A year of Writing prompts: 1 May

How to use these prompts

Who are these people?
What is the figure in the corner? A sculpture?
Or something else?
Who is watching who?

Prompts

1. It's May Day, or Beltane in the pagan calendar. Write a story involving a May Pole, bonfires, women washing in dew to make themselves beautiful, romantic frolics in the meadows, hobby horses, Morris dancers, May queens and/or any other May Day custom you can think of.
2. May Day is also a national holiday because it was adopted by the Labour movement, which campaigned for workers' rights. Write about some people who stand up to their employer.
3. Batman first appeared in comics in 1939. Write a story featuring a vigilante superhero who uses technology rather than having superpowers. It can be Batman fanfic if you like, or you can make up a new character.
4. "His only mission each time he went up was to come down alive." Joseph Heller
5. The Illuminati was formed in 1776 - their function being to study banned books, which was why they had to be secretive and now they've gained a reputation for secrecy and controlling everything. Write a story about a powerful secret society.

Character Names

Jacob, May, Mayte, Wyatt, Joseph, Kelly

Character Traits

• Shrewd and ambitious. Will gain wealth through cunning but may have a reputation for being stingy.
• Nevertheless, there may also be a charitable nature and a willingness to help others.
• House proud and perfectionist, but can also be adaptable and creative.
• Dependable and stubborn.
• Tendency to be over optimistic which can lead to ill-placed investments or acting prematurely.
  
• Excellent insight into human nature.
• Susceptible to flattery.
• Inclined to envy.
• Enjoy their food; may drink too much.
• They may live in an enviable or secure location, but will have used some illicit means to get there.
• Want to make an impact, and are direct and unstoppable when they set their minds on something.
• They may choose a career connected to metal, ores or jewellery; something in the public eye like singing, speaking or dancing; or they may be a carer.
• May have problems with their hearing.
• Dehydration or water shortages may feature at some point in their life.

Possible Themes

Protection, safety.

Mentorship; nurturing.

Attention to detail.

Objects

A candelabra; a crow; flowers; a sycamore tree; a pen; a watering can; a monk.

A year of writing prompts: 30 April

How to use these prompts

What is going on here?

Prompts

1. "Night of Demons"
2. It's Typewriter day and also about now is Secretary's Day. Write a story featuring a typewriter and/or a typist/secretary.
3. "Anything you don't understand is dangerous until you do understand it." Larry Niven
4. "I, a stranger and afraid, in a world I never made." AE Housman
5. It's the birthday of Merrill Osmond, the lead singer of The Osmonds. Write a story about a group of brothers who become a boy band. Do they all want to be part of the band or are some of them coerced into it by parents or the rest of the brothers?

Character Names

Mira, Liana, Linda, Trent, Trenton, Anastasia, Marian, Katarina, Katalin, Carl

Character Traits

• Compassionate, kind, loyal to family and friends.
• In romance, however, they are likely to cheat. They could even be bigamists.
• When a marriage ends, they may marry the sibling of their spouse. Highly likely there will be more than one marriage.
• They are looking for a psychic soul mate, but need the social stimulation of being in a relationship.
• Sensuality and a lack of self-discipline may be their downfall, with gluttony and alcoholism being particular dangers.
• Intelligent, but more theoretical than practical.
• Good at maths or art.
• Possibly clairvoyant, but their tendency to overindulge means they are not as sharp and gifted as they could be.
• Tend to worry about their health.
• Dislike being dominated by other people and can be stubborn.
• Talented at bringing order out of chaos.
• Their home will be modern, active and ordered.
• Make excellent teachers or scientists. They could also choose careers in healing, cookery, health or fitness related vocations.
• May have hearing difficulties.

Possible Themes

Applied compassion.

Moral duty; courage.

Dealing with cruelty and human suffering.

Volunteering.

Objects

A Red Cross nurse; a water wheel; an ox with two birds on its back; a dog; a snake.

A year of writing prompts: 29 April

How to use these prompts

Who are these people?
If they are a couple, how did they get together?
Who does the car belong to?

Prompts

1. The first known horoscope was drawn up for someone born on 29 April, 410 BC. What might it have predicted for them?
2. "To touch the hearts of your pupils is the greatest miracle you can perform." Jean-Baptiste de la Salle
3. It's World Dance Day. Write a story featuring dancing or a dancer.
4. It's World Wish Day. Write about a wish that comes true.
5. Today is the birthdate of the fictional character Don Corleone. Write a gangster story.

