Twelve Days of Writing Prompts for Christmas!

On the 6th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me. 12 free writing prompts!

Here is day 6:

Let's try a little non-fiction today. What the best gift you ever received for the holidays and why? What about the worst? What was the best gift you ever gave? And finally, if you could give one person anything, who would you choose and what would the gift be?

12 Days of Christmas (Writing Prompts!) Day Six!

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Six writing prompts!

Write furiously for five or ten minutes on the following:
Your character finds a wrapped present / package sitting at his/her front door. There is no return address or label. And inside is something mysterious and old. Set up the scene. Show the house, the front door, the package, and take us through the process of discovery. Go! Write like mad!

12 Days of Christmas Writing Prompts (Day 5)

 Day 5 of Don's Christmas Prompts

Celebrate the Holidays with 12 Writiing Prompts!

Nothing fuels a good story like a missed opportunity for love or the romance that never had the opportunity to flower. Imagine the character you're working with encountering his/her true love, but the circumstance of their meeting precludes them from having meaningful communication. Create the scene. Listen to the two talk around the topic. Let body language and/or the unspoken words reveal the tension.  

For the holiday seasonal element please do not add mistletoe! (Avoid the holiday  cheesy!!)

12 Days of Christmas Writing Prompts (Day 4)

12 Days of Christmas Writing Prompts

 Day 4 of Don's Christmas Prompts

Celebrate the Holidays with 12 Writiing Prompts!

Here you go!

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me 4 writing prompts!

The Greek root of dialog is "through" (dia) "meaning" (logos). We can delve into the meaning of our stories and the the heart of the conflict within our characters through dialog. This prompt is aimed at helping you listen to your characters. 

Imagine your character meeting a stranger on the street, in a store, or in the woods (any location). The person says, " I can see you are..." Now let the two speak, and you the writer only listen to them and record the conversation. Trust that this stranger will see something in your character that you did not. Dialog: through meaning. 

To holiday this prompt up, have the stranger looking like a dedraggled Santa. 

12 Days of Christmas Writing Prompts

12 Days of Christmas Writing Prompts

 Day 3 of Don's Christmas Prompts

Celebrate the Holidays with 12 Writiing Prompts!

Here you go!

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Writing Prompt 3!

This is a piece of a prompt I use for a workshop I teach called "Writing in 360." A character can't be fully developed unless she lives in a world that is also fully developed, and that means the "setting" exists in 360 with the character immersed within that world. How do you do this? Start here:

Go for a walk outside with your character. Use your character's senses to help describe the world around her as she walks/stops/runs. Think about the sphere she exists within, and include everything around that sphere: above, below, front back, right, and left. Think in terms of how footfalls sound on the ground, noises of the surrounding, smells, etc. 

To "Christmas" up this prompt, add snow! (Or for a climate change Christmas like much of the world is sadly facing, a lack thereof!)

12 Days of Christmas Writing Prompts

2nd Day of Christmas Prompt

Celebrate the Holidays with 12 Writiing Prompts!

Here you go!

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Writing Prompt 2!

This is another prompt I use in my "Crafting Conflicted Characters" Workshop. Write for 5-10 minutes describing what is in your characters refrigerator. (And why not add some eggnog to make it festive!)

1st Day of Christmas Prompt

Celebrate the Holidays with 12 Writiing Prompts!

Here you go!

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Writing Prompt 1!

Get to know one of your characters.

What is on the dresser in your character's bedroom? (Write for five or ten minutes capturing only the visual details of what your character has on his/her dresser.)

11 more to follow!

Stay tuned!