writing prompt literary list graphic

Hey there! I’ve been a slump lately regarding writing tips, so we’re trying something new. Everyone likes writing prompts, right? Sure hope so, because that’s what you’re getting! And just because I can, the prompts of this 1st post are a fun literary list!


Writing Prompts – Literary List (1st Edition)

In this first list, I’ve collected quotes from classic literature; sci-fi, fantasy, and  mystery fiction; non-fiction (including a book on science!); and poetry.

To find these prompts, I went to my bookshelf and opened a few books to random pages. Some of my favorite authors and books populate this list, as do a few random ones. If you want, read the books (and poem) yourself!

These prompts can be used in short stories, works in progress, poetry, or whatever else you like to write.  You can choose to use these prompts one at a time, or get wild and challenge yourself to use all 7 of the quotes in one go. Good luck with that last quote though.

Remember, though: you’re the author. If you feel the need, change names, pronouns, or even subject. The prompts may be quotes, but that doesn’t mean you have to include their precise words in your work. In fact, it’s better to not! No need to plagiarize–these are only inspirations, after all. Mix it up!

Here are your 7 prompts!

“Someone almost took a ride on the merry-go-round.”

Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury

 

“Kate sat at the head of the table with an account book open before her.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

 

“[His] laugh was raw and sad. ‘I guess he wanted to warn me that everyone screws up sometime.'”

Wilde Lake, Laura Lippman

 

“I take to dying like a man. I do it to impress the crowd.”

“My Guilt”, Maya Angelou (read the poem if you use this prompt)

 

“According to Newton, everything exerts a force on everything else.”

1001 Things Everyone Should Know About Science, James Trefil

 

“They all got scared, about as regularly as they got paid.”

On the Road With Charles Kuralt, Charles Kuralt

 

“For some unexplained reason, the teleport cubicles were in the bathroom.”

Life, The Universe, and Everything, Douglas Adams


Good luck, and happy writing!


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Other writing tips and prompts can be found here.

Need a place to put your writing? Check out my line of notebooks on Etsy!

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when to not take advice about writing notebook graphic

Welcome to the Possum Paper Works Writing Tip Rodeo! Today I’m looking at something very important – when to NOT take advice about how to write. Specifically, I’m acknowledging my own fallibility in running this rodeo.


Writing Tip #3 – When to Not Take Advice

A disclaimer I should have included about this series a while ago: I’m an amateur writer. I’m not published and I don’t have a degree in English. I cannot solve all of your writing issues, because I can’t always solve my own. I am human and thus imperfect. Nonetheless, I love writing, I love learning more about writing, and I love sharing what I do know.

"beware of advice--even this" carl sandburg

Why I’m writing these tips

I believe that anyone who has a story to tell should have the tools to share that story. Every little bit of knowledge I’ve accumulated about writing has the potential to help you build your own toolkit.

I don’t expect to teach you everything you need to know about writing, and I’d hope you don’t expect me to. What I want you to get from my advice is exactly what the label reads: writing tips.

What I share are snippets of information I’ve learned to help you figure out how you write the best; how you can tell your own stories. I want to share what I can to help you improve. There’s no need for poorly-written stories to exist when good ones could take their place.

As Mr. Sandburg’s advice shows, even this week’s tip (and every tip of mine) should be taken with caution. Remember, I’m a proud amateur.

Ask yourself: does the advice work for you?

As I write this, I’m procrastinating on working on a different project. Recently I’ve been trying to write at least 500 words a day in one specific work. Many guides to writing suggest writing much more than that a day.

I’ve found that I often can’t. Between being a student, running a business, and the distractions of everyday life, 500 already can be a stretch. Some days I can write 1000 or more, but trying something like the 1700 daily words of NaNoWriMo? Forget it. I think I’ve done that once.

I share tips and tricks that have worked for me in some way. My previous tip about using music for inspiration might seem obvious to most creative people, but not everyone. After all, everyone finds inspiration in their own ways. That’s what makes our stories unique and interesting.

Keeping that in mind, you have to find the things that work for you. Not what worked for your favorite author or your best friend. For you and you alone.

