Welcome to the literary list #2 writing prompt extravaganza! Today I’ve got 7 fresh prompts to share, all of which come from dialogue in books, plays, and comics. For no particular reason, all prompts also appear on pages 37, 38, or 39 of my copy.
Writing Prompts – Literary List #2
Let’s be real, you’re not here to hear me talk about the list. You want the prompts, and I don’t blame you! These 7 are great fun, and since they all started as chunks of dialogue, you should find inspiration quickly for your own dialogue, poetry, or whatever.
I just need to say, that last one reads way more dieselpunk than it should, given the actual subject of the book. And I love it.
Remember to mix things up a bit if you’re planning on publishing the resulting work. I make an effort to find generic but interesting sentences, but don’t take chances. Change the wording, pronouns, whatever. Don’t plagiarize, people.
Good luck, and enjoy!
Prompts #8-14
“You made me look ridiculous in there.”
“I looked just as ridiculous as you did.”
– Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, Tom Stoppard
“I found another bone!…Boy, this is a weird one.”
– Weirdos From Another Planet, A Calvin & Hobbes Collection, Bill Watterson
“Are you running away from anything?”
“No. I’m not running away from anything. Not in the way you mean.”
Shane, Jack Schaefer
“I don’t need anything.”
“You’ll need your nightgown.”
“I’ll sleep naked.”
“The Next In Line” in The October Country, Ray Bradbury
“You can do what you want to do.”
“I’ll go back with you. I’m on my way down there.”
The Piano Lesson, August Wilson
“And if anyone comes–“
“Who might come? Will it be soldiers? Like the ones on the corners?”
“I really don’t think anyone will.”
– Number the Stars, Lois Lowry
“His ancestors have probably lived in that alley for generations.”
“So he’s one of us.”
“I suppose so.”
Dewey the Library Cat, Vicki Myron (w/Bret Witter)
