cold where she was?
    • Are her thoughts and the temperature related in several ways?
    • How can you describe her thoughts and the temperature in a similar way?

    It could be that as you write you find yourself deliberately misleading the reader. It may read like you are talking about her thoughts and yet, you are describing the cold or the other way around. The challenge is to mix the two together somehow… and that, my writing friends, is a chilling thought.

    As always these writing prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story or something a little more grandiose. If you do write something, please share it or a link, in the comments, use the hashtag #ffwp or tag me @darrenrhill. I’d love to read what you create. Write and enjoy the learning process.

    Original sheets image by JayMantri from Pixabay

    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

    If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

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  • It was the eyes – Friday Fiction Writing Prompt

    A Fiction Writing Prompt to stretch the literary muscles, possibly about love, but definitely exploring eyes. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

    I took in every detail, but I was drawn in by the eyes

    Writing Prompt Expanded

    It could be love, which is my creative word for the week, but it could be hate! It could be any reason at all that you have been drawn to this person and their eyes. This Friday Fiction Writing Prompt is about describing someone’s features.

    • What language do you use to describe a face, the mouth, the skin?
    • Why, are the eyes so special?

    Being able to describe someone is a vital part of writing a story. You should try to convey feelings, use metaphors, similes, and any literary tool you can.

    In fiction, it is not about describing the Pantone colour of someone’s skin and the distance in millimetres between their eyes, it’s about describing what these visual elements mean to you, the author, and therefore are important to the reader.

    Draw this person in words, and describe why they have drawn you toward them. As always these writing prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story or something a little more grandiose. If you do write something, please share it or a link, in the comments, use the hashtag #ffwp or tag me @darrenrhill. I’d love to read what you create. Write and enjoy the learning process.

    Original eye image by muratkalenderoglu from Pixabay

    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

    If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

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  • Friday Fiction Writing Prompt — Begin

    A Fiction Writing Prompt exploring the word begin to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

    … Five, four, three, two, one… lift-off…

    Writing Prompt Expanded

    My creative prompt word for this week is ‘begin’. As this is a fiction writing prompt we are all about adventure, and this week the adventure begins.

    Normally, these prompts are quite open, giving you as much scope and space as possible. While there is still plenty of wiggle room with this prompt, the setting is pretty much given and the starting point clear. We’re on the launchpad, the engines are firing and the literary adventure is about to begin.

    It is lift-off. The challenge of the prompt is to describe the emotions and feelings of the people inside the spacecraft. (Unless, of course, you have managed to twist the prompt into some other situation, which is perfectly acceptable.)

    • How do their bodies respond?
    • What thoughts and feelings are running through their heads?
    • How do they deal with the physical and emotional stresses and changes?

    What makes this more of a challenge is that, unless you are one of the just under 600 people who have been to space, you will be using your imagination for this prompt. You can do a little research, which is always a good thing, but beware using TV or film science fiction as your reference points, everything there is not as it seems.

    As always these writing prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story or something a little more grandiose. If you do write something, please share it or a link, in the comments, use the hashtag #ffwp or tag me @darrenrhill. I’d love to read what you create. Write and enjoy the learning process.

    Original rocket image by WikiImages from Pixabay

    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

    If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

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  • Friday Fiction Writing Prompt exploring the Full Moon

    A Fiction Writing Prompt to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

    The cloud drifted aside. The light grew gradually. The moon was full. That meant… Friday Fiction Writing Prompt about the full moon

    The cloud drifted aside. The light grew gradually. The moon was full. That meant…

    Writing Prompt Expanded

    The moon orbits the earth and plays a vital role in life on our planet. Its influence can be seen through the gravitational effect on the tides. However, I often wonder what effect this satellite has on our bodies, considering that they are approximately 60% water. This week’s creative prompt is full. It was partly inspired by the knowledge that there was a full moon yesterday. So, that’s why we are here thinking about the full moon.

    The challenge in this writing prompt is to decide what effect the moon will have, or, if you are journaling, does have. There are many legends, myths and stories concerning the full moon. For millennia people have been guided by the moon. I use the lunar cycle as a time to set and achieve goals. Here are a few ideas that might trigger your creativity:

    • Werewolves or other creatures of the night
    • the power of crystals and/or magic
    • an unknown energy influence from the moon
    • the dangers caused by a high tide
    • the timing of a harvest, or fishing trip

    I hope this writing prompt enables you to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Inspiration is sometimes thought of as a lightbulb. When lit we are creative. Here is a prompt that contains the light itself, it may be the lesser light in our sky, but it has a significant influence.

    As always these writing prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story or something a little more grandiose. If you do write something, please share it or a link, in the comments, use the hashtag #ffwp or tag me @darrenrhill. I’d love to read what you create. Write and enjoy the learning process.

    Original moon image by Gerhard G. from Pixabay

    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

    If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

    Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest

  • Friday Fiction Writing Prompt exploring shade

    A Fiction Writing Prompt to stretch the literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore.

    It was subtle, but it was there. The red carpet was stained. From a certain angle, the darker shade was clear. Friday fiction wiring prompt

    It was subtle, but it was there. The red carpet was stained. From a certain angle, the darker shade was clear.

    Writing Prompt Expanded

    We live in a universe of cause and effect. If we do something, then something happens. It’s why time flows forward for us. And, unfortunately, we can’t at this present time, change that. This week’s creative prompt was shade and so that’s being explored in this writing exercise. Although geared more to fiction, you can easily use this as a journal or self-care prompt: what causes and effects do you need to think about in your life?

    To begin you need to explore why the carpet is marked and then decide what you are going to do about it.

    • What caused the stain?
    • Was it expected?
    • What are you going to do?

    There are two obvious possibilities that you might want to explore. I did make them pretty unsubtle with the wording of the prompt. A red carpet: could it be blood or could it be wine? But you don’t have to go down the obvious route, in fact, the real creative challenge for writers is to explore the unexpected.

    As always these writing prompts are optional and entirely open to your interpretation. Use them as a starting point for a short story or something a little more grandiose. If you do write something, please share it or a link, in the comments, use the hashtag #ffwp or tag me @darrenrhill. I’d love to read what you create. Write and enjoy the learning process.

    Original carpet image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay

    Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
    namaste
    d
    xox

    If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

    Sign up for my (ir)regular newsletter to keep up to date with my creative adventures, including special offers, and join me on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Pinterest