Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: A Story From Lyrics
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt – A story from lyrics.
Today’s inspiration is going to come from a song.
Head to your favourite playlist or an available playlist on wherever you stream your music. Hit shuffle. Then write a story inspired by whatever song plays.
If you don’t use streaming and are more about vinyl and CD’s, just pick a random one and hit shuffle/place the needle in a random spot.
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Novel Kicks Writing Room: Creating a Crime
Welcome back to the Novel Kicks Writing Room.
Crime podcasts and novels have become really popular in recent years. I can date my interest back to the time I listened to the first Serial series. There was something about how the story was told that really got my interest. I was trying to work out what happened. What evidence did they have for and against?
So, today, I thought it would be interesting to plot out a similar situation.
You have someone who has been accused of a crime and someone who has been the victim of one.
The perpetrator – who are they? How old are they? What was their relationship to the victim? Interests? Hobbies? Personality.
Who was the victim? How old were they? Hobbies? Interests? Personality? What put them in harms way?
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Immersed
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: Immersed.
Your character falls and suddenly finds themselves in a video game. This world they find themselves in has its dangers. They have allies and enemies.
Think Dreamlight Valley, Animal Crossing or Hogwarts Legacy – that kind of game.
Write an adventure in a world you create.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Learning By Imitation
Hello all and welcome to another Novel Kicks Writing Room.
Another Wednesday has come around so fast. Today, I wanted to do something a little different.
Some people say that the best way to learn how to write is to copy out an already published novel. So, that’s what we are going to do.
Now of course, we are not going to be plagiarising work as it’s not going further than this exercise. We are just going to be studying the composition of a story.
Pick a favourite book and turn to page 100.
Copy out that page. Copy it a few times. What do you notice about how it’s written? How are the paragraphs, style and story presented? If you have the time, pick another book and repeat the exercise. Were there similarities and differences?
Did you find this exercise useful?
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Drawing A Map Of Your Setting
It’s Wednesday folks! I’m bringing this week’s Novel Kicks Writing Room to order.
I hope you’re all having a really good week.
I am so excited about this week’s exercise as I feel it’s a real chance to immerse yourself in the fictional world you are trying to create.
This week, using one of the stories you’re currently workng on, we are going to be drawing a map of the main setting. If you have many settings, pick the one that’s the most important to your protagonist.
Think about the layout of this place. Is it a town? A rural area? Is there a school? A Church? A Pub? A pier? A Harbour? An abandoned island? Where does your main character fit into this space. Is the space intergral to what happens to them? For example, have they gone missing. Does your map mark out where this person was last seen as well as mark out landmarks in the town.
Don’t worry if you’re not an artist. This is a sketch and it can be just for you to see. If you’d like to leave it black and white or colour it in, that’s up to you. Just have fun creating your fictional place.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Inspiration is all around
Welcome to the Novel Kicks Writing Room.
This is our online writing group. Each Wednesday, there is a new writing task. Anyone is welcome. I’d love to see your work in the comments below but there is absolutely no obligation.
Today’s exercise is about getting inspired by what is around you.
Put on a song or a playlist you like.
Light a candle – one of your favourite scents.
Have a favourite snack – yes, this exercise involves a snack. Hahaha.
Once you’ve done the above, set a timer for ten minutes and begin to write. The music, the candle and the lasting taste of the snack – what are they making you think? How are they making you feel? Write it all down. Are you able to think of a story based on all of these sensations?
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Valentines Past
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: We are going back to past Valentines.
Your character is somehow given the ability to travel back to previous Valentine’s Days.
They have a chance to change the future.
Who do they meet? Are they able to do something about the love that got away? Does it make them appreciate what they have in the present?
If you’re struggling for a first line, here is a suggestion – “the light is so bright, I can’t figure out where I am. I pick up a familiar smell. No, it can’t be.”
Have fun.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: The Family Secret
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: The Family Secret
You are part of a powerful royal family who rule over most of the world. They have kept their power with the help of the dragons by their side.
The family is on the verge of war with another ruling power.
You are due to turn eighteen. This is when you find out the family secret… you find out where the dragons come from along with the plan to come out the winner in the upcoming conflict.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Video Game
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: Video Game
Your character is very ordinary. However, when they enter what they think is a normal shop, they quickly find themselves inside their favourite video game.
