Writing Room

Novel Kicks Writing Room: Lines, Lines, Lines

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-300x199-1-1.jpgFor today’s activity in the writing room today, it’s all about putting the following sentences in a story.

Use all of the following lines of text below in a short story involving a wedding.

Write a minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 1,500 words. You don’t have to keep the sentences below in the same order.

The lines to include in your piece…..

‘But I am in love with her.’

‘The war has begun and they are coming for us.’

‘No, you can’t take the unicorn home.’

‘You know he will kill you the moment you step outside.’

‘I saw them in the bowlplex yesterday. Kissing.’

‘When the time comes, you’ll know.’

 

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Focus on Film

Frp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1-1-1-300x164-1-1-300x164-1-1-1-1-1-1.pngriday 10th March 2017: Film Focus

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt is about a character in a movie.

Think of your favourite movie. Now think about your favourite character in that movie.

Write a scene featuring this character but a scene that doesn’t feature in the current movie. Is it that the boy doesn’t get the girl? Could it be that the person you thought was the good guy is actually the bad guy?

You can write this in prose or you could have a go at writing it in a script format.

 

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Become an Explorer

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-300x199-1.jpgFor today’s exercise, this is your chance to become an explorer for a while. 

Getting out into the fresh air is always good for clearing the cobwebs and going in search of inspiration.

Get out and explore your neighbourhood today. Walk down a street you don’t normally walk down. Turn left where you would normally go right or vice versa.

What do you hear, see or smell?

You could always take a camera to keep a record of everything you discover.

Once you’re back, go through and see what inspires a story.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: A World Without…

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1-1-1-300x164-1-1-300x164-1-1-1-1-1.pngFriday 3rd March 2017: A world without….

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt is about imagining a world without.

There are many things that we, as humans feel that we can’t be without. Make a list of the things in your own life that you feel fit this category.

Then pick one and use it as inspiration for a story. Your character has just woken up and found themselves without this object. It’s an object that becomes important to their survival. What happens?

 

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Off on a Tangent

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-300x199.jpgTuesday 28th February 2017: Off on a Tangent.

For our writing exercise today, I thought we could go back to generating ideas.

Find an A4 piece of paper and draw a box in the middle of the page.

Pick up the book that is closest to you. Open it and write down the first word you see in the box you’ve just drawn.

Use that word as a starting point. What does that word make you think of. Write an arrow out from the box and write it down. Does the first word inspire anything else? Use each word you write down as inspiration for the next.

 

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Fictional Best Friend

Novel Kicks Fiction FridayFriday 24th February 2017: Fictional Best Friend

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt involves a fictional best friend. 

Out of all the fictional characters you like (or don’t like,) which one would you like to hang out with for the day?

What sort of things would you get up to? Where would you go?

Build a short story around these ideas. Begin with the sentence, ‘we left at 9am.’

 

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Character and Dialogue

Novel Kicks Writing RoomFor today’s writing exercise I wanted to look again at characters and dialogue.

Turn on the TV and try to catch any programme or film that is currently ending (basically in its end credits.)

Whilst watching the end credits, try to write down as many names as you can. Names that you like, dislike or intrigue you. Maybe a name triggers an idea for story in the future?

Once you have a list, pick three names that stand out to you the most and write a short bio for each of them. Write it like you would a CV.

Now place all of them in an interview situation where you are only allowed to use dialogue. They can all be in a group interview or in separate rooms. Logistics is up to you.

 

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Start The Next Sentence With

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1-1-1-300x164-1-1-300x164-1-1-1-1.pngFriday 17th February 2017: Start The Next Sentence With…. 

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: Use the last word of each sentence to begin the next one. 

For example, The cat came in from outside. Outside was cold. Cold was making it’s presence known.

Start off your piece off with the following sentence; ‘I looked at the clock. I couldn’t wait.’ 

 

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Writing Prompts

Novel Kicks Writing RoomIn the writing room today, I thought I would keep it simple.

Pick one prompt from each of the following and use them as inspiration for a short story with a maximum word count of 1,500 words.

A)

A carpenter

A teenage boy

A cartoonist

An actress/actor

 

B)

In a penthouse apartment

In a dentist waiting room

In a lift

On an island in the middle of the ocean.

