A year of writing prompts: 30 September

How to use these prompts

Who is this soldier?
What is he fighting for?
Tell his story.

Prompts

1. According to Daniel Defoe's book, this date in 1659 was the date Robinson Crusoe was shipwrecked. It also happened to be his birthday. Your character is shipwrecked on a desert island. How do they cope? Are they alone? Do they get rescued and if so, how?
2. "Sometimes, even if you lose, you win." Elie Wiesel
3. Schools may have returned weeks ago, but university terms begin around now, especially for "freshers" who generally start a week earlier than everyone else to give them time to settle in. Write a story about some students arriving at university for the first time.
4. James Dean died in a car crash on this date in 1955. Write a story about a car which crashes under mysterious circumstances. Police cannot work out why it happened.
5. It's The Day Hearts Are Sad. Why?

Character Names

Jerome, Elma, Sophia, Sophie, Lila, Isaac

Character Traits

• They may have suffered a bereavement in childhood or adolescence.
• As adults, may be widowed or divorced and marry again.
• Possibly psychic with a talent for astrology or reading cards.
• Would die for their freedom.
• Analytical thinkers who make good critics, but there is a danger that they will become excessive fault finders.
• Tendency to withhold their feelings.
• Want others to notice them but may withdraw into a dream world rather than join in, as they are afraid of rejection and ridicule.
• Can be quarrelsome and aggressive and make lots of enemies. There is a danger they might lose their life as a result of a fight.
• Interested in foreign countries. May be drawn to work as a missionary or explorer.
• Disputes in law can cause particular problems.
• Tendency to be snobbish.

Possible Themes

Courage.

Leadership.

Creating something new out of the same old stuff.

Recognition.

Being ahead of one's time.

Objects

Three “old masters” in an art gallery; a mausoleum; a woman crying; an old warrior in full battle dress; a red flag; scales; vegetable soup.

A year of writing prompts: 29 September

How to use these prompts

Seedy club or holiday entertainment?
Tell the story.

Prompts

1. "I'll not listen to reason. Reason always means what someone else has got to say." Elizabeth Gaskell
2. It's National Coffee Day. Write a scene in which two characters have a cup of coffee together.
3. It's All Angels Day. Write a story featuring an angel, or angels.
4. It looks like the summer is over.
5. It's Michaelmas, or St Michael's day. He is patron of grocers, paramedics, mountains and high places, police officers, security guards, artists, bakers, boatmen, dying people, Cornwall and swordsmiths. Choose one or more of these things to write a story about.

Character Names
Michael, Mika, Mickey, Mike, Michaela, Michelle, Miguel, Myles, Mitchell, Kayla

Character Traits

• Love is important to them. There is a tendency to love secretly and silently as well as passionately. Unrequited love and loneliness are possible.
• Know what they need to do to succeed in life and work hard to develop their tools, talents and resources.
• Given to speculation and risk losing their possessions through it.
• May suffer bereavement at an early age and have few family ties as a result.
• Inquisitive.
• May be drawn to jewellery or dance.
• May be lovers of danger with a taste for picking fights and taking risks. There is a risk of an early death through resorting to violence.
• They are reformers who want to hunt down dark or hidden forces in society and to educate people.
• May work with paints, chemicals or perfumes. Behind the scenes positions in the entertainment industry are another possibility.
• Sensitive and melancholy.
• May believe in witchcraft.
• Keep themselves busy.
  

Possible Themes

Animal life.

Struggle.

Quarrels.

Holiday homes; homes rarely visited.

Fertility issues.

Objects

A blazing fireplace in an otherwise deserted home; a double edged sword; a large financial institution; a grave; a vast junkyard; a person's shadow.

A year of writing prompts: 28 September

How to use these prompts

Write about the people who live near or visit this lake.
What is the story behind the sculpture?

Prompts

1. "Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without." Confucious
2. Today is National Good Neighbour Day. Write a story about a good neighbour.
3. In 1542 the first European landed in the present day state of California. Write a story with a Californian theme. You can set it in Hollywood, San Francisco, Disneyland or any other part of the state you know or which takes your fancy.
4. In 1995, a tortoise named Chester turned up near his owner's home after being missing for 35 years. Tell the story of some of the adventures Chester may have had during that time.
5. It's Ask a Stupid Question Day. Your character asks a stupid question.

