Inspiring Objects

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

I’m a huge fan of writing prompts (as you probably know) and one of my favourites is using photos (which ive been using a lot recently). But, Ive stumbled across 2 websites that made me think, actually, objects are pretty damn good to inspire stories.

The first one is The Museum of Broken Relationships which I found on Sally Jenkins Blog a while back. Do click on the picture of the axe under exhibits. What a brilliant story! 😉

Then I came across 26 Treasures which was a project run by museums in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. They invited writers to use 26 objects from the museums collections to inspire a piece of writing. Over 100 writers took part and a book was produced.

So here are some inspiring objects I’ve come across recently that I intend to use for prompts:

Do you ever use “objects” to inspire stories?

The Museum of Broken Relationships (collabcubed.com)

Turn Your Experiences Into A Novel

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

I came across a brilliant idea in The Daily Writer a few days ago.

There’s the old saying isn’t there, write what you know. Yeah, ok, that’s boring and I don’t know much anyway. Well, actually…I’ve discovered I do! What about the 45 years of experience I have? All those little events throughout my life that I can use in my stories and novels? All I need to do is embellish the truth a bit, use my imagination 😉

So lets do a little experiment….what do I know about?

(I do love a mind map lol)

But what about one off experiences? What about the evening I spent at London Zoo with a picnic? Or the day I spent in Hay On Wye going round the book shops?

In The Daily Writer they suggest that I keep a file/folder/notebook of “experiences” that I can then draw on for use in my writing. What a great idea! Fred White recommends that you list them chronologically, ie:

“Childhood Experiences”
“Adolescent Experiences”
“Adult Experiences”

And then divide those into sub sections such as:

“Experiences in Nature”
“Holiday Experiences”
“Religious Experiences”

I’d like to add a couple of my own to that list, but when I sit down to mull this over I’m sure I’ll be able to think of loads lol

Food Experiences
Places of Interest Experiences

We all think our lives are so boring, but they’re not. If you were brought up on a farm you will have a wealth of info to draw on. Me, I was brought up in an inner city, and just thinking about it now I can list a handful of experiences that might, at some stage come in handy 😉

Oh dear, so that’s another notebook to add to the collection of the 10+ that I’m already using *snigger* 😉

So tell me, what’s a recent experience you’ve had that you could use to inspire a story?

Monday Must Do’s 20th to 26th May

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Vikki Thompson

Good morning! (or afternoon/evening depending on where you are and when you’re reading this 😉

I’m BACK! Did ya miss me? I’ve missed you guys 🙂

Ok, that’s enough lol….I guess I better tell you what I’ve been up to. I’ve had a pretty good 2 weeks to be honest. It was my birthday and i went stationery shopping, i went to the Romantic Novelists Summer Party (click the link for the photos including one which featured my red shoes! lol) and went to see RJ Ellory read from his new novel which isnt out for a few months (must buy that one!). I haven’t touched the WIP (Still), haven’t done much writing at all, although I did do a few prompts which was fun. Most of you know, I’m a huge fan of prompts and writing exercises to get the old creative juices flowing. I stumbled across Bonnie Neubauer’s website last week (she’s the lady who wrote The Right Brain Workbook) and here’s what she has to say about prompts:

“Because exercises (also known as prompts) remove the expectations and judgments you have about your own writing. The goal of an exercise is get you to write for the sake of writing so you can discover or rediscover the joy of writing. Exercises are all about filling the pre-allotted time or the pre-allotted space on the page. Do that, and you have met your goal. Nothing else matters. Not content, not plot, not characters, not spelling. And, to exceed your goal all you have to do is write one extra sentence.”

“Do enough exercises (The number is different for everyone; for me, it happens to be 2 exercises a day for 3 to 6 days), and you will find yourself excited about doing your ‘real’ writing. When this happens (and don’t force it), it’s totally okay to abandon the world of exercises and write what you want to write. Just remember that if you ever find yourself stalled, immediately put your regular writing aside and do some exercises. The exercises will relieve you of the pressure to produce and will once again, get your right brain primed to spew onto the paper without letting your left brain (the nasty editor) get in the way and stop you.”

And that’s what happened see….I fell out of love with writing, so I’ve been trying to claw my way back….and I think it’s working. I’ve missed doing prompts and I should never have stopped. As from today I’m taking Bonnie’s advice, and going back to committing to daily writing 🙂

So the coming week looks like this:

And how I’ve missed the structure of a ‘to do list’ because when I haven’t got one, nothing gets done.

You’ll see I’m working on another project. My second novel, entitled “Tangled” is what I’ve decided to submit to the RNA New Writers Scheme for critique, but it still needs some work. It’s complete, has a beginning, a middle and an end (go me!) but is only 52,000 words lol. The first novel (Still) is such a bloody mess that I really don’t know where to go next, so I’m putting it to one side (for the moment). There’s only so many times you can bash your head against that wall 😉

So I’m feeling pretty good, pretty confident and actually raring to get suck in! I’m hoping that my new pad from Paperchase will help.

Great post about self doubt here on Mandy Websters blog. Struck a nerve with me as its just how I’ve been feeling lately. Now, I’m off to turn a prompt into a ghost story 🙂

So what are your writing plans for the week?

A Prompt A Day…..