Character Names

Robert, Peter, Rita, Leticia, Dante, Zoe, Lea, Kent

Character Traits

• Very fond of children - will either have a large family or work with children or young people and be popular with them. They could also choose agriculture or animal husbandry as a career.
• Will be called to exercise authority in a field where uncontrolled or undisciplined beings come together.
• Have the ability to make different factions come round to the same way of thinking.
• Protective and paternal.
• Determined, possibly stubborn.
• They may reach an influential position through hard work, but it is equally likely they will become notorious for doing something ill judged.
• Life is usually easy for them.
• Tendency to be a martyr or a doormat and define themselves through what they do for others. Need to work on recognising their own self-worth.
• Expect gratitude, but don't always get it.
• Can be too trusting and blind to dangers which are obvious to others. Deceit and treachery are particular dangers for them, especially if they put their well-being in the hands of others.
• Love nature and the countryside.
• Work well alone.
• Danger of death by drowning.
• May be overweight and/or suffer from chronic illness.
  

Possible Themes

Displacement.

Self renewal through sharing with others; unconditional giving.

What people want vs what they need.

Celebrations which bring people together.

Objects

A fully decorated Christmas tree; a flock of sheep; pigeons; a new moon; presents.

A year of Writing prompts: 28 April

How to use these prompts

A hotel room in an exotic, tropical location.
Who is staying here and why?
What adventures might be in store?

Prompts

1. Great Poetry Reading Day is today. Write some poetry!
2. "Ninety percent of most magic consists of knowing one extra fact." Terry Pratchett
3. The current zodiac sign is Taurus the bull. Write a story featuring a bull.
4. Today is the birthday of Oskar Schindler of Schindler's list fame. He's known for saving hundreds of Jewish lives during the holocaust. Write about someone who uses their position to save lives and/or defy the corrupt ruling party.
5. It's also the birthday of cyclist Bradley Wiggins. Write a story featuring cycling.

Character Names

Valeria, Beulah, Chester, Jamila

Character Traits

• Slow and steady.
• Not intellectually gifted, and often lazy.
• Not lucky financially - this may be because they are gullible and make the wrong investments, or it can be down to sheer bad luck.
• May be religious and find peace in their faith. They may go as far as joining a community or taking a vow of celibacy.
• Females likely to cause them heartache. This need not be in a romantic sense - it may be because a woman, or women, in their life becomes annoying or a thorn in their side.
• Homebodies who like to stay in spending time with loved ones, having conversations.
• May be keen gardeners.
• Patient, kind and loving.
• Dislike being teased, and can become defensive. They could hit back or take some action as a result without thinking it through.
• Tend to be pessimistic or fatalistic and inclined to give up when the going gets tough.
• There may be something holding them back, like mistakes made by their ancestors, or an old curse, which they struggle to escape from. They are practised at making things work anyway, but remain deeply frustrated and alienated.
• Thrive in careers which involve being sociable, friendly and able to talk to people.
• Danger of drowning.
• May have poor vision.
• Traffic jams, missed connections or running out of fuel may feature in their lives and cause particular problems.
  

Possible Themes

Inventions and blueprints.

Social problems and solutions.

Celibacy.

Independence from outer circumstances.

Objects

A sleigh without snow; a rock; a maze; a monorail; drawing compasses.

A year of writing prompts: 27 April

How to use these prompts

What is happening here?
Who is the man and why does he have such
an affinity for foxes?
How might man and foxes help one another?

Prompts

1. In 2005, the "superjumbo" or Airbus 380 made its first flight. Write a story about a journey on a passenger plane. It can be a disaster where something goes horribly wrong, or simply a study of the relationships between strangers who are forced into each others' company in a metal tube hurtling through the sky for several hours.
2. It's Write an Old Friend Day. Write a letter to a friend you haven't seen in years, or write a letter from your character to an old friend they haven't seen in years.
3. "The Duchess who Wasn't".
4. "From the beginning, think what may be the end." Edward Whymper
5. Today is the birthday of Michael Fish, the weatherman who famously said in 1987 that there was no hurricane on the way the day before the worst storm since 1703 hit England. Write about someone who is taken by surprise by extreme weather.