Character Names

Kaira, Lana, Sergei, Svetlana, Selma, Milton, Marek, Leonard

Character Traits

• Strange things may happen to them.
• Often psychic or intuitive.
• Idealistic and romantic; easily led astray by the opposite sex. May end up being hurt or taken advantage of.
• Have a strong interest in religion or sociology.
• Can be over assertive and possibly intolerant.
• May feel the need to serve others and even sacrifice themselves for a cause.
• May feel they have a great message to spread, and they will travel extensively to do so. They will be prepared to put themselves in danger.
• Sociable and able to create a harmonious atmosphere with others.
• May have a physical disability.
• Sometimes have trust issues.
• Appear defenceless but have an inner strength and vigilance.
• Tendency to project their dark side onto others and make scapegoats of them.
• Interested in conspiracy theories and have a tendency to exaggerate dangers. Perhaps a little paranoid.
• May become a singer or dancer.
  
• Danger of severe injuries from fire or sword.
• A scandal may be their downfall.
• Need to beware of protection rackets.

Possible Themes

Fate.

Sacred union.

Ambition and progress.

Nurturing and protecting. 

The balance between conservation and development.

Motherhood.

Objects

Chickens; hawks; a ring; a scroll covered with writing; a dolphin.

A year of Writing Prompts: 27 September

How to use these prompts

Telescope or microscope?
Watching or being watched?

Prompts

1. "I'm not running away, I'm moving on." Irvine Welsh
2. Ancestor Appreciation Day is a day to learn about your family tree. Your character sets out to research their family tree and finds out something extremely surprising about one of their ancestors.
3. It's World Heart Day. Write about something featuring hearts. Some suggestions: Heart surgery, heart transplants, hearts and flowers, broken hearts, the heart of the matter.
4. In 2016, scientists perfected mitochondrial donation, allowing for a baby to be born who had three biological parents. Your character has three parents. Perhaps they are a product of this technology. How does having three parents affect their life? Or perhaps they belong to a race of aliens in which three beings are required to produce offspring. What does that society look like?
5. Irvine Welsh was born in 1961. His most famous book is Trainspotting. Write a story featuring train spotters.

Character Names

Jonas, Albert, Ronald, Adolf, Marina, Heath, Damian, Barry, Cyprian, Dagmar

Character Traits

• The second half of their life is more prosperous than the first.
• Hard working and loyal.
• May become a partner in the business they work in; may marry one of the boss's children.
• Quick, adaptive minds, but not particularly original.
• Enjoy writing, speaking and travelling.
• Conservative people who cherish the past. Opposed to anything new on principle. May believe things cannot be changed.
• May be fond of antiques and be a collector. Equally, they could be hoarders of old junk.
• Patient and enduring.
• Believers in force and discipline. Can be cruel or violent.
• May have some psychic awareness.
• Romantics who fall in lover powerfully, but not always practically.
• Self-indulgent.
• Prefer working alone.
• Attracted to work of a pioneering nature; will do well in the film industry, writing or publishing, building or working as a clairvoyant.
  
• Can be narrow-minded.
• Tendency to focus on, and therefore manifest, the negative.

Possible Themes

Fear.

Comparison.

Manifestation; making things happen. 

Success through hard work.

Objects

Haystacks; an ancient inn with an old fashioned signboard; a half opened rose; a gateway into a garden.

A year of writing prompts: 26 September

How to use these prompts

What might these two be talking about?

Prompts

1. In 1976, Rameses the Great became the first Pharaoh to fly when his body was flown to France for Conservation. Write a story entitled "Mummies on a Plane."
2. In 1983, a Soviet officer named Stanislav Petrov refused to believe his malfunctioning computer which was telling him the US had launched nuclear missiles at the USSR. His bosses tried to make him a scapegoat for the false alarm when he had in fact saved millions of lives. Your character is getting a severe and dire warning about something - but refuses to believe it. Are they right or wrong? What happens next?
3. In 1991, four men and four women were sealed inside Biosphere II, as an experimental project intended to mimic the isolation of future space colonies. Write a story about a group of people taking part in a similar experiment. You can explore their relationships with each other and/or how they cope with being cut off from their previous lives, and/or tell of how they emerge exactly two years later and find the Earth has changed completely while they've been in there; or they fail to emerge, and someone has to go in and find out what happened to them.
4. "I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each; I do not think that they will sing to me." TS Eliot
5. The French Revolutionary Calendar celebrated horses today. Write a story featuring a horse or horses.
   

