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Prompt #264 What do Men and Women Think About?
Published on 2012-03-07 06:00:00
Men may think about sex more often than women do, but a new study suggests that men also think about other biological needs, such as eating and sleep, more frequently than women do, as well. And the research discredits [...]Prompt #264 What do Men and Women Think About? was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader. Related posts: Prompt #84: Infidelity Prompt #5: Male Midlife Crisis Prompt #241 How Psychopaths Talk > read more
Prompt #263 Overthinking
Published on 2012-03-06 06:00:00
There are three primary types of overthinking: 1. Rant-and-rave overthinking is the most familiar type and usually centers around some wrong we believe has been done to us. Rants and raves tend to take on an air of wounded self-righteousness and focus on [...]Prompt #263 Overthinking was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader. Related posts: Prompt #91 Assumed Constraints Prompt #187 Why We Need Boundaries Prompt #140 Rudeness at Work > read more
Prompt #262 E.T. Phone Home
Published on 2012-03-05 06:00:00
Personally,I have nothing against the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence. But I’d put in 30 years bouncing around the professional broadcast business and had had a hard time enough finding intelligent life on Earth, much less finding it out among the stars. I [...]Prompt #262 E.T. Phone Home was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader. Related posts: Prompt #182 The Phone Call Prompt #95 Signs and Portents Prompt #44: Ups and Downs > read more
Carnival of Creativity March 4, 2012
Published on 2012-03-04 14:56:32
Welcome to the Carnival of Creativity for March 4, 2012. All links will open in a new tab or window, so feel free to click through and leave some love in the comments. Once you close that window, you’ll be right back here for more linky goodness. Responses to Writing Reader Prompts Jennifer presents > read more
Prompt #261 – Visual Prompt of the Week – Specs
Published on 2012-03-04 06:00:00
Create whatever this visual prompt inspires in you! . Photo by jenny downing on Flickr. Prompt #261 – Visual Prompt of the Week – Specs was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader. Related posts: > read more
Prompt #260 First Line of the Week – Lemony Snicket
Published on 2012-03-03 06:00:00
“If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book.”- Daniel Handler, A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning Writing Prompt: Using the first line above, write [...]Prompt #260 First Line of the Week – Lemony Snicket was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader. Related posts: Prompt #111: First Line of the Week – Black Star Rising Prompt #68: First Line of the Week R [..] > read more
Prompt #259 Word of the Week – Flotsam
Published on 2012-03-02 06:00:00
flot·sam [flot-suhm] noun 1. the part of the wreckage of a ship and its cargo found floating on the water. 2. material or refuse floating on water. 3. useless or unimportant items; odds and ends. 4. a vagrant, penniless population: [...]Prompt #259 Word of the Week – Flotsam was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader. Related posts: Prompt #152 Word of the Week – Beachhead Prompt #184 Word of the Week – Bedaub Prompt #145 Word of the Wee [..] > read more
Prompt #258 Elements of Magic
Published on 2012-03-01 06:00:00
It was commonly held in all the ancient magical books that there were four elements of magic: Air and Water, Earth and Fire. But centuries of study had revealed to Nicholas that there were, in fact, five elemental forces of magic. The fifth force [...]Prompt #258 Elements of Magic was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader. Related posts: Prompt #113 The Magician Archetype Prompt #216 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover Prompt #103 Word of the Week: Arcane > read more
Prompt #257 Childhood Friendships
Published on 2012-02-29 06:00:00
In a Duke University study out November 22, researchers found that pre-teen girls may not be any better at friendships than boys, despite previous research suggesting otherwise. The findings suggest that when more serious violations of a friendship occur, girls struggle just as much [...]Prompt #257 Childhood Friendships was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader. Related posts: Prompt #120 Bitterness Prompt #150 How Victims Respond to Bullying Prompt #65: [..] > read more
Prompt #256 Waiting
Published on 2012-02-28 06:00:00
I began to exist in a tension between wanting and not wanting-waiting for something I couldn’t even pin down in my most naked and honest moments. Waiting for a balance where I neither ached nor forgot, regretted nor accepted. Waiting for my [...]Prompt #256 Waiting was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader. Related posts: Prompt #104: First Line of the Week – Still Life with a Woodpecker Prompt #158 Defensiveness Prompt #24: Feelings > read more
Prompt #255 Penitentiary
Published on 2012-02-27 06:00:00