Maybe you write best at three in the morning. I’m not awake then, much less writing. If you find a tip that tells you to write first thing when you wake up, that’s probably not advice you want to take.

Perhaps that seems like common sense to you. Again, though, I find it’s important to remind both myself and other writers that not everyone follows the same rules and that’s okay.

Feel free to experiment with rules and advice

Don’t pressure yourself to always follow the rules you’re given. If someone tells you that there’s only one way to write, acknowledge their point, and write a completely different way.

Play with how you write dialogue. James Joyce and David Mamet both did so to great effect. See how many adverbs you can cram into your sentences and then cut out every single one.  Imitate the styles of Ernest Hemingway and Virginia Woolf both, at one time even.

Yeah, there are rules in writing. Some of them are there to help the readers make better sense of what you’re saying. It’s not a bad idea to learn those rules. But don’t feel obliged to follow any of them.  Imagine how many classic works of literature and poetry would never have been written if the authors followed the established rules!

Consider who’s giving the advice

Are you getting tips from a professional writer or an amateur? Someone who writes for a living or for the story? A blog or a book?

Don’t think for a second any one of those sources is inherently better than another.

There are amateurs with better instincts than bestselling authors, with tips better for your style than any pro. If you’re writing something to sell it, the people who make a profit are likely to have more relevant tips than writers who write for the sake of the art. Books are just as likely to be filled with nonsense as a stranger on the internet, or with gold.

This is akin to any basic fact-checking procedure for research. Know the background of who you take advice from. Look them up on the internet beyond their own page. See if what they write is similar to what you want to, or if they themselves are similar.

If anything about the person or the suggestion doesn’t feel right for your style, personality, or even politics, consider rethinking the advice. That doesn’t mean you have to ignore the advice, but it does mean you don’t have to beat yourself up for not following everything they said to the letter.

Remember, you can always use advice in your own way. It’s your life and your writing.

Above all, don’t stop writing and learning.

No matter what people tell you about how to write, don’t stop writing. If someone’s advice is to not write, ignore that advice. If someone promises the end-all be-all guide to writing, take their tips, understand what you can, and learn more.

Writing is freedom. Creativity in any form gives you the ability to share the worlds and lives in your head and the things you love. The best advice is the kind that comes from that same place love, of sharing, of improving, and of learning.

Not all advice is equal. People can tell you whatever they want to. Just remember that only you can choose what knowledge you take to heart.

And never, ever, stop listening and learning.


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For more writing tips, click here!

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notebook writing tip 2 taking inspiration from music possum paper works

Welcome to the Possum Paper Works Writing Tip Rodeo. Today I’m discussing how I take inspiration from music in my writing, and how you can do the same!


Writing Tip #2 – Taking Inspiration from Music

I love music. I always have and always will. When I can’t find the words to write, turning on the right music almost always helps get me started.

Sometimes I make connections between the music and a specific set of scenes. Sometimes I have songs that are distinctive to certain characters. Regardless of the situation, it’s rare for me to work on a project and not find music that inspires my writing.

If you’re looking for an easy way to find a little inspiration, use music!

“I would say that music is the easiest means in which to express, but since words are my talent, I must try to express clumsily in words what the pure music would have done better.”

The Right Music

For me, the “right music” varies greatly from project to project. For example, “Only The Good Die Young” never fails to remind me of a set of my characters, specifically a gay Catholic cop from Virginia who loves Billy Joel. Often the song reminds me of his friends loudly singing that song at his wedding.

Similarly, pretty much any Hozier song makes me start to picture a different character. “Work Song” especially puts images in my mind instantly of that character dancing. The scene inspired by those images actually became an important part of the plot once I considered it.

There are also songs that I associate with more general plots and relationships rather than specific scenes or characters. Those songs might never appear in the story, but still provide me with the perfect mood to write. Turning them on instantly begs me to return to the worlds of certain characters.

The right music will be different for you too. Don’t limit yourself to what you think should be the right song. If you’re into crunchy remixes of video game tracks, use those! If you like rare 1920s recordings, go for it! What music you like will make your writing as unique as you are.

Using music for inspiration

Chances are you have songs that you love and that already inspire you to write. That’s great, if so! If not, don’t despair.

