Welcome to Morning Pages — it’s time for a monthly roundup. I hope you’ve got your pencils sharpened and ready to write. Wanna join in on the fun? Read the prompt, set your timer* and get ready to let the words flow. Feel free to post the results of your work in the comments below where we chat about writing and (if the mood strikes us) get a craft discussion going.
If you want critique from other commenters, use #YESTHANKS in your comment. Otherwise, you can tell us about the flash fic and the process you went through to write it. And of course, I’m always open to hear what you think about my excerpts!
*you can write for as long as you want, but most folks choose 15-30 minutes.
What I learned this month: This might not be particularly writing related, but I’ve learned that when I have something important happening on a particular day, I’m entirely incapable of focusing on anything but that thing. I had an important job interview over the phone the day I wrote “Friendly Ghost“, and holy cow, even though the interview only took a half hour total, my mental energy was shot. I tried, desperately, to get words down on the page, but only managed to eek the flash fic out in the moments before going to bed, long after winding down from the day’s buzz.
I’d like to figure out what it’d take to nudge my brain out of that space and into a more productive place — or at the very least, a place where I could focus for more than a few minutes at a time. Anyone have tips? Now that I’ve realized this about myself, I’d love to figure out a way to ameliorate it in the future.
The Prompts:
“Whenever we try a new and unusual meat (alligator, snake, etc.) we always joke that it ‘tastes like chicken’. But what do the animals (or supernatural creatures) that prey on humans think we taste like?”
“Onion Rings:” Lor from Hook, Line, Sinker is back… and she’s hungry.
“Your character walks into a long hall of portraits. What do they see?”
Oceana ‘verse. Arden doesn’t remember his mother.
“Character one: *Bursts through the door, looking panicked*
Character two: “What did you do?”
Character one: “Nobody died.”
Character two: “WHAT KIND OF AN ANSWER IS THAT?!”
“Nobody Died:” Anya and El from Weaver end up with another companion.
“Your MC is a psychic sketch artist for law enforcement. A victim comes in to describe a crime. What do they see?”
“Cat Burglar:” Otherwise known as a long-form dad joke.
“Bar fight + carrots + snow.”
“Snowflake:” Oceana ‘verse. Some lads don’t know how to take a hint. Miss Ehrin is happy to teach them a lesson.
“A house haunted by friendly ghosts.”
Casper ain’t got nothing on this.
Get Involved!
Answer the prompts or dive straight in and respond to others’ comments — let’s share our knowledge, our experience, and have a discussion we can all learn from! Don’t want to miss a post? Subscribe to the blog in the sidebar to get notified about new posts.
Today’s questions:
- What are your coping strategies when you’re having trouble concentrating?
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