The Pennsylvania Quakers initially introduced the concept of reforming criminals through time spent under confinement. The Quakers built a small prison, which was comprised of sixteen individual and fully isolated cells. This new concept was intended to achieve reform by forcing criminals to serve [...]Prompt #255 Penitentiary was written by Liz Andra Shaw and was originally published at The Writing Reader. Related posts: Prompt #65: Faking It Prompt #103 Word of the Week: Arcane Prompt #207 M [..] > read more
Carnival of Creativity 2/26/2012
Published on 2012-02-26 12:35:05
Welcome to the Carnival of Creativity for February 26, 2012. All links will open in a new tab or window, so feel free to click through and leave some love in the comments. Once you close that window, you’ll be right back here for more linky goodness. The Creative Mindset Patti Onderko presents > read more
Prompt #254 – Visual Prompt of the Week – Generations
Published on 2012-02-26 06:00:00
Create whatever this visual prompt inspires in you! . Photo by Bahman Farzad on Flickr. Related posts: Prompt #205 Visual Prompt of the Week: Innocence > read more
Prompt #253 First Line of the Week – Tanith Lee
Published on 2012-02-25 06:00:00
I first see it as I’m driving back that night up the road—you can bet I pulled over. -Tanith Lee, Black Fire (free to read at Lightspeed magazine online) Writing Prompt: Use the first line above as a story starter [...] Related posts: Prompt #160: First Line of the Week – The Cassandra Project Prompt #218 First Line of the Week – Zora Neale Hurston Prompt #192: First Line of the Week – Adam-Troy Castro > read more
Prompt #252 Word of the Week – Befuddle
Published on 2012-02-24 06:00:00
befuddle v. [with obj.] (usually as adj. befuddled) cause to become unable to think clearly: even in my befuddled state I could see that they meant trouble. Writing Prompt: Use today’s word as an inspiration for a scene or poem. [...] Related posts: Prompt #110 Word of the Week: Argle-Bargle Prompt #152 Word of the Week – Beachhead Prompt #184 Word of the Week – Bedaub > read more
Prompt #251 Still Waters
Published on 2012-02-23 06:00:00
People are like oceans, the powerful stuff moves deep down and you almost never see it. -David Tallerman, Jenny’s Sick (free to read at Lightspeed Magazine online) Writing Prompt: Create a story or poem using the line above as a [...] Related posts: Prompt #160: First Line of the Week – The Cassandra Project Prompt #218 First Line of the Week – Zora Neale Hurston Prompt #153: First Line of the Week – Vylar Kaftan > read more
Prompt #250 Online Dating
Published on 2012-02-22 06:00:00
People liked potential partners that matched their ideals more than those that mismatched their ideals when they examined written descriptions of potential partners, but those same ideals didn’t matter once they actually met in person, according to a new study by psychologists Paul [...] Related posts: Prompt #215 Who Can You Trust? Prompt #128 The Psychology of Socioeconomic Classes Prompt #144 Accept or Reject > read more
Prompt #249 Grief
Published on 2012-02-21 06:00:00
Kit had lost people before, and it was always like this. There would be tears tonight, and anger at him and at his bridge, anger at fate for permitting this. There would be sadness, and nightmares. There would be lovemaking, and the holding close of [...] Related posts: Prompt #65: Faking It Prompt #101 Tantrums Prompt #173 Word of the Week – Abdabs > read more
Prompt #248 Bounded Rationality
Published on 2012-02-20 06:00:00
“For a long time we’ve asked ourselves, ‘How come smart, rational people carry out short-term schemes that in the long-term undoubtedly are going to sink them?’” says author Ramy Elitzur, who holds the Edward J. Kernaghan Professorship in Financial Analysis and is an [...] Related posts: Prompt #189 The Risks and Rewards of Overconfidence Prompt #227 Bribery Prompt #243 Coerced Confessions > read more
Carnival of Creativity 2/19/2012
Published on 2012-02-19 11:32:13
Welcome to the Carnival of Creativity for February 19, 2012. All links will open in a new tab or window, so feel free to click through and leave some love in the comments. Once you close that window, you’ll be right back here for more linky goodness. The Creative Mindset Chrys Fey presents > read more
Prompt #247 Visual Prompt of the Week – Train
Published on 2012-02-19 05:00:00
Create whatever this visual prompt inspires in you! Photo by Timitrius on Flickr. Related posts: Prompt #219 Visual Prompt of the Week – Hammock Getaway > read more
Prompt #246 First Line of the Week – Herzog
Published on 2012-02-18 05:00:00
“If I am out of my mind, it’s all right with me thought Moses Herzog.” -Saul Bellow, Herzog Writing Prompt: Using the first line above, write a story, scene or poem. Journaling Prompt: [...] Related posts: Prompt #204 First Line of the Week – J.D. Salinger Prompt #68: First Line of the Week – Anne Tyler Prompt #146: First Line of the Week – One for the Money > read more
Prompt #245 Word of the Week – Ennui
Published on 2012-02-17 05:00:00
en·nui [ahn-wee, ahn-wee; Fr. ahn-nwee] noun a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom Writing Prompt: Write a story, scene, poem, or haiku using the word of the week Journaling [...] No related posts. > read more
Prompt #244 Adventure!