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Develop Your Writing Habit

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1.jpgToday in our writing room, I wanted to talk about how important it is to develop a writing habit.

I am very guilty of not giving myself enough of a routine and being strict about it. It can be so easy for life to get in the way; that washing needs putting in, I need to tidy. It’s been a long day and i just want to have a bath and go to bed. The list can go on and on but you get the idea. A lot of my procrastination is also fear. A whole novel seems such a big task doesn’t it?

It’s time to look at it as smaller chunks of writing.

This week, look at your current writing habit. Does your current routine allow time to write? Are you finding you don’t have as much time as you’d like and the writing is the first thing to be put to one side?

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: You’re Animated

Novel Kicks Fiction FridayFriday 3rd February 2017: You’re Animated.

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: you are animated.

Make a list of all your favourite animations (or as many as you can remember.)

Pull all the aspects that interest you about each one together into one world and then plonk yourself as an animated character right in the middle of it.

Write about one of the adventures that finds you whilst there.

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Writing To Your Various Selves.

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-300x199-300x199-1-1-1.jpgWednesday 2nd February 2017: writing to your various selves. 

Write a letter to you future self. What would you say? Once you’ve done that, write a letter to your sixteen year old self?

Try and make the letters at least one complete side of A4.

Is there anything different between the two letters? What advice would you give to either self?

If you want, you could then repeat this exercise but write from the perspective of one or more of your characters.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Eight Sentences and Paragraphs.

Novel Kicks Fiction FridayFriday 27th January 2017: Eight Sentences and Paragraphs.

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

I find the news as depressing as you’d expect, especially at the moment. That is why I try to see story ideas within it. I love looking through articles. You don’t know what is going to trigger a story.

Today, head to a news site or grab a newspaper. Pick eight different news stories and write down the eighth line from each.
Use each sentence in a story. Each one should be the start of a new paragraph. Try and figure out a way to connect all of these random sentences.

 

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Starting in the Middle

Novel Kicks Writing RoomTuesday 24th January 2017: starting in the middle. 

A lot of writers, including myself, get hung up on that first sentence. I have restarted the first paragraph so many times I have lost count. The ending can also be hard to finalise. It’s sometimes tricky to know where you’re going.

When you’re writing a first draft, it is hard to allow yourself to just write.

I have a first sentence and a last sentence. The exercise today is to fill in the bit in the middle.

First sentence: Come on. We have to go else or we are not going to survive.

Last sentence: I was now by myself. I would have to set out to find them alone.

I know that on the surface it seems like it is a scientific-fi novel but you don’t have to keep it that way if you don’t want to. Have fun with it. Also, try not to edit whilst writing.

 

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Fiction Becomes Real Life.

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1-1-1-300x164-1-1-300x164-1-1.pngFriday 20th January 2017: fiction becomes real life. 

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt is about fiction becoming real life. Make a list of your favourite fictional characters. Now put them all together in a story. Somehow, they all end up in your living room. Write a scene involving them all. What happens? Who gets on and who doesn’t?

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Introduce Yourself

Novel Kicks Writing RoomTuesday 17th January 2017: Introduce Yourself. 

Creating characters is one of the most important things when writing a novel. A writer needs to know their characters. They need to know their likes, dislikes, what scares them or what motivates them.

The more you know your characters, the more developed they will feel or at least that is what I am finding. Today, I thought it would be fun to introduce yourself. Write a biography with you as the character. To help, I’ve included some questions below. Then you could also pick one of your characters and complete this for them. Add more questions if you wish.

Name.

Age

Date of Birth

Education.

Favourite books, music and films.

Dislikes.

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Friday 13th January 2017: A Dangerous Adventure.

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1-1-1-300x164-1-1-300x164-1.pngFriday 13th January 2017: It’s Time To Go On A Dangerous Adventure.

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

There is a group of five. Three boys and two girls. They find a map that claims to lead them to a vast fortune. They begin to follow it blindly. It leads them deeper underground and far away from the small town they live in.

Things are not as they seem though. One by one, something begins to happen to each of them.

Write this story. How does it end?

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Poetry into Prose

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-300x199-300x199-1.jpgTuesday 10th January 2016: Poetry into Prose. 

