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Today it is raining...again...so it's supposed to be a good kind of day for writing, right? Wrong! I love the rain, love the cold, damp air, the streets that shine in the cars' headlights as though they had been spread with olive oil, love the bare limbs of the trees as they sway back and forth, brushing thin naked branches against window panes. I love our tiny house finches who gather around the bird feeder, shaking drops from brown or golden or red or black wing feathers. I love watching the dogwalkers, dressed in rain gear and carrying umbrellas, hurrying down the street with a variety of dogs, each dressed in his or her own rain outfit, usually matching that of the owner.
And so I sit at my desk, in front of my big bay window, and watch. Watch, not write! It makes me wonder how many of you do the same thing, according to the weather...do the seasons of the year, and their accompanying weather phases, make you stare out of a window or off into space, submersing yourself in what is happening on the outside, instead of concentrating on what should be happening on the inside, i.e, your mind and thoughts?
If that's so, how about having a little fun...just for the heck of it! How about taking some of the following prompts, and writng a couple of paragraphs...just for fun, nothing serious...but who knows? With a little luck ( and a little less window-watching), you might have the gleam of a real story idea ! Here goes:
1) Remember when you were a kid, and you mother was always around? How she could be sweet and loving and understanding one minute, and the next be bossy and demanding and irritating? Okay...take one or more of these names, and build a short scenario about this person when he or she was a kid, and how his or her mother was acting at that particular moment.
a. Florence Nightingale
b. James Dean
c. Theodore Roosevelt
d. Cleopatra
e. Calamity Jane
f. Wyatt Earp
g. Sinclare Lewis
h.Joan of Arc
i. Shakespeare
j. The Wicked Witch of the West
k. Agatha Christie
Oh, but that's not all! With so many reality shows on TV today, pretend you are going to be on one. Select one of the shows below, and write a scenario showing how you would act in this one, and why. (You don't have to have watched them, to be able to place yourself in one.)
a. Survivor
b. The Great Race
c. The Real Housewives of Atlanta ( or wherever.)
d. The Apprentice
e. Dancing With the Stars
f. American Idol
And finally... let's let real life meet reel life, but in another way. Select one of the shows below ( even if you've never watched it or it was "before your time"), and write a scenario with you as a family member.
a. The Flintstones
b Criminal Minds
c. Happy Days
d. Hawaii 5-0 ( the new show)
e. Smallville
d. Blue Bloods
e. Gilmore Girls
f. The Waltons
g. House
h. The Twilight Zone
i. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
j. The Good Wife
If these prompts don't give you a warm, fuzzy feeling for that rainy or snowy or sunshiny day, nothing will !!
Until next time,
That's a wrap.