Published on 2012-02-16 05:00:00
Adventure is when you go into the woods and stay there a real long time—so long that Mom begins to get worried—doing things. It’s tracking a deer or a rabbit in the snow. It’s looking to discover a fossil that no one has ever seen [...] Related posts: Prompt #93 Weather Prompt #23: Play Prompt #98 Videogaming > read more
Prompt #243 Coerced Confessions
Published on 2012-02-15 05:00:00
Confessions, when true, are an important tool in convicting criminals. But false confessions frequently play a major role in convicting innocent people. Experiments show that juries and potential witnesses are influenced by confessions even if they know they were coerced. Also in the lab, [...] Related posts: Prompt #100 The Malleability of Memory Prompt #92 Societal Change Prompt #102 The Benefits of Narcissism > read more
Prompt #242 Self-Description
Published on 2012-02-14 05:00:00
…right now her most pressing problems were the five blocks between her and the train station, and the sky full of water above her. On the bright side, she didn’t have to worry about the rain smearing her makeup— she just didn’t wear the stuff. [...] Related posts: Prompt #235 Beautiful Face Prompt #123 Describing Faces Prompt #98 Videogaming > read more
Prompt #241 How Psychopaths Talk
Published on 2012-02-13 05:00:00
Psychopaths used more conjunctions like “because,” “since” or “so that,” implying that the crime “had to be done” to obtain a particular goal. They used twice as many words relating to physical needs, such as food, sex [...] Related posts: Prompt #116 Choosing to Harm Prompt #201 Social Projection Prompt #91 Assumed Constraints > read more
The Carnival of Creativity 2/12/2012
Published on 2012-02-12 13:23:10
Welcome to the Carnival of Creativity for February 12, 2012. These links will open in a new window or tab so that you can enjoy and comment, then come back here for more. The Creative Mindset Daryl Sams presents Follow Your Passion posted at Edgar Allen Floe®. Writing Tips and Prompts [...] Related posts: Carnival of Creativity 1/8/2012 Carnival of Creativity 1/22/2012 Carnival of Creativity February 5, 2012 > read more
Prompt #240 Visual Prompt of the Week – Alley
Published on 2012-02-12 05:00:00
Create whatever this visual prompt inspires in you! Photo by Maya83 on Flickr. Related posts: Prompt #219 Visual Prompt of the Week – Hammock Getaway > read more
Prompt #239 First Line of the Week – Frankenstein
Published on 2012-02-11 05:00:00
“You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings.” -Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Frankenstein Writing Prompt: Write a story, scene, or poem inspired by the first line [...] Related posts: Prompt #139: First Line of the Week – Long Dark Teatime of the Soul Prompt #68: First Line of the Week – Anne Tyler Prompt #76: First Line of the Week – Father’s Advice > read more
Prompt #238 Word of the Week – Bee-Stung
Published on 2012-02-10 05:00:00
bee-stung adj. INFORMAL (of a woman’s lips) full, red, and pouting. Writing Prompt: Write a poem, scene or story inspired by today’s word. Journaling Prompt: Write about lips. Do you notice them? When ? Why? Art [...] Related posts: Prompt #67: Word of the Week – Aeolian Prompt #184 Word of the Week – Bedaub Prompt #110 Word of the Week: Argle-Bargle > read more
Prompt #237 Trace Evidence
Published on 2012-02-09 05:00:00
“Presence doesn’t just live in the material,” Julia had once reasoned to Carla, pleasantly tipsy on the veranda one late summer afternoon. “We leave a whole stream of existence behind us, a constellation of evidence— invisible particles of skin, heat, breath, lingering sound, hair [...] Related posts: Prompt #190 Growing Old with Joy Prompt #69: Hard Wired for Religion Prompt #99 Ghostly Apparitions > read more
Prompt #22: Fairy Tales
Published on 2011-07-05 05:34:38
Fairy tales, mythology, stories from ancient times are all indications of how humans in the past tried to make sense of the world. But when does faith in myths or fairy tale lessons cross over into foolishness? In a strange place a man needs all the > read more
Post #21: Create a Religion
Published on 2011-07-04 05:45:16
When you build a story world, one component that must be included is religion. If your story world is on earth, you can, of course, use a standard religion. But let’s have a little fun and create something unique. The Huffington Post recently h > read more
Post #20: Poverty
Published on 2011-07-03 05:28:30
I love to travel, because of the great beauty that this world contains. But it’s not all beauty in the world, and a traveler must be prepared to witness the full spectrum of the human conditions in his or her travels, as Samuel Johnson noted. & > read more
Post #19: Dreams
Published on 2011-07-02 07:58:37