Today, I thought it would be fun to look at changing poetry into a short story.

Pick a favourite poem (although it might also be interesting to pick one you don’t like.) The theme and the content can be up to you.

Convert the poem into a short story. Write up to 2,000 words. You can change the plot around as well as the characters.

Have fun with it.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Resolutions

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1-1-1-300x164-1-1-300x164-1.pngFriday 6th January 2016: Resolutions

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: The new year has rolled around but it is not the usual happy event people have got to know. After the war ended, a law was made that every new year, people should make a list of things they have done wrong throughout the year and for each one, a punishment is administered.

Write about one person who goes against the law and what the consequences are.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Christmas Carol

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1-1-1-300x164-1-1-300x164.pngFriday 23rd December 2016: Christmas Carol. 

Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: As there are only two days to go, I couldn’t resist making the Fiction Friday Christmas themed.

We all know the story of The Christmas Carol. Scrooge, Jacob Marley, The ghost of past, present and future and the eventual redemption.

This week, update the Christmas Carol to make it modern.

Your character is not liked. He’s not a nice person. He/she shuns their family, friends and the Christmas season. Your character is greedy and uncharitable. They are visited by four ghosts. However, what if he is forced to become one of the ghosts for a while? What if he somehow gets the power to transport someone else?

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Writing Achievements and Goals

novel kicks online writing groupThursday 22nd December 2016: Writing Achievements of 2016 and Goals for 2017. 

As this is the last writing group exercise of 2016, I thought it would be good to look back at your year of writing and achievements and then look ahead to the new year.

Divide the page into two. In the first column, write down all the things you’ve achieved this year. It can be anything. For example, that you managed to write every day for a week.

Once you’ve done that, in the other column, write down all of your writing goals for the coming year. Do you finally want to start your book? Write more short stories?

Write everything down. Keep it somewhere safe where you can go back and look at it when you need a boost.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Someone Is Keeping A Secret

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1-1-1-300x164-1-1-300x164.pngFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: Someone is keeping a secret.

It is time for the family to get together before Christmas arrives. It doesn’t usually take long for tensions to run high as Mum and Dad and five siblings come back under one roof.

Something someone wants to keep secret is quickly revealed but who’s secret is it?

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Beginning and The End

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-300x199.jpgTuesday 13th December 2016: Beginning and the End. 

Today, think about an idea for a story. It could be one you’ve only been inspired to write today or an idea you’ve been thinking about for a while.

Make a few notes about the beginning and the end. Write a couple of hundred words each – how you want it to begin and how you want it to end.

Now set a timer for thirty minutes and make as many notes as you can about the middle. You know how it is going to end but how is the middle going to go?

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Both Sides

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1-1-1-300x164-1-1.pngFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: Both Sides.

Your story is going to be told from the perspective of a couple in a relationship. Write five hundred words minimum for each person. When writing from the man’s point of view, he was paid to go out with the woman in the relationship for a bet.

When writing from the woman’s perspective, she has just found out.

Tell it from both sides.

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: A Different Way

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-1-1-300x199-1.jpgTuesday 6th December 2016: A Different Way… 

Today’s exercise requires you to think of an event/memory from your childhood. This should be one where you made a decision that affected the outcome of the event.

Write a story using this memory but you made a different decision. It ended a different way.

Did you decide to stand up to a bully? Did you not take a part in a play at school because you were scared?

How does making a different decision change it?

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: The Call

Novel Kicks Fiction FridayFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: The Call. 

You are trying to get to sleep. Your phone rings. It’s from an unknown number but because you’re half asleep, you answer it when you normally wouldn’t.

You answer and say ‘hello.’

There is a pause.

‘We need you,’ is the response before the caller hangs up and you are left with a dial tone.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Interrogation Room

Novel Kicks Fiction FridayFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: Interrogation. 

You are in a police interrogation room. You can decide whether you want to write from the point of view of the accused or the accuser.

Decide what the crime has been. Serious or petty?

Write a conversation between the accused and accuser but try not to disclose what crime has been committed.

 

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Space Race

Novel Kicks Fiction FridayFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt is about a space race. 