Using the opening line below, carry on the story. What happens? Where are they? Who do they meet?
‘He/She/I jumped back, not believing what they/I was seeing.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Finding A Connection
I’m wishing you a Happy Wednesday and welcome back to the Novel Kicks Writing Room.
Today’s exercise is about bringing two stories together.
Pick two stories – genre is entirely up to you. Picking two books from different genres could be fun.
Pick a section from each. One or two pages is enough.
Now, spend a few minutes making notes about how you can bring these two stories together.
Now set a timer for 20 minutes and write your combined story.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Ten Sentences
Hello Wednesday and welcome to all of you.
For today’s writing room, I wanted to explore a creative prompt.
You can either pick a WIP of your own, use a favourite story or your own life story.
Whatever you choose, try to write the story in ten sentences.
If you’re feeling brave, I’d love to see your writing in the comments.
Have fun.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Conjuring Images
Hello all. Welcome back to Wednesday’s Writing Room here on Novel Kicks.
For today’s activity, we are going to be using the photo below as a prompt. What does it immediately make you think of?
Set a timer for five minutes and make notes on everything this image conjures.
Once you’re done, have a look through your notes. Is there anything that stands out? The makings of a story? A theme? A strong character?
Set an alarm for another twenty minutes. Start to write this story but when you begin, start right in the middle of the action. You could even try and write purely in dialogue if you like.
Don’t stop. Don’t think too much about the quality of your writing. Just write and see what you come up with.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Welcome To…
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt is ‘Welcome To…’
You’ve been driving for hours. You’re tired and you need to stop.
Eventually, you pass a sign. You pull the car over to read what it says.
‘Welcome to……’
Name the town.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Valentine’s Day Party
Happy Wednesday and another Writing Room exercise.
As it’s Valentine’s Day today, the exercise will be based around a Valentine’s Day Party.
Is it a party celebrating love or is it one for people who don’t have a significant other? What happens at this party?
Write up to 800 words. You could set a timer for 10 minutes?
To add to the challenge, try and get these words into your story –
Language, Love, Hate, Leave, Underneath, Sorry.
Feel free to post your writing in the comments below but as usual, there is no obligation.
Enjoy.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room – Reflections in Conversations.
Reflections in Conversations.
Happy Wednesday everyone.
What I thought we could do today is write a conversation in two parts.
The situation of your story is as follows – your character is a clown and has just been fired. They’ve been told that the upcoming performance is their last one. In the first conversation you write, your character is having a conversation with another colleague just after they’ve been fired.
Then write the conversation again but the clown is alone. He is looking into the mirror as he’s putting on his make-up. He is talking to his reflection.
How different are the two conversations? Would the clown be saying something different to his colleague than he would to his reflection?
Write up to 500 words per conversation.
If you feel like sharing your writing, please do post in the comments below.
Have fun.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Magical Builder
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: Magical Builder.
Your character’s profession is a carpenter. They have been doing this for years but lately, business has been slow.
On the morning they decide to close the business down, a customer comes in asking your character to build them an object.
Once this object is built, the character realises it has magical powers. Word soon spreads as they continue to create objects that then become magical. They don’t know how they are managing it but as they are now successful, they don’t want to stop.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: The Art of Letter Writing
The art of writing letters is so wonderful.
I am such a fan of writing letters and fascinated in what can be said and the emotion that can be conveyed – how handwriting your thoughts and feelings to someone and the symbolism that represents.
So, what is the task today I hear you ask?
Writing a letter of course.
The letter is from the point of view of either the main character of a current work in progress or a favourite fictional character. The recipient is you.
What would your character say to you? What would they want to convey? Is there something about them that they want to tell you?
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Switching
Today, I wanted to focus on a writing prompt with a bit of a twist.
Your word target is a minimum of 1000 words.
The prompt – The story begins when your character discovers an object that convinces them that they can have the superpower they desire the most.
Begin your story using the prompt and one of the genres below. It doesn’t matter which one you start with.
Here’s the twist – every 200 words, change the genre, choosing another from the list.
Romance
Horror
Sci-fi
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Can Anyone See Me?
Happy Wednesday everyone.
For today’s writing room, I thought it would be fun to do a bit of free writing today but with a few additions.
Your prompt is that your character realises they have gained the ability to be invisible at will.
What do they do first? What are the consequences.