Character Names

Andrea, Diana, Kurt, Justina, Moses, Edith

Character Traits

• Lacking in common sense, especially in relationships. They may marry several times, possibly illegal marriages. Females are dreamy and unlucky in love.
• Relationships with women, personally or professionally, are difficult.
• Adventurous and possibly reckless. Don't shrink from a fight; will suffer for a worthy cause.
• Chafe at restrictions to obtaining their goals. They rarely get sidetracked in pursuit of goals - they keep moving forward.
• More likely to use force then persuasion.
• Have leadership qualities and organisational ability.
• Can find it hard to communicate their ideas and become frustrated.
• May find making their way in the world difficult after mid life.
• Likely to ignore injuries and bad situations in the hope things will get better, but they usually get worse.
• Good looking and popular. Lively and energetic. Can be proud and arrogant.
• Possible careers are surgeon or teacher.
• Danger from water or accidents in the mountains; iron and fire also pose danger.
• May suffer from goitre, or ailments which hamper walking. Possibly stout.

Possible Themes

Fear, honour. 

Shared realisations. 

Mourning.

Contrast. 

Showing or guiding.

Objects

A mountain path; a black bird; an albatross; a lake; a bog; marijuana; a sword.

A year of writing prompts: 25 September

How to use these prompts

Where are these people going in their canoe?
What will they do when they get there?

Prompts

1. "You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore." William Faulkner
2. Phyllis Pearsall, creator of the London A to Z was born in 1907. Write a story about someone trying to find their way around London (or other city you're more familiar with), or a mystery in which the A to Z is a significant clue.
3. On National Ask A Question Day, your character asks someone a very important question.
4. "The boy stood on the burning deck, whence all but him had fled..."
5. The famous Sherlock Holmes story, The Hound of the Baskervilles, began on this date in 1888. Write a story about a mysterious giant dog.

Character Names

Roderick, Raul, Rodrigo, Carey, Aurelia, Ladislaw

Character Traits

• Excellent dexterity with edged tools; therefore highly skilled at anything involving cutting - surgery, wood carving, sculptor, tailor/dressmaker.
• Farming or painting are also possible careers.
• Probably a good cook.
• Miss opportunities through being indecisive or trusting the wrong people.
• May have to resort to menial work below their ability in order to make ends meet.
• Concerned with how they compare to other people.
• Kind and obliging, possibly excessively so. May give too much.
• Home lovers who make good friends.
• Have a talent for drawing people together and dispelling confusion and despair.
• Can be confrontational.
• Tendency towards idle dependence on others.
• Their artistic talents will have a long lasting influence.
• Danger of getting lost in the wilderness.

Possible Themes

Refinement.

Sharp or clearly defined edges.

Straight lines.

Group identity.

Oriental philosophies and art.

Objects

A camp fire; a broken plough; a broken wedding ring; a lemon; a guitar; a knife.

A Year of Writing Prompts: 24 September

How to use these prompts

Who is this man?
Are his companions dogs or wolves?
What adventures might they have together?

Prompts

1. Native American Day is celebrated around now. Write a story featuring Native Americans.
2. Another day celebrated around now is International Rabbit Day. Pen a tale about a rabbit.
3. "The world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel." Horace Walpole
4. The dawn of a new day reveals everything changed.
5. In 1997 a Belfast man handed himself in to police after watching himself robbing a garage on CCTV footage broadcast on television. He'd committed the crime while drunk and had no recollection of it. Your character got so drunk one night that they remember nothing that they did that night. Later, they are presented with evidence that they did something with far-ranging consequences, and/or something completely out of character.