Character Names

Zita, Clementine, Sharon, Shari, Grant, Enoch

Character Traits

• Physically strong and good looking. They will make the most of their physical attributes and rely on them for their success and happiness. They often don't have to work hard at life.
• Tend to be lazy and superficial.
• Danger of lust for power, Materialism and boastfulness.
• Bluntly honest if asked for their opinion.
• Even though they don't suffer fools gladly, they make good listeners.
• Possible dual personality.
• There is a chance they will be celibate; or they may overindulge in sensual pleasures.
• Sometimes, their luck runs out and they can become hermits or misers in later life.
• Prone to feelings of guilt.
• Strong willed and independent.
• May have a gift for poetry.
• Possible careers include chemistry, writing, social work or psychology; or they could be drawn to occult healing.
• Ruthlessness, torture, cruelty and premeditated crime may play a role in their life.
• Danger of a violent death.
• They may become embroiled in disputes connected with water.

Possible Themes

Diplomacy.

Self-denial.

Moments of truth.

Past lives.

Family history.

Objects

A well; a beautiful cow; a swan; two trees; a large ruby inscribed with a prayer.

A year of writing prompts: 26 April

How to use these prompts

Statue for tourists to pose with or a living being?

Prompts

1. Madame Tussaud's waxwork exhibition first opened in London on this date in 1928. Write about a waxwork museum which is haunted, and the customers who, either by accident or design, get locked in overnight.
2. It's Remember Your First Kiss Day. Write about a couple sharing their first kiss. Alternatively, describe your own.
3. "If people did not sometimes do silly things, nothing intelligent would ever get done." Ludwig Wittgenstein
4. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" Or do they?
5. The 26th of every month is All You Can Eat Day which advocates taking a homeless person out for lunch and let them eat as much as they want. Write about someone who does this. What do your character and the homeless person talk about over lunch? Are there any long lasting consequences?

Character Names

Teresa, Geraldine, Taylor, Yolanda, Marcelina, Otto

Character Traits

• Highly intelligent and talented in the arts or science.
• Will do well in any career which requires delicacy and skill. Law, teaching and semantics may attract them.
• They may have been born with a physical flaw of some kind, or acquire one through an accident; but will overcome their obstacles and achieve great things in their field, possibly even making historical discoveries or inventions. May have an important mission or destiny to fulfill.
• There is, however, a danger that they will become reclusive and dedicated only to their work.
• Capable of multi-tasking.
• Their sensitivity, insight and compassion borders on the psychic.
• They are gifted at communication and subtly influencing other people - so make capable leaders.
• Usually reliable and trustworthy - inspire confidence.
  
• Love beauty in art or nature.
• Open minded and inquisitive.
• Have rich imaginations and inner lives.
• Can be vain, self-involved and aloof.
• Sexual excesses may prove to be their downfall.
• Going to extremes of any kind is possible - could become either and ascetic or a glutton.
• Tendency to skirt issues, take short cuts and escape the obligations of daily life.

Possible Themes

Sense of touch.

Spanning gaps, overcoming separation. 

Conquering barriers. 

Solutions.

Extreme sports.

Objects

A cantilever bridge; a scroll; a three-headed man; a pink diamond; a cat; a piece of string.

A year of writing prompts: 25 April

How to use these prompts

What is this building?
A castle? A fortress? A sea wall?
Something else?
Who are the people you can see?

Prompts

1. "No-one rises so high as he who knows not whither he is going." Oliver Cromwell
2. In 1856, Lewis Carroll first met Alice Lidell for whom he wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Write a story about a modern day child finding their way to Wonderland.
3. DNA day is today. Write a story featuring DNA - whether used to solve a crime or establish whether people are related to one another.
4. It's also World Penguin Day. Write a story which features a penguin.
5. Sense of Smell Day is celebrated around this time. Write a story in which a person's sense of smell is especially important.

Character Names

Marek, Marko, Mark, Markus, Leslie, Lesley, Wilfred

Character Traits

• Comfortably at home anywhere, but prefer the countryside.
• Have a great love of nature.
• Generous and sociable.
• Quiet and not particularly ambitious, but if they have to exercise authority it comes naturally to them.
• Mediation and contemplation also comes easily to them.
• Satisfied as long as they have enough to get by.
• Enjoy travel and adventure.
• May have an interest in the arts or occult sciences.
• They make excellent writers as they are intelligent and original and have a talent for working out plots. Would do well writing detective stories or plays. Capable of using words to their advantage.
• Other career choices could include agriculture, animal husbandry, the military or lawkeepers, science or business.
• Likely to be prolific in some way - producing a lot in the course of their work, becoming rich, and/or having a large family.
• May get lost in their inner pictures and be subtly removed from what's going on around them.
• Make excellent spouses.
• May be frustrated by aspects of their life.
• Danger from fire, earthquakes and war.
  