Also, just to add to the challenge, try adding these words –
Elephant, nightmare, market, eccentric, bibble. cattywampus.
Have fun with it and I look forward to hoping seeing your writing in the comments below if you feel up to sharing.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Prose to a Script
Today, we are looking at changing a piece of prose to a script.
I feel that it’s good to change things up every so often.
I don’t know about you but, when I am writing, I imagine everything as though I am watching a movie. I found this helps.
Take a passage from something you’ve written and convert it into a script. What would you add/take out? What would the background look like? Would you include music? Continue reading
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Ride Transportation
Today is a straight forward writing prompt. Try and write from a third person narrative and include more than two characters.
Your character is visiting a theme park. One of the rides is styled like an old hotel which has had a mysterious thing happen to it.
The ride is functioning normally but, when you’re in the middle of the ride, there is a bolt of lightening. There is such a loud crash, you close your eyes.
When you open them, you find that the hotel environment looks new, you’re dressed differently as is everyone around you.
You’re in the lobby and it’s not long before you realise that you’re no longer experiencing the ride, you’re standing in a hotel in a famous city in the 50s.
Continue the story.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Continuation Ever After
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: Continuation Ever After.
Today, think of your favourite fairytale and how it ended. Now write a continuation of the story. Did Cinderella adjust to Palace life or did she crave her country house? Did Belle spend all her time in the library and this annoyed the beast?
Did Hansel and Gretel face any consequences for what they did to the witch?
Have fun.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Making a List
Today, we are going to be making a list.
If you’re anything like me, you love a list. I feel more in control if I have a to-do list for example. Whether I complete that is another matter. Haha.
As writers, we can also benefit from having lists and that is the task today.
Grab your writers notebook and pick three of lists below. Make a list for each. Then, if you feel like doing so/are inspired, begin a story to include some of the things from your list. Begin with this first line – ‘I didn’t expect that to happen.’
List ideas:
What 10 things would you grab if your house was on fire?
Which five things could you never forgive?
List five of the worst presents you’ve ever received.
List five places you’d love to go on holiday.
List five situations you’d never like to find yourself in?
List five people who have had an influence on your life.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Accidental Mind Reader
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: Accidental Mind Reader.
On your way to a job interview, your character falls over and hits their head. They don’t think too much about it until the next morning.
They wake up and discover they can hear the thoughts of other humans and animals around them.
Write a conversation between your character and either another person or animal.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Micro Fiction
For today’s writing room, I thought we could write some micro fiction.
Short stories are deceptively hard to write, micro fictions even more so.
Pick three out of the following genres – gothic, romance, horror, sci-fi, historic, young adult.
Now, write a 6 word short story, a 50 word short story and a 100 word short story assigning one of the genres you’ve picked to each one.
For example, I’ve chosen gothic to the 6 word short story:
Midnight struck; she’s now lost forever.
Let me know how you get on in the comments below and as always, if you feel brave enough to post your work, I’d love to read it.
Have fun!
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Pick ‘n’ Mix
Hello and welcome to the first Novel Kicks Writing Room of 2023.
Today, I thought it would be fun to write a short story.
Before you begin writing, pick one thing from each section. Don’t overthink it, just write down the one you’re immediately drawn to. Once you’ve done this and written your piece, ask what kind of story it is. Is it a rag to riches, a quest? You get the idea.
Let me know how you found this exercise in the comments below or if you’re feeling brave, feel free to post your story.
Section one – pick one of the following occupations.
A joiner, a detective, an oil rig worker, an ice hockey player, a diplomat.
Section Two – pick one of the following places.
The alps, a basement, top of the Shard, a cat sanctuary, a bank vault.
Section Three – now pick an object.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Character Pen Pals.
I love the art of letter writing and have a couple of pen friends myself. It got me thinking about what you reveal about yourself in a letter that you wouldn’t if you met in real life.
Take a character from one of your WIPs. If you’re currently not working on anything, pick a character from a favourite novel.
Write a quick letter to this character. Tell them about yourself – your likes, dislikes, hobbies, fears and dreams. Ask them questions. You get the picture.
Then reply back as your character. Include responses to the information you gave them, as well as answers to the questions you asked them, like you would a pen pal.
Include revealing details about them. Get into the mindset of your character. What do they want you to write about them?
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: First Meeting
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
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Today’s Prompt: First Meeting.