Character Names

Gerhard, Gerard, Theodore, McKenna, Demetrius, Gellert, Mercedes

Character Traits

• Highly intelligent but physically weak.
• Have a good deal of curiosity but are not deep thinkers and lack concentration.
• Can be irresponsible and lack awareness.
• Talkative.
• May travel or be involved in communications. Could gain fame as the representative of a "happening" thing.
• Medicine or the service industry are likely careers.
• Will be deprived of freedom at some point in their lives, or estranged from their people, or be out of work.
• Capable of determination and precision.
• Can see both sides of a question but will stick to their convictions.
• Gifted in art or science, but their talent may not be recognised.
• Love affairs can lead to embarrassment, especially if occult practices are involved.
• Occult or psychic activity is dangerous for them in any case.
• May live in the past or the future and be great fans of historical or science fiction.
• Usually sympathetic, honest and industrious but at their worst can be self-centred, hard hearted and misanthropic.
• May resist change, or push for change for the sake of change.
  

Possible Themes

Trials and obstacles.

Turning points. Make or break situations.

Self discovery.

Fresh starts.

Objects

A person tied up in chains; an inaccurate, imaginative map of the world; a bed; dawn.

A year of writing prompts: 23 September

How to use these prompts

What might the child be looking at on the roof?

Prompts

1. In 1955, James Dean met Alec Guinness and showed him his Porsche Spyder. Guinness had a bad feeling about the car, and said, "If you get in that car, you will be found dead in it by this time next week." Seven days later, Dean died in a crash in that very car. Write a story in which someone says something which proves eerily prophetic.
2. It's National Multiple Wives Day, and Proposal Day. Your character is either a bigamist with several wives, or a man (or, indeed, woman) who has married several times. He or she is planning to pop the question to his or her next spouse.
3. "Love endures only when the lovers love many things together and not merely each other." Walter Lippman
4. Breaking Free.
5. Typhoid Mary was born in 1869, famous for being a carrier of typhoid, passing it on to 51 people of whom three died. Your character is a type of "Typhoid Mary" who unwittingly (or not) causes the deaths of people they come into contact with while not being affected themselves.

Character Names

Bertha, Vanda, Linas, Santos, Tiara, Tea

Character Traits

• Intelligent people who want to solve the mysteries of the universe. May be drawn to a career in scientific research.
  
  
• Kind and generous.
• Artistic talent, especially for music.
• Will produce beautiful artistic works.
• Appreciate nature.
• Refined, delicate and insightful, possibly psychic.
• Their good intentions are sometimes misunderstood.
• Tend towards melancholy.
• Sensitive - feel things keenly.
• May turn to God when disappointed in human nature. They may go as far as joining a religious community. The may even be a religious fanatic.
• High moral values and strong convictions.
• May be patriotic.
• Can be otherworldly and impractical.
• Risky erotic attractions may be their downfall.

Possible Themes

Knowledge and foresight. Visions for the future.

Vortexes.

Shipwrecks.

UFOs and aliens.

Objects

An altar; incense; a violin; a gold covered book; a snake; a whirlpool; a beautiful siren.

A Year of Writing Prompts: 22 September

How to use these prompts

What's happening here?
What happens next?

Prompts

1. 1791 saw the birth of Michael Faraday, pioneer in the use of electricity. Write a story featuring electricity.
2. "You can only be young once, but you can be immature forever." Larry Anderson
3. On Elephant Appreciation Day, write a story featuring an elephant.
4. It's Hobbit Day. Write a story about hobbits.
5. For Autumn Equinox, write a story, essay or poem on the theme of Autumn.

Character Names

Darina, Marisa, Thomas, Morris, Whitney, Morgan

Character Traits

• Tend to be over-protective of family members.
• Interested in weaponry and martial arts.
• Expend a lot of energy defending what is right, violently if necessary.
• Strong and active.
• May not marry, and if they do, it may not work out well.
• Interested in psychology and sociology but not always mindful of the feelings of others, and doesn't care what they think.
• Scrupulously honest and rigidly just.
• Intelligent; always planning and scheming.
• May be either undernourished or overweight.
• Their life will be filled with strange happenings, obstacles and sorrows.
• Danger of hand injuries.
• Their severe self-righteousness can lead to dangerous situations involving violence with the danger of injury to themselves or others.
• Make excellent vets, with a particular gift for healing horses.
• Otherwise, a career in trade or sales may beckon.

Possible Themes

Ego and intelligence.

Planning and scheming.

Beauty; fragility. Beauty made immortal.

Moments frozen in time.

Photography.

Objects

A butterfly preserved in a case; a sword; a dagger; a pistol; a lion; fat Italian ladies making bread; a child with a butterfly net.