• May bear grudges.

Possible Themes

Plotting, planning and scheming.

Separation.

Foreign travel and adventures.

Letting go of what no longer works.

Grief, loss, divorce, redundancy.

Objects

An orchard; a meadow; ewes; an ox; tiny porcelain figures of people; the walls of a forbidden city; a walkie-talkie.

A year of writing prompts: 24 April

How to use these prompts

A railway line - where does it go?
A signal - could someone be waiting for it to change?
Perhaps it has a special meaning for someone.
What happens if it breaks down?

Prompts

1. It's Plumber's Day. Write a story involving a plumber.
2. It's also Hostage Heroes Day. Write about someone who is taken hostage.
3. Anthony Trollope was born on this date in 1815. As well as being a writer, he introduced pillar boxes in the UK. Write a story featuring a pillar box or a mailbox.
4. "No battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy." Count Helmuth
5. According to tradition, anyone brave enough to spend the night awake on the front porch of a church will see the ghosts of everyone who is going to die in the coming year. Write about someone who sets out to do this. Why are they doing it? What do they see?

Character Names

Albert, Tara, Taryn, Dharma, Erwin, Ervin, Fidelis

Character Traits

• Disciplined and rigid.
• Persistent, but not patient.
• Both genders have a tendency to be very masculine.
• Demanding and destructive, and can be victims of their own destructive tendencies.
• May be awkward and clumsy.
• Need solitude, and don't always get on particularly well with other people. Hence they may not marry, but if they do, they are likely to have a large family.
• Impulsive and brave, sometimes seeming to be immune to danger.
• Like to travel.
• Particular fondness for fireworks.
• Fair and honest.
• Will make the most of their gifts and abilities.
• May become activists or crusaders for a cause.
• May seek a career in science or business.
• Tendency to build things which are too brittle to last. Danger of brittle bones.
• Tendency to have pipe dreams and build castles in the air.

Possible Themes

Goals and ambitions.

Alchemy.

Travel and return.

Inner faith and resources.

Dreams.

Remembrance.

Risk.

Objects

Pearls; a dove; a nightingale; pigs in a blanket; a rattlesnake.

A year of writing prompts: 23 April

How to use these prompts

What is happening here?
A hostage situation?
A bizarre religious ceremony?
Or something else?

Prompts

1. William Shakespeare was born and died on this date. Pick a Shakespeare play and write a modern interpretation of the story.
2. It is St George's Day and the National Day of England. Write about something quintessentially English - pots of tea, queuing, bowler hats, the WI, talking about the weather - whatever you like.
3. Write a story featuring a dragon.
4. "To be or not to be - that is the question." William Shakespeare
5. It's Take a Chance Day. Write about someone who takes a chance.

Character Names

George, Adelaide, Addie, Brandon, Jerzy, Georgina, Bela

Character Traits

• Have many talents and ideas come easily to them. Natural inventors.
• Also gifted communicators and able to get their ideas widely accepted.
• Sociable, friendly, fun-loving and witty. Enjoy entertaining and are often good cooks.
• Insatiable curiosity.
• Restless people who love to travel, try new things and meet new people. Tend to fidget and gesticulate a lot.
• Perfectionists who are born worriers.
• Tend to be indecisive.
• Prone to sore throats and chronic health problems like allergies or nervous system complaints. An over active imagination leads to more health worries.
• Patient, calm, easy going, don't rush into things.
• Sensual; love the arts and beautiful things.
• Loyal friends but can be obstinate and stubborn. Make formidable enemies. who find it hard to forgive and forget.
• Possible careers include farming, music, research, building and working with their hands. They may go into politics to support a cause.
• Prone to sudden mood changes.
• Interested n the unknown, unexplained and taboo subjects.
• Tend to marry young.
• Grounded and down to earth.
• May be claustrophobic.
  
  

Possible Themes

Fairness.

Personal popularity.

Arts.

Passion.

Objects

A cat; a cow; hawthorn; asparagus; the colour blue; a cherry cheesecake; a peppercorn.