Your character is getting married but they have never met the person they are going to marry.
They don’t meet this person until they reach the church. Oh and there are cameras filming the whole thing.
What happens?
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Short Story Pick and Mix
Today, our writing exercise will be a short story of between 1000 – 1500 words.
Write a short story using the prompts below. At random, pick one element from each section.
Then combine your four answers and create your characters, background etc.
Pick one each from the following:
- Police, Circus, Shop.
- Town, Country, Boat.
- Maggie, Brian, Jamie.
- Letter, Article, Doorbell.
I’d love to see what you come up with. If you feel comfortable enough to do so, post your story in the comments below.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Mirror Mirror on the Wall
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: Mirror Mirror on the Wall.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Writing a Letter to Your Younger Self
Writing a letter to your younger self.
As I attempt to edit the drafts of my first novel, I have been thinking a lot about how much I can hold myself back, mostly through lack of confidence.
I have never been the most assured person but, as a sixteen year old, I seemed to be a lot more fearless than I am now. How does that happen?
Something I thought might be helpful is to write a letter of advice to my younger self.
What would you tell your 16 year-old-self? It doesn’t necessarily need to focus just on your writing life. It could be about anything.
Try it and see how you get on.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: We’re Going on an Easter Egg Hunt
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: We’re going on an Easter Egg Hunt.
Your character is in their 20’s. They wake up on Good Friday and find a colourful envelope on their pillow.
It is addressed to them. They live alone so they don’t know where it has come from.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Change a Story’s POV
For today’s writing room, change a story’s POV.
Sometimes, it can be good to change it up a little.
Take a passage from either a current work in progress of your own or a favourite novel.
Change the POV of the main character and rewrite the passage.
What would a scene from Pride and Prejudice be like from the point of view of Lady Catherine De Burgh or what about if Rom was the main character in a Harry Potter scene?
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Dear Son/Daughter
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: Dear Son/Daughter…
You receive a text message from your estranged parent telling you they are in trouble and you need to come meet them on the other side of the country.
You decide to go.
You have a week to get there and no transport.
How do you feel? What do you do?
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: I Believe in Father Christmas?
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: I believe in Father Christmas?
It’s Christmas Eve. You are woken up by a noise coming from your lounge.
You walk slowly into the room and find Father Christmas putting presents under your tree. But… this is impossible. Right?
Without saying anything, he smiles, clicks his fingers and you’re suddenly with him on the sleigh, travelling very fast.
He then says hello.
Continue the story.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Twelve Days of Christmas
Happy Wednesday everyone.
For today’s writing room, I thought it would be good to just write.
As its December, the theme is going to be centred around Christmas.
Twelve days before Christmas, you arrive home to find an envelope on your doormat.
Your name is on the front, written in cursive writing that you don’t recognise. There is no stamp so it has been hand delivered.
When you open it, there is simply a clue, ‘on the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me… to find out, go to the car park on Morgan Ave at 6pm today.’
Carry on the story, using the song as inspiration.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Random Page Story Starter
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: random page story starter.
Pick a random book from your book shelf or Kindle.
Open it to page fifty-two. Go to the fifth sentence on the page.
That is now the first line of your short story.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room – NaNoWriMo Writing Sprint
Through November, I take part in National Novel Writing Month.
The idea, if you’ve never heard of it, is to write 50,000 words in thirty days.
That works out to about 1,667 words per day. This is what I usually aim for as a minimum, but I also don’t go over by much. Why? I like the community of the event. I like reaching that last 1,667 on or around 30thNovember. I’ve rushed through it before, and it wasn’t as exciting. One year, I had finished by 18th November and there was such an anti-climactic feeling of “oh, OK. What now?”
No, I much prefer to take it slow. 1,667 words a day is manageable to me. That’s not to say that it always comes easy. Some days, it takes me all afternoon to reach that target.
Finishing early is a bad thing. It just doesn’t work for me. What is good for you is the most important thing.
One of the things I have found helpful is writing sprints. These are made up of small writing challenges. They are usually based on a theme and do require a little imagination. If you want to see more examples, click here. I find them so helpful and fun. They have helped me improve my word output on more than one occasion.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Surprise Party
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: Surprise Party.
Your character has been told to be at a restaurant at a certain time. As it’s their birthday, they assume it’s a surprise party. Full of excitement, they make their way to the venue.