Dreams are odd things. They are made up of pieces of your life, but put together in a way that doesn’t seem to make any sense. Sometimes dreams are trying to tell us something, and sometimes dreams seem to be just the flotsam and jetsam of the > read more
Post #18: Insecurity
Published on 2011-07-01 07:44:21
Have you ever worked with someone who used intimidation tactics to keep you off balance and to control you? Sometimes we are our own worst enemies, feeling fear when there is no reason. But sometimes, people really are that nasty. “Lorne wants peop > read more
Prompt #17: Describe a Character
Published on 2011-06-30 07:16:39
I’m fascinated by the 6 Word Memoirs over at Smith Magazine. I first heard about this project on NPR, then I saw some collected on YouTube. I haven’t figured out what my 6 Word Memoir will read yet, but I’m captivated by the idea of > read more
Prompt #16: Hallowed Ground
Published on 2011-06-29 07:38:48
My mother worked in churches when I was little, so I grew up playing tag in sanctuaries. The concept of hallowed ground wasn’t introduced to me until I was older. Now I feel that sense of sacredness more frequently in nature than in buildings. > read more
Prompt #15: Risk and Reward
Published on 2011-06-28 07:08:28
What would you be willing to risk in order to get a big reward? What if you could take that risk knowing that you would never face any personal consequences? Another root cause of growing inequality is that the modern world, by so limiting our downsi > read more
Prompt #14: Madness
Published on 2011-06-27 07:33:32
My favorite madman of all time is Maxwell Klinger on M*A*S*H. He wasn’t really mad. He was mad with a purpose. The fact that Klinger’s plan never got him the Section 8 discharge he was hoping for, didn’t stop him from trying. I almo > read more
Prompt #13: Learning from Experience
Published on 2011-06-26 07:12:06
Humans have a tendency to put a great deal of importance on success and failure as opposed to looking for the growth and learning in every experience regardless of outcome. Here is a quotation from one of the greatest players in chess about a more en > read more
Prompt #12: Gross!
Published on 2011-06-25 11:21:49
Sociologists believe that our society’s lack of ritual is part of what’s causing the breakdown of civilization. But not all rituals are positive things. Fraternity hazing is one negative use of ritual that we hear about in the states. Her > read more
Prompt #11: Leadership
Published on 2011-06-24 20:56:13
We’ve all met leaders, some good, some excellent, some execrable. The Leader is an important archetype in writing, so leadership is an important quality for writers to study. Here we have a very simple definition of one aspect of leadership tha > read more
Prompt #10: Trademarks
Published on 2011-06-23 20:42:15
Each of us has personal quirks, but do you know anyone with a quirk so original that it has become a personal trademark? In this quote from Comedy Isn’t Funny by Chris Smith, we meet Lorne Michaels, the creative genius behind Saturday Night Liv > read more
Prompt #9: Love Always Makes Time
Published on 2011-06-22 20:27:16
My mother are one of the wonders of the universe. No matter how busy she is, she’s always got time for me. I remember a time when she cancelled plans, popped into her car, and drove several hours just to make sure that I was OK after an acciden > read more
Prompt #8: Happiness
Published on 2011-06-21 18:42:23
Have you ever known someone who thought that if they had a new car, new house, new spouse, new laptop, blah, blah, blah, that they would at last be happy? If only it were that easy! Happiness is inside us. We make it happen. Here’s a simple quo > read more
29 Ways to Stay Creative
Published on 2011-06-20 22:59:43
Prompt #7: Get Me Out Of Here!
Published on 2011-06-20 17:34:34
Have you ever found yourself in a sticky situation? One that you entered willingly enough, but without fully considering the potential for disaster? Yeah, I thought so. Today’s quote is from one of my favorite science fiction series, The Psalms > read more
Prompt #6: Do the Twist
Published on 2011-06-19 14:48:43
The good folks over at Writer’s Relief publish a newsletter with some cool ideas for writers. Today’s quote is actually a prompt from their web site. I love this one! Take something ordinary and make it unusual. Write a story about someth > read more
Prompt #5: Male Midlife Crisis
Published on 2011-06-18 13:13:04
You know that guy, the one with the red sports car. What message is he trying to send with that thing anyway? Here’s some research: Just as peacocks flaunt their tails before potential mates, men may flaunt flashy products to charm potential da > read more
Prompts #4: What Do You Really Believe?
Published on 2011-06-17 19:47:00
I read this fascinating short story today about a man who is faced with ethical challenges and how he reacts to them. It’s free online. Follow the link after the quotation to read it. What, when all is said and done, all the conventional garbag > read more