Muse on Monday – April 6, 2026

Different writing prompts bring different questions to mind, as a writer. For instance, if the story is about a murder, the overarching question is who did it and maybe how. For this prompt, the main question to answer is why. Story Prompt: April 6, 2026 Write a story about a character breaking into their own…

The First Night

This story is a response to the Muse on Monday prompt of March 23, 2026: Write a story about going to sleep. The First Night The lights die with a mechanical clunk and darkness suffocates me like a woolen shroud. I try not to move on my bunk. Every breath seems to make the metal…

Muse on Monday – March 23, 2026

If you’ve ever lain in bed trying to get to sleep, you know the battle that this can be. It’s also a vicious cycle of not being asleep, then being frustrated you’re not asleep, which wakes you up more. On the other hand, there are times when you are fighting not to fall asleep (such…

Muse on Monday – March 16, 2026

Human interaction makes up a huge part of the conflict in stories. After all, as humans, we are the most interesting subject for our stories. This conflict could come from having different values, misunderstandings from language and culture, competition for resources or lots of other reasons. It’s hard enough to negotiate with someone in good…

Muse on Monday – March 9, 2026

I don’t know anyone who loves traffic, unless it’s your job to study traffic patterns. However, there are a lot of chances for conflict when you have hundreds of people driving vehicles in close proximity, each with their own emotions, personal situations and levels of distraction. That’s not including all the things that could happen…

The Off-White Showdown

This story is a response to the Muse on Monday prompt of March 2, 2026: Write a story about giving someone bad news. The Off-White Showdown I am truly terrified of this woman. She’s glowering down at me from the fitting platform, her eyes crackling like lightning on the prairies of Saskatchewan where I grew…

Muse on Monday – March 2, 2026

Have you ever had to give someone bad news? Even worse, maybe you had to give it to a whole group at once. I had to do that recently, and it wasn’t fun. There is a whole range of emotions people go through when getting bad news, from shock to anger, to grief, depending on…

Angelic Excursions

This story is a response to the Muse on Monday prompt of February 23, 2026: Write a story with an animal as a character. Angelic Excursions Uriel is ready for his next mission to Earth, this time in the form of a retriever. A golden, of course. “Now remember to stick to your mission,” Francis…

Muse on Monday – February 23, 2026

Have you ever read a story where an animal is a character in the story? These aren’t always fantasy stories or children’s stories (although they often are). There are several ways you can use an animal as a character in a story. All the characters are animals (e.g. Watership Down) One character is a sentient…

Muse on Monday – February 16, 2026

I find it interesting to look at the jobs the main characters have in stories. A disproportionate number seem to be writers, for example, since that is what writers know. There aren’t a lot of electricians as main characters though. Just for fun, I went back through the novels I’ve written to see what jobs…