Your character is at a Parisian bar. Alone. Is he waiting for someone? Has the rest of the party left? What’s going through his mind as he sips his beverage of choice? (And as we discussed yesterday, make the details count, whether he orders a whiskey on the rocks, a dirty martini, or a simple glass of ice water.)
It’s getting cold out there! Whether it’s itchy but stylish, the softest cashmere, or a heavy wool wool that blocks out the fiercest wind, what does your favorite sweater or coat say about you? Silly question, you may say, but think about it seriously. Now, if you’re a fiction writer, think about your characters’ clothes. Don’t waste a word describing something that doesn’t somehow clue your reader into your characters’ personalities or your plot.
List five words you like because of how they sound. Now write a poem or paragraph using those words, paying attention to the overall music of the piece.
Describe the smell of morning in and around your home.
Who hasn’t been enchanted by a story about a secret garden or a hidden retreat? Today your character sees a hidden door–and it’s ajar! What does it look like? Does its appearance keep him away or repel him? Write a scene beginning at the moment when he finds the door.
The Old Man and the Sea, Murder on the Orient Express, The Darjeeling Limited, and even Snakes on a Plane–think of stories that revolve in large part around some form of transportation. Come up with an idea for a short story at involves transportation, whether by car, plane, or train, or on horseback or foot. Start an outline or rough draft today. If you like where it’s headed, keep working on it in the coming days and weeks. If not, file it away with other works in progress. You never know when it might spark another idea.
Cats roam the ruins of ancient Ephesus, millions of tourists tread the ancient roads of Pompeii. Think about the contrast of the ancient past and the present and write down five possible story ideas that come to mind. Don’t worry about developing them right now, just write down everything that comes to mind, then file them away for a future date when you’re feeling stuck.
What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever eaten? Describe the taste and the whole experience in such a way that readers will feel like they’re eating it at that moment, too.
The warm water circling your ankles, sand grinding between your toes, fish swimming by–think back to a trip to the beach and recapture that day in as much sensory detail as possible.
