A year of writing prompts: 9 October

How to use these prompts

What are these goats looking at?

Prompts

1. John Lennon was born on this date in 1940. Write a story based on one of his songs. (Imagine, Instant Karma, Give Peace a Chance are just three of the possibilities).
2. "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." John Lennon
3. A retired sea captain watches the ships entering and leaving the harbour.
4. National Bring Your Teddy Bear To Work Day is celebrated about now. A bunch of co-workers have all brought their teddy bears to work. When they all go out to lunch, or to a meeting, the teddy bears come to life. What happens next?
5. Nobel Prizes are being awarded around this time, too. Write about a Nobel Prize. Is your character desperately trying to win one? Or are they reluctant recipients? How does winning the prize change their life?

Character Names

Stefan, Sara, Ilona, Dene, Helga, Mercedes, Christopher, Chris, Dennis, Ludwig, Ingrid

Character Traits

• Will have a happy and quiet home life with lots of friends. They love entertaining so there will be frequent visitors.
• Peace loving people who will take it to heart to solve conflicts and alleviate hardship.
• Good judges of character with the ability to see through social game-playing. Therefore, they are able to avoid the kind of people who would take advantage of their hospitality.
• Quiet and unassuming, with a tendency to neglect their own needs. Want to make everybody happy.
• Often disappointed by others.
• Excel at detailed work requiring dexterity, such as art or sewing. Also likely to be excellent writers.
• Interested in ecology and natural living.
• Ambitious to be the best at what they do and can achieve considerable publicity. Career choices could include psychology, the health and beauty business, vocations dealing with everyday problems, law or the police.
• Likely to be wealthy - this may be because they are born into a wealthy family, but if not, they will either earn wealth or marry into it.
• Badly want everything in life to add up and make sense.
• Danger of being stuck or having their movement restricted.

Possible Themes

Poetry.

Suspension of normal activity.

Stretching the rules.

Trials and tribunals; pleading a case.

Objects

A court; a nice house with open doors and windows; flowers; a man writing at a desk; a fireman; a child; a burning house; beans in a jar.