darren r hill

the creative minimalist

Tag: writing prompt

  • 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.

    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 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

  • Friday fiction writing prompt exploring Hope

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

    If only…

    Writing Prompt Expanded

    This is the shortest prompt that I have ever shared and yet, it is also the most open. My general creative prompt for this week is hope. I’ve been looking for signs of hope as I have been working away. So often, especially in the current situation of the pandemic and general uncertainty, I have found myself saying, ‘if only this’ or ‘if only that’, then there would be hope. And so, that is why those words form this week’s Friday Fiction Writing Prompt.

    This prompt is all about something that would bring hope. It is completely open to your interpretation. I have put a few ideas below but do let your creative imagination run free.

    If only…

    • a miracle cure was discovered
    • there was enough money for…
    • this winter would end
    • I could find…
    • the phone would ring

    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.

    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 light

    A Fiction Writing Prompt exploring the topic of light. The aim to stretch your literary muscles. No rules. No word counts. Simply write and explore. Light is the topic for this prompt.

    As the light flickered on she understood; both the reason for the silence and the explanation to not being told - fiction writing prompt @darrenrhill #ffwp

    As the light flickered on she understood; both the reason for the silence and the explanation to not being told

    Writing prompt expanded

    This week’s fiction writing prompt ties into my weekly prompt word; light. If you take a look at light in the dictionary you’ll find many uses for it and many meanings. Put light into a thesaurus and the possibilities stretch further. However, in this prompt, I have focussed on the aspect that light illuminates and makes clear.

    Because we need light to see, and light is one of our senses, it plays an integral part in our lives. If we have difficulty seeing and/or are visually impaired you’ll understand the importance and the associated feelings with not seeing something.

    The prompt is deliberately open. Something or someone has been hidden, but now the light has come on, they, or it has been revealed. But what? And that’s the writing challenge. Here are some ideas, but the list is almost endless:

    • a forgotten, now returned relative
    • a partner found in a compromising situation
    • a dead body
    • a known associate now revealed as someone else
    • an item thought lost
    • a surprise party

    Those are just a few ideas, but have fun exploring and writing about your own if you want.

    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 bulb image by >Free-Photos 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

  • Happy mail Friday Fiction Writing Prompt

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

    happy mail - I opened the letter and read. I had to be careful not to smudge the words, as tears of joy rolled down my cheeks a Friday Fiction Writing Prompt

    I opened the letter and read. I had to be careful not to smudge the words, as tears of joy rolled down my cheeks

    Writing prompt Expanded

    Some things make us so happy that our emotions overflow. But what can make us so happy? Today’s Friday Fiction Writing Prompt is all about exploring mail that makes us so happy we cry.

    Our main character, written in the first person, is reading a letter and it is happy mail. But what words could bring tears of joy to someone’s eyes?

    • is it the news they have been waiting for?
    • the news they never dared would arrive?
    • is it a confirmation of something or a positive change in fortune?
    • in a digital age what is so important that it arrived via the post?
    • or, is this a past event being described, before the advent of email, texting and messaging?

    The choice, as always, is yours. Put pen to paper or finger to keyboard and write, that’s the only rule. As always these writing prompts are optional and entirely open to your own 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 or tag me #ffwp. I’d love to read what you create. Write and enjoy the learning process.

    Original image by Victor Vote 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