An easy way to find music that suits your writing is just to listen to your collection. The genre doesn’t matter. It may help to listen to songs with lyrics, but if you prefer music without words you can listen for other aspects of the song! A cheerful piece might make you think of a scene of frolicking in the springtime, while a dark and deep song might pull you to investigating the forest at night.

The main thing to do is listen to the music with your mind active. Find the phrases, lyrical or musical, that evoke something in you. Research the musicians involved. Listen, don’t just hear. Be a part of the music.

If you’re looking for a fresh idea, lose yourself to the music. See what you find in the ebb and flow of the chords or the ramblings of the singer.

If you want to expand on a world you already know a bit about, see what connections you make from the song to your world. What do the lyrics say about your characters? What does the beat say about your plot?

There’s not one right or wrong way to incorporate music into your writing, so don’t hold back. Find out what feels best for your work and embrace it!

Using artwork also works!

Not the musical type? Find a piece of visual art you love! How you find inspiration from the work is similar to with music, just with colors, subjects, or moods instead of lyrics and chords.

Art museum websites are great for this. Most have searchable databases of their pieces. MoMA, The Met, and my hometown VMFA all have great collections with photos online. Check out your local galleries and museums too! You never know where you might find art you connect with.

Do this now!

1. Listen to 5 songs you like, stopping if you find the perfect song before you finish all 5.

2. Analyze the song that speaks to you the most at this exact moment. You don’t need to understand music to do this. Just find what resonates with you the deepest.

3. Connect the lyrics, musical language, or tone from one song to your characters, plot, theme, or whatever feels best.

4. Using that song, see what other connections you can make. Build some of those connections on the spot. That reference to the songwriter’s heartbreak in the rain? Fit that into your own story somehow. That springy march of the drums? Put that beat into your character’s steps. Get as weird as you want. It’s your story!

To alter this exercise for art, pick only one or two art pieces you like to start with but follow the same basic procedure.


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Other writing tips can be found here.

Need a place to put your writing? Check out my line of notebooks on Etsy!

For your pinning pleasure:

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notebook open to "to do - start writing"

Welcome to Possum Paper Works’ Writing Tip Rodeo! This is the first post in what I hope will be a series of short weekly tips, tricks, and inspirations for writers like myself. Today I’m looking at the most basic part of writing: how to start.

Writing Tip #1: How to Start Writing:

1. Have an idea you love (or at least like)

Got an idea? That’s all you need. No, really.

It’s okay if it’s not the best thing you’ve ever come up with or you don’t have a full plan for where the idea is headed. If you like it enough to want to write it, chances are your idea has merit. Don’t start doubting yourself before you’ve even put words on paper (or word processor or stone tablet or whatever you use to write).

Just don’t let your idea go to waste.

2. Write that idea down with as much detail you can come up with

Put your words down until you have nothing else to say. Write until you think you might lose yourself to the gods of language and then write some more. Don’t stop until you have said everything there is to be said about your idea.

It sounds easier than it is. You’ll have moments of doubt, flashes of discouragement. You’ll want to throw your writing tools across the room and scream into the void. That’s okay. Take those moments inside of you. Use them to make you stronger, your writing truer.  Listen when the words don’t feel right, and fix what you most need to as you go.

But don’t stop writing.

there is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you - maya angelou

3. Pat yourself on the back, you wrote something!

Editing? Improving? That’ll come eventually. For now, call yourself a writer and enjoy the feeling. Seriously. Did you put words down somewhere? Did you share your idea? You’re a writer.

What you wrote won’t be perfect. It never is the first time, or even the second, third, or hundredth time (if it is, can you share your secret with the rest of us?). That’s fine. I promise. Everyone who writes goes through that. We all have to start  somewhere.

Don’t let imperfection keep you from sharing your first idea. Don’t let doubt stop you from writing your next idea.

4. Rinse and repeat

Keep writing. As long as there are ideas in your head, keep letting them out into the universe. No one is going to tell your stories but you.


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Other writing tips can be found here.

Need a place to put your writing? Check out my line of notebooks on Etsy!

For your pinning pleasure:

Writing Tip #1