When they arrive, there is a surprise but not the one they were expecting.
Sitting around the table are five people. They are your character’s five major relationships. None of these ended well.
Start the conversation with ‘Sit down. We need to talk.’
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Superhero Confession
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: Superhero confession
Write from the point of view of someone who has to tell a loved one that they have not only superpowers but a nemesis.
The person/people your character loves are in danger.
First line: ‘what are you doing here? It’s late.’
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Running From The Circus
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: Running From The Circus.
The circus comes to town but instead of wanting to run to it, your character wants to run as far away from it as possible.
The circus and your character have history and when they met someone from their past, they can’t run.
Starting line – ‘well, I didn’t think I would see you again.’
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Put Your Reader into The Story
One of the things I am struggling most with the draft of my first novel is putting the reader into my story.
Put it this way, there’s currently many adjectives and a lot of telling, not showing.
The thing I have heard many writers say when giving writing advice is to try and put your reader into the scene.
For example, don’t just say I walked up the hall and was scared, but try something like my heart thumped as I crept up the hall, the banging getting louder the closer I got.
I know, not my finest work but hopefully you get my point.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Your Repeated Horrible Day
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: Your repeated horrible day…
You get home from the worst day of your life. You are so exhausted that you fall asleep in the same clothes.
When you wake up the next morning, things are feeling a little too familiar but you can’t quite put your finger on why.
As you gradually start your day, you realise that you’re reliving the horrible day you had the day before.
And the same the next day, and the next and the next. You’ve found yourself in a Groundhog Day.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: My Best Friends From TV
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt: my best friends from the TV.
Pick two of the main characters from the last TV show you watched. They are now your best friends.
Your setting is an ice-cream shop. There are ten tables, five of which are occupied (including the one you’re sat at.)
Then, out of nowhere, everything goes dark.
Continue the story.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Crossroads
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
Fiction Friday is our weekly writing flash fiction prompt.
The aim is to write for a minimum of five minutes and then keep going for as long as you can.
Don’t edit, just write. Once you’re done, you’re welcome to share in the comments but there’s no obligation.
Today’s prompt is Crossroads.
Your character is walking along, minding their own business. The sun is bright and the area around them is busy.
When they reach a pedestrian crossing, they press the button and wait to cross. Suddenly, all the noise and people around them disappear. It’s quiet and still.
Ahead of them, the lights disappear and a dirt road appears. At the end is a sign post.
‘Go right to return to your life.’
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Christmas in July
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
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 if you’d like.
Today’s prompt: Christmas in July.
Your character doesn’t like holidays and celebrations at all.
They particularly don’t like all this Christmas in July nonsense.
So, what happens if they fall and suddenly find themselves in a world where it is always Christmas?
First line ‘Gold, red and green lights, what is this?’
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Familiar Days
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
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: Familiar Days.
You have a bad day. Everything that can go wrong does go wrong.
You are pleased when it’s time for bed.
When you wake up, you find yourself reliving your bad day. And it happens again and again and again.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: I Remember
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
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: I Remember….
You wake up one morning and discover a world without books.
You ask people about them and no one knows what you’re talking about. In fact, you’re the only one that remembers them. You are the only one that owns books.
Write about what happens when your small selection of books is discovered. Are you seen positively or otherwise?
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: The Middle of the Action
Welcome back to the Novel Kicks Writing Room.
Today, I wanted to do some free-writing but focused around beginning the story in the middle of the action.
Using dialogue as your starting line, write up to 500 words of an action scene that puts the reader in the middle of the action. Continue to use dialogue as much as you can.
For example, ‘You need to jump. Now.’
Who your character is in terms of age and background is up to you.
You are welcome to use my example if you like.
Let me know in the comments if you try this and how you found it. What was easy or difficult about it?
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Freaky Friday
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
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: Freaky Friday
You have a chance encounter with the person you envied in school. You have always wanted to know what it was like to be them.
When you wake up the following day, you discover you and this person have swapped bodies. They are now you, you are now them.
Write about your day and how you attempt to make things right? Are things as great as you imagined?
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Freewriting Objects
Happy July everyone.
For the writing room today, I thought we could do some free writing.
First, write down the first four objects that come to your mind.
You are looking under your bed for something.