In the eleventh hour before a big race across space, you are fired from the team. On the morning of the race, you’re hired by the rival team. Your presence does not go down well with your former teammates. The stakes are high and the prize is life changing.  The race is about to begin. On your marks, get set….

What happens in this race? Does anything underhand happen?

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Sitting and Listening

Novel Kicks Writing RoomTuesday 25th October 2016: Sitting and Listening. 

For today’s prompt, it’s about getting out and about and listening.

When you have a few spare moments, go and take a bus journey or sit in a coffee shop. In fact, any busy area will do.

Try to make notes of what people are talking about. How are they speaking? How do they say things? Try to take as many notes of conversation snippets as you can (but not making obvious you are spying on people.)

Once you’ve done that, make up a story based around some of the dialogue you’ve picked up.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Very Short Story

Novel Kicks Fiction FridayFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt is not a long story. 

Write a short story in a hundred words or less. Subject, characters and setting is your choice but it has to be told in a hundred words or less. If you need some inspiration, there are some prompts below.

Two members of the public are stuck in a lift with a celebrity.

The door at the end of a very dark corridor suddenly opens.

For one hour, you find you can suddenly see and talk to that one person you miss.

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Observation

Novel Kicks Writing RoomTuesday 18th October 2016: Observation. 

Choose any colour. You can pick your favourite but it could be interesting to pick one you don’t like so much?

Now, either walk around your home, outside or take a break around your place of work for up to fifteen minutes. How many times have you seen that colour? Takes notes as you go around if you like.

Once you’re done, write about what you saw in as much detail as you can.

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Backwards Coming Forward.

Novel Kicks Writing RoomWednesday 5th October 2016: Backwards Coming Forward. 

Today’s writing prompt is about writing and starting at the end. Go through your ideas journal and pick a story that sparks inspiration.

Now, begin writing it but start at the end and work your way back. Start with the last line and end with your first line.

Then, once you’ve finished, read it forward.

If you need a little inspiration, try these….

A clown who ends up with his own circus but starts out as a lawyer.

A family who end up living on another planet because they’ve had to abandon their own.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Wedding Lottery

Novel Kicks Fiction FridayFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt involves a wedding lottery.

A system is introduced that means marriage partners are chosen by a lottery.

You don’t meet your spouse to be until the day of the wedding.

Write about one wedding. What happens? What conflict emerges?

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Looking Ahead

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-1-1-300x199.jpgTuesday 27th September 2016: Future Predictions

Today’s Prompt is looking into the future of your characters.

Make a list of your main characters in a work in progress or favourite novel.

Pick a year in the future (make it at least thirty years.)

Write about what the world would be like?

What will your characters be like?

What would they be doing?

Is it a future where technology has expanded even more? Has everything gone back to basics? Dystopian? Expanded to other planets?

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Planets Meeting

Novel Kicks Fiction FridayFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt is about the planets around us.

The planets are all getting together for their annual solar system conference. What they talk about and where they meet is up to you.
However, the only rules…. Venus likes Mercury. Jupiter is grumpy and Neptune doesn’t like Earth (is jealous of earth,) so they can’t sit next to one another.

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Writing Room: Seeing Is Not Always Believing

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-1.jpgTuesday 20th September 2016.

Today’s prompt: Seeing is not always believing.

Senses are obviously very important. Visual is what we most rely on.

For today’s exercise, describe a place of importance but only use smell, hearing, touch or taste.

Anything but visual descriptions.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Woods For The Trees

image1Fiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s Prompt: Woods for the trees.
What does the picture inspire?
If you need further inspiration, how about this… There are two characters – one male and one female and they are just about to enter the woods. It is up to you whether this man and woman get on and why they are going into the woods. It is also up to you what happens once they go into the woods.

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Setting

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-1-1.jpgTuesday 13th September 2016: Setting. 

For today’s writing exercise, we’re going to be looking at setting.

Choose a place that you know well. Place your work in progress or an idea you’re thinking about developing into this setting.

Now think of an event that began up to a month before the beginning of your story.

Then, by only describing the place/setting reveal as much as you can about the story and the characters.

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Coming Home

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-1.jpgTuesday 6th September 2016: Coming Home

Write a story about a man named Max. He is twenty-six years old. He’s just returned home after a ten year absence. He’s returned for his mother’s funeral.

