As I’ve now submitted my assignment, I can move onto the next part of the course……which is about inspiration (haven’t I already been thinking about that recently?).

Red Smith (who? Lol) once said “Writing is really quite simple, all you have to do is sit down at your typewriter and open a vein.” Yuk!!!!! lol….surely no such drastic measure is required? 😉

Many writers (famously including Charles Dickens and Margaret Drabble) believe that during afternoon walks, their stories shape themselves in their minds. Hmmmm, they obviously didn’t live where I do lol.

I’ve also read that doing mundane tasks can help you sort out the ideas going on in your head into some kind of order. Hmmmmm, sorting the washing doesn’t do it for me either lol 😉

Reading, watching plays, watching films, listening to people tell anecdotes of their lives, overhearing a conversation in a cafe, walking through an art gallery and listening to the news, can all spark an idea (and have all worked for me!)……and that’s why you should always carry your notebook 😉

As I’ve said before (yawn yawn) my favourite form of inspiration is images, but I guess now, I have to add ‘writing prompts’ to that list.

So, my next exercise is to choose an item from my notebook, one that jumps out. Then find another idea that I can marry it with. Then……

–List the words and phrases that spring to mind as you think about the two items
–Summarise the two items, and create free writes of both
–Look for links between them that you can use

I have an idea, festering away already 🙂

Then, polish my notes into a draft (short story). So that’s what I’ll be doing today, along with today’s prompt which is nearing midnight.

Yesterday’s prompt, about the tent, ended up being about a couple who are camping, in the back garden 😉