A Year of Writing Prompts

Are you looking for a new writing challenge? Do you have writers' block and want some prompts? If so, these posts are for you. This year, I will post some ideas relevant to each day of the year, which you are welcome to use to kick start your writing.

Rules

The first and most important rule is that there aren't any rules, only suggestions.

The Five Prompts

For each day of the year, there are five prompts, connected with that date of the year. Saints' days, festivals, observances, historic or fictional events, quotations from people who were born or died on that day, archaic symbols or angels attached to a degree of the zodiac.

You could pick one prompt for each day and work through them all in five years. If you're up for an extra challenge, pick two or more, or even try to incorporate all five into a piece of writing.

Character Names

After the five prompts you will find a list of possible character names. These have been selected from the name days for that date. In some cultures, particularly Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and Greece, a person's name day is as important, if not more important, than their birthday. While many of the names are completely unfamiliar to the English speaking world, others are almost universal. I chose the more familiar ones. Even so, they may not be names you'd have considered using for a character. They are, of course, merely suggestions if you happen to be stuck for a character name on a particular day.

Using them religiously is an option open to you, as well. You might like to choose a name you're not especially familiar with and may not have considered, and think about what someone with that name may be like. How old are they? What might be their cultural background? What kind of personality is suggested by the name?

Character Traits

The list of character traits is taken from traits and influences associated with the 360 degrees of the Zodiac. You don't have to believe in astrology to make use of them. It was merely a tool I used to come up with traits which could be associated with a date, which would be when the sun is in that degree. If there is a particular superstition associated with people born on a certain day, eg that they are psychic, then this is included as well.

Again you can use them, or not, as you like. You can just use one trait to base your character on, or challenge yourself to come up with a character who epitomises the entire list. And anything in between, of course.

Possible Themes

The zodiac degrees and also days of the year have had themes assigned to them. I've listed some which could possibly be used as themes for a story. Again, you can use them, or not, as you see fit.

Objects

Each degree of the zodiac has a symbol. Several sets of symbols have been compiled by different people over the years. The suggested objects are selected from the various systems of symbols. Again you can pick as many as you want to include in a story, including challenging yourself to use all of them.

Pictures

Perhaps, like me, you have fond memories of creative writing lessons in school where you'd be shown a picture and asked to write a story about it. I have selected a few pictures from my own collection - they were all drawn or taken by me, or my husband, or form part of an inherited family collection. One picture per day, relevant to the date/time of year where possible, is included in the post. Again you can use them, or not.

Good luck, and most of all, have fun!