What is the reaction of the people he returns to? Why has he not been back for so long? What made him leave home at sixteen?

Write in the first person and up to two thousand words.

What if it was a twenty-six year old girl named Rachel? How would the story be different?

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: It’s All Mythical

Novel Kicks Fiction FridayFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s Prompt: It’s all mythical. 

For today, write a story that is based on or uses figures and creatures from mythology. Any time period or culture. Your choice.

For example, what if Thor met up with his best friend once a week at a bar. His best friend is a basilisk by the way.

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Titles and Dedications

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1-1.jpgNovel Kicks Writing Room: Tuesday 30th August 2016.

Today’s prompt is a little different.

Today, jot down ten potential book titles for a current or future work in progress. Once you have ten, pick the one you think is most suitable.

Also write your acknowledgements page and dedication for the novel you’re working on or just about to start.

Once you’ve done that, pick a title and keep that, the acknowledgements and dedication somewhere nearby for when you need a boost and or inspiration.

You can do this!

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: A Villain With A Happy Ending?

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1-1.pngFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s Prompt: A Villain with a Happy Ending.

It’s always good to see things from another point of view. What is the villain in fairy tales got their happy ending? What if they are not evil but been misunderstood. Rewrite a fairy tale from the villains point of view.

What is going on with the evil stepmother? Is she evil or is Cinderella not as nice as she seems? What about the ugly step sisters? What if Gaston told his story? The witch in Hansel and Gretel? How different would the stories be if the villains got the happy ending?

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Childhood Stories

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1.jpgTuesday 23rd August 2016: Childhood Stories. 

Think about a story you used to be told when you were little about something that happened in your parents or grandparents childhood.

Write down as much information as you can remember.

Now take that incident and write about it in the first person and present tense. Who was there? What happened?

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Mythical Creatures

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1-1.pngFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s Prompt: Mythical Creatures.

There is a meeting today. The attendees are a dragon, a fairy, a mermaid, a unicorn and bigfoot. They are all meeting up for their weekly catch up over a drink.

Write about their evening. What would they talk about? Do they get on well? What would their day have been like?

Write up to 1,700 words.

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Writing Room: Magazine Roulette

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1.jpgTuesday 16th August 2016: Magazines Roulette. 

For today’s prompt,  we’re taking inspiration from magazines.

Try and gather up as many magazines as you can.

Cut out anything that catches your eye; pictures, words, phrases. (If you have no magazines, you could always use what is available online and write down any ideas on small bits of paper.)

Put them all into a bowl. Pick out two or three and write a short story based on each.

Don’t write more than three hundred words per story.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: A Different Fate?

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1-1.pngFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

I adore reading. I love getting to the stage where I can see where the character has ended up. However, I know I will sometimes read a book and wonder what would have happened had the story gone the way I thought it was going to go and didn’t.

Think about one of the books you’ve read where the ending didn’t finish the way you wanted.

Rework it the way you wanted it to play out rather than how it ended.

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Starting Points

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1-1.jpgTuesday 9th August 2016: Starting Points

Today’s writing exercise is about (as you’ve probably gathered from the title,) starting points. The idea of the blank page has frightened many a writer.

Write a series of paragraphs using each of the following as a starting point:

I remember when, I guess it all started when, It wasn’t until I was older that I….

What things did you remember or write about? Could they be used as a story? Can everything be merged to form the basis of a story?

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: String a Sentence Together

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1-1.pngFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s Prompt: String a Sentence Together…

For today’s prompt, use the following three sentences in a story.

‘The most beautiful smile I ever saw.’

‘Emma found something buried in the garden.’

‘Finally, the key gave way.’

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Opposing Characters Writing Exercise

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199-1.jpgTuesday 2nd August 2016: Opposing Characters.

Today is about creating a brand new character. To do this, use people you know.

Create a character that is based on the personality traits of someone that means a lot to you but has the physical attributes of someone you don’t like.

You could also reverse it…. the physical traits of someone you love but the personality of someone you’re not so keen on.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Exam Time

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1.pngFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s Prompt: Exam Time

You are one of five candidates for a job. You’re lead to a room where you are told you need to sit an exam. The first person to finish gets the job. You are not allowed to take anything with you. There are five desks, five exam papers but only one pen…

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Super Sibling Rivalry

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1.pngFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: It’s Christmas Day. Your character is a superhero and has gone home to see the family for the day.