At the very back, behind some bags, is a shoebox. It is dusty. It’s not been touched for a while. It’s a box you’ve never seen before and you didn’t put it there.
You open it and discover….
Set a timer – ten minutes per object. Write about finding each one.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Trapped in a Lift
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
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: Trapped in a lift.
Three people find themselves trapped in a lift.
These people have not seen each other for a few years.
They are all enemies.
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Stranded
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
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: Stranded.
You wake up to find that you’re on a deserted Island. You don’t remember how you got there. The last you remember, you were at home.
There doesn’t seem to be anyone around until you are approached by an animal. Yes, this animal seems to be able to walk like a human can.
What shocks you even more is when this animal smiles at you, welcomes you to the island and hands you a tent.
Continue the story…
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Planning Short Stories
Today, I want to go back to the beginning and look at planning.
I am quickly becoming aware that I am not a writer who can just sit down and write. I need to know where I want my story to go or I end up with a lot of similar scenes as my story goes around in circles as I have no idea how to move it forward.
So, today’s exercise is the following…
Make a plan for a story, in note form that’s related to one of the following topics..
Inheriting an old house.
A blind date
Broken down car in a deserted area
A holiday that goes wrong
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Childhood Differences
Today, I want to again focus on how the same scene can be seen differently by two people despite being in the same room, witnessing the same thing.
I have been thinking about this a lot lately. When writing from the point of view of my main character, I also wonder what the other people in the particular scene are thinking.
In my own childhood, if asked, I would probably remember an event differently than my siblings would. I used to dance and enter competitions. How was it for my brother who was dragged along?
Think of an incident from your childhood where you were the centre of attention. How did you feel? What happened? Write for ten minutes, basing your story about this incident.
Now, write for another ten minutes but this time, write from the point of view of a sibling, cousin or friend who was also there. What differences are there in the thoughts, feelings and view of events?
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Once Upon a Time in a Fictional World
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
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: Once Upon A Time in a Fictional World…
You’ve fallen asleep. When you wake up, you find yourself in a fictional world. This world is from whatever novel you’re currently reading.
Without directly referencing the novel, place yourself in one scene and rewrite it to include you as a character. How would you react to find yourself in a fictional world?
Are you reading a romance and have woken up to find that the main character doesn’t like you? If you’re rediscovering Harry Potter? How about waking up in the great hall at Hogwarts?
Have fun.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Different Voices
Today, I thought we could look at distinguishing one character from another.
Making my characters sound different to one another is one of the things I am finding the hardest to do as a first time writer.
I came across this exercise via The Writers Digest and thought that it sounded quite interesting. (Visit their website if you’d like to explore more of their prompts and writing exercises.)
Write a couple of pages of conversation where one character talks in say, four word sentences and the other in ten word sentences.
For example, ‘I can’t do this.’
‘Yes, you can. You are being ridiculous. Just be brave.’
‘It’s just too hard.’
by Novel Kicks Fiction Friday: Following the Leader
It’s Friday which means it’s time to start writing some fiction.
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: Following the Leader.
Your character wakes up and finds themselves in a strange village.
There are four other people with them and no one seems to have met one another before.
Someone appoints themselves the leader of the group whilst you all try to find a way out of this village.
On first inspection though, there doesn’t seem to be a way out.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room: Word Association
Happy Wednesday all. For today’s writing group, I thought we’d work from a prompt using word association.
This is one of my favourites as you can never tell what it will inspire.
Pick up the book that’s closest to hand. Go to page one hundred.
Make a note of the first and last words on the page.
Now, on a sheet of paper, put each word at the top and divide the page into two columns.
Use the timer for five minutes each side and using each word as a beginning, write down as many words as you can think of.
Once you’ve done that, write a story by using the first two words you took from the book to start with and then incorporating all the other words as you go.
by Novel Kicks Writing Room – Dear Me
I often wonder what my future and past self would tell me if I were to receive a letter from them.
What advice would I give myself? What would my ten-year old self talk about that is different to my older self?
I find this thought fascinating.
That is why I have chosen this exercise today. Write a letter to you, from yourself ten years in the future. Also write a letter from the point of view of your ten-year old self.
Obviously the advice and content would be slightly different but are there recurring themes?
Set the timer for about ten minutes for each one. Try not to edit, just write.
Now repeat the exercise but for one of your characters.
by Book Club
