So it’s not officially summer yet but it is June, so we’re getting there (if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere, at least). Beaches are a great place to hang out in the summer. Even my little city of Erie, PA has 11 beaches, which are very popular in the summer. What do you think of…
Tag: muse
Muse on Monday – May 27, 2024
Hello and happy Memorial Day if you are in the United States. It’s pretty common to have an elderly relative, often an aunt or uncle, in a story as a helper character. They are good sources of mystery (either something they know or something in their house), a source of sudden wealth when they die…
Muse on Monday – May 13, 2024
These days spring is turning into summer and everything (at least where I live) is green and growing. Plants in stories are not usually the main focus but sometimes are used as signals of the mood or atmosphere of the story or setting. For example, if plants are dying, that is a bad sign but…
Muse on Monday – May 6, 2024
Have you ever read the book Dracula? That was the first story I ever read that was told completely through secondhand sources, like letters and diary entries. In some ways, this kind of writing can seem more distant since you are not there in the moment: you are reading what they wrote after the fact….
Muse on Monday – April 29, 2024
It’s almost May, which means it’s almost summer. Where did the spring go, right? As the students start to finish up the school year and go on summer vacation, it is a time of relaxation. The Green-Walled Treehouse will still be here and this is a good chance to do some summer writing. Story Prompt:…
Muse on Monday – April 15, 2024
When we think of a war story, we usually think of fighting. However, there are a lot of stories that take place in a time of war that are far away from any battlefield. Here are some ways: How much the war overshadows the story depends on how much the characters or the people they…
Muse on Monday – April 8, 2024
If you were in certain parts of North America today, you could have seen a total eclipse. I am lucky enough to be in Erie, Pennsylvania, which is right in the path of totality, so we got a good view of it here. We all knew long in advance the exact minute that it was…
Muse on Monday – April 1, 2024
Happy Easter everyone, plus April Fools Day and the beginning of a new month. Do you like April Fools Day? I didn’t do any pranks, although I have in the past a few times. Pranks work in fiction, although because fiction runs on conflict, it is much more likely for a prank to go horribly…
Muse on Monday – March 25, 2024
Every city has its own personality. Part of that is based on where it is—if it has mountains or lakes or is by the ocean or is on an island—but it goes beyond that. Even cities that seem very similar have subtle differences based on their culture and their “feel”. You may have to live…
Muse on Monday – March 18, 2024
Happy Monday, everyone! Welcome back to the Treehouse for a new writing prompt. If you know someone very well, you might be able to tell what they are thinking just by seeing their facial expressions. That’s because we can convey a lot through our expressions even if we don’t say anything out loud. Facial expressions…
The Green-Walled Treehouse 