Their sibling is also there. This sibling happens to be an evil supervillain. Write about what happens over dinner.

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Writing Room: Musical Inspiration

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1-300x199.jpgWednesday 20th July 2016: Musical Inspiration.

Turn on the radio and listen to the next three songs that come on.

Whilst listening, take down as much as you can about the themes of the songs, whether they tell a story and what you think about when you listen to them?

Also think about the subject of the song. For example, if it’s a love song, what about the person being sung about?

Use your notes to begin a short story.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Mirror Mirror…

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1.pngFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s prompt: 

Your mirror begins to talk to you and tells you that you’re the fairest of them all. You believe it. It also says that it can grant wishes. You get a wish every day. All you have to do is say the words ‘mirror mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all?’

All is going well to begin with but then….

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Writing Room: Introducing Something Unexpected

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1-1.jpgTuesday 12th July 2016: 

Today’s writing group exercise is about introducing something unexpected.

Take something you’re working on at the moment. Make a copy of it (one that you can discard after.)

Now, using that copy, pick a major point in the story and introduce something unexpected into it. If it’s a serious subject, introduce something crazy like a talking animal circus or if it’s a lighthearted plot, introduce something serious into it. What if a unicorn suddenly popped up in a history lesson where your character has just assured the students that unicorns don’t exist?

How do your characters react to the change?

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: New Best Friend

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1-1.pngFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s Prompt: You wake up one morning to find that your favourite fictional character is your best friend.

What is the first thing you do? And the second etc. You need to fill the whole day. Throw some conflict in there as well.

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Writing Room: Time Line

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1-1.jpgTuesday 5th July: Time Line.

Write out a time line of your current WIP. If you can, write each major event on post-its so they can be easily moved around. If you’re a stationary nut then this exercise is a good excuse to go out and buy all different colour post-its.

If you have multiple characters and time lines, use different colours.

Once you’ve done this, put them all out in a line and study it. Does anything need to be moved around, taken out, replaced with something else?

Does anything need to be added or extended on? You can do this with a favourite novel if you’re currently not working on anything.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Alien Question Time

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1-1.pngFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

An alien invites you to dinner. You are told you can ask him/her five questions. Using dialogue, create those questions and then get the alien to answer them. What is the aliens reaction to your questions? Is the alien friendly?

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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Write Down The Conversation

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1.jpgTuesday 28th June 2016: Write Down The Conversation.

Today’s prompt..

Create two characters. One wants to do something and the other one doesn’t. Each decision has consequences.

Each person believes that they have the winning argument.

Write an exchange between these two people showing the conflict and allowing each to get their argument across.

Don’t use anything but dialogue.

Do they resolve things?

Try to write at least five hundred words.

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Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Fill in the Gaps

rp_friday-300x16411111111111111-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x1641-300x16411-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x1641-300x164-300x164-300x1641-300x164-300x164-1.pngFiction Friday is our weekly writing prompt. The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can. Once you’ve finished, don’t edit, just post in the comments box below.

Today’s Prompt: Fill in the Gaps: 

Fill in the gaps in this story. There should be five words (of any length) between each of them and it has to make sense.

….. ….. ….. ….. ….. snowfall ….. ….. ….. ….. …..elephant ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. double ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. massive ….. ….. ….. …… ….. again ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. clown ….. …… …… …… ….. disagreed ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. health ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. travel ….. ….. ….. ….. ….. season.

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Writing Room: One and Then The Other…

rp_writeanything-300x19911-300x1991-300x1991-300x199-300x1991-300x199-300x199-1-1-1.jpgTuesday 21st June 2016:

Today’s prompt – One and Then The Other… 

Find a news article that catches your eye. This news article needs to involve more than one person. It can be from a newspaper or an online site.

Write 500-700 words about the incident from someone involved. Whether you write in the first or third person is up to you.

Once you’ve done that, write 500 – 700 words again but from the point of view of another person mentioned in the article.

Re-read both of the pieces you’ve written. Are there any differences or similarities?

If you like, you could now merge them together with dialogue between the two.

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