A year of writing prompts: 7 October

How to use these prompts

Who are these people?
Where are they going?
What happens when (or if) they get there?

Prompts

1. Living the Life of Riley.
2. "Man has his will, but woman has her way." Oliver Wendell Holmes
3. It's Bathtub Day. Write a story featuring a bathtub.
4. In 1719, the first instalment of Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe was published in The Original London Post. It was the first novel to be serialised. Write the first instalment of a novel which is to be published as a series in a newspaper or magazine. How do you hook people in? Don't forget to end with a cliffhanger.
5. In ancient Rome, on the Nones of October, the poor and the homeless were invited to public feasts. Your characters are neighbours who decide to throw a street party, and invite all the local tramps and beggars.

Character Names

Justina, Denise, Bridget, Stone, Maria, Marek, Arthur

Character Traits

• Rugged physique and strong will power with the ability to endure cold, hunger, thirst and fatigue.
• Energetic, daring and alert.
• Risk takers who may expose themselves to needless dangers. However, they will be quick to warn others of danger.
• A desire to travel with a particular attraction to places in the north. May even travel as far as the Arctic.
• Interested in politics, music and science.
• Tend to be over-protective towards their family.
• Fall in love easily, which can mean long lasting happiness with a soul mate or relationships which are the source of misfortunes and setbacks.
• Possible criminal tendencies. Arguments can lead to violence.
• Like exploring and tinkering with things.
• May suffer as a result of sudden, unforeseen events but are resilient and will bounce back.
• May be attracted to a career in the military but this is unlikely to go well for them unless they go into something which doesn't involve actual fighting, such as a technician or engineer.
• Prone to accidents and need to take especial care around noxious gases and poisons.

Possible Themes

Rhythm and movement.

Law and order.

The unknown and unexplored.

Sudden changes.

Temporary loss and recovery.

Objects

A boat broken in a storm; a camel; a soldier; noxious gases rising from a hole; an iceberg; a woman whose lower body is a serpent.