I remember when I was young, I got lost in the woods. It was probably only for 10-15 minutes, but it was one of the most terrifying experiences I had ever had. Being lost in the wilderness is a great plot for a story (Lost in the Barrens, by Farley Mowat was my favorite book…
Tag: writing-prompts
Muse on Monday – July 15, 2024
It is interesting, although not surprising, that one of the most common professions of characters in stories is a writer. This is because writers often write about what they know, which is themselves and what they do. Beyond that, there are also many stories about writing itself, either about magical books or story itself (see…
Muse on Monday – June 24, 2024
Do you like dreaming? I have had dreams that I was so sad to wake up from and others where I was so relieved to find it was a dream. A few times I have realized I’m in a dream, although not often. Dreams in stories usually start out normal and then as things start…
Muse on Monday – June 17, 2024
Have you ever read books like Black Beauty, Charlotte’s Web or Where the Red Fern Grows? Books about pets and animal friends are very popular and very powerful because animals tend to be very pure and love unconditionally. It’s much easier to have a relationship with an intelligent animal, of course, which is why there…
Muse on Monday – June 10, 2024
One thing that you usually don’t want to put in your stories is daily tasks. If you write a page or two about someone’s morning routine, the reader will get impatient for you to get to the important part. The difference is if something is different, especially if there is some point of conflict. For…
Muse on Monday – June 03, 2024
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…
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….
The Green-Walled Treehouse 