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

A couple of months back I had the chance to see Ros Barber talk about her new book, The Marlowe Papers and hear her read some of her poetry. Wow! :o)

Ros runs a website with fellow writer Kate Marillat called Be The Writer You Dream Of Being and together they run writing courses and do talks. I can highly recommend it 🙂

So when Kate requested that readers submit articles, I jumped at the chance (you know me, I do like to waffle on about writing stuff lol).

Head on over to Ros & Kate’s website to read my article, A Prompt A Day Keeps Writers Block Away where I talk about my experience of using writing prompts.

Please leave a comment. Oh, and let me know what you thought of the article? 🙂

How To Turn eBay Into A Writing Tool

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

You Can Get Almost Anything on eBay a post recently on Writer Unboxed, got me thinking….. As soon as I saw the title I was inspired lol.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever seen on eBay? Come on, there must be something? I once saw an old piece of rope. Well used, a bit manky to be honest, but, it actually sold.

I don’t know about you, but I’m conscious of the fact that every single item on eBay has a story behind it. Like the Wedding Dress – New/Never Worn or, more sadly, a selection of newborn baby clothes, with their tags still attached (ok, let’s not be too morbid there, and pressume the baby grew too quickly….but you get my point).

As I was mulling this idea over, and having a look on eBay (for research of course) I came across an article on List Verse about Bizarre eBay Auctions. Ha ha ha, wow! 😉

The following is an example from the List Verse list, written by Cedric Mandanas.

In 2005, during a live interview with Jodie Marsh, Kerrang’s Tim Shaw told the glamor model he was prepared to leave his wife and their two children for her. His wife Hayley was listening and said her husband’s flirtation was the “last straw” in their relationship. After having a few drinks and while her husband was still live on the radio, she listed his Lotus Espirit Turbo for sale on eBay with a “Buy It Now” option of 77 cents. The description read: “I need to get rid of this car in the next two to three hours before my husband gets home to find it gone and all his belongings in the street.”

The car sold in five minutes. Mrs. Shaw said: ‘When he said he would leave me and the kids for Jodie Marsh, that was it for me. I am sick of him disrespecting this family for the sake of his act. The car is his pride and joy but the idiot put my name on the log book so I just sold it. I didn’t care about the money; I just wanted to get him back. There is no hope for reconciliation.’ A Kerrang spokesperson said the DJ was ‘absolutely gutted.’

I’m asking myself was he gutted about his wife, or the car? Lol

Courtesy of M-Pics/freedigitalphotos.net

Wow! What a story *sniggers* 🙂

Have you ever been inspired by an item for sale on eBay?

10 Bizarre eBay Auctions (listverse.com)

Waving, Not Drowning

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

Inspired by Saturdays photo prompt…..

Marisha stood on the damp sand and stared out to sea. Normally, on a clear day, you could see Essex. But not today, as a dense bank of fog swept its way, creeping silently up the Thames Estuary. She shivered, as her skin was splattered with fine droplets of water, spray from the waves. Invisible to the naked eye, but picked up by every hair on her bare arms.

She walked slowly towards the water. Stumbling on stones that shifted beneath her bare feet. Every few steps she winced, as something sharp met with her sole.

Stopping at the edge of the murky waves she watched the water lap at her feet, beckoning her forward. Glancing around, she checked to make sure she was alone. It was unusual for anyone to be on this part of the beach in October, especially at 6am.

Her teeth chattered as the water lapped at her ankles. The biting cold was painful. It felt like the waves could reach through her skin to her bones. With her long black hair trailing behind her she walked forward until the water was up to her waist. Just a few steps more, that was all it would take. She found herself wondering which one would end her 18 years? The water or the bitter cold?

A dog barked in the distance. She turned, and for a brief moment panicked, losing her courage. Whoever said this was the cowards way out? But what was the alternative? Go back home? No, she couldn’t bare to bring so much shame on her family. She was still in shock that her father had actually had her followed. When he threw the photographs at her and called her a whore she had fled the house. Tears welled I’m her eyes when she thought of Tom. The photos had shown their brief kiss. That was all it had been.

She’d known the risks when she’d agreed to go on the secret date. Tom was nice, she’d known him since school. when he’d asked her to go to the cinema, she’d jumped at the chance. Marisha just wanted to be like any other English girl, but deep down she knew she never could be. It had all been a fantasy. For Marisha had been promised to a Prince, since the day she was born.

Rather than give you a photo today I thought I’d embed this. It’s a video I took about a year ago. A place called Allhallows, where I use to spend all my holidays as a child. It’s in Kent, and on a clear day you can see Essex 🙂

Awwwww, poor Marisha 😦 you know I just can’t help it lol. Who is the person with the dog? (I have my own theory) and will Marisha go through with it?

Any comments and suggestions are most welcome?

Silent Saturday

Posted on October 6, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

This weeks photo prompt: One of my cameras.

I’ll post what it inspired me to write on Tuesday 🙂

Any immediate thoughts?

Six Sentence Sunday 30th September

Posted on September 30, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

This weeks six sentences come from a prompt I did earlier on in the week 🙂

Stuart had never really liked women, it all went back to his childhood, his mother. The contempt she felt for him was evident in her daily actions. The way she spoke to him, the way she looked at him.

As a young adult he was convinced that women were not to be trusted. That they would lie and cheat to get what they wanted. Numerous relationships he purposely sabotaged, incapable of loving, incapable of accepting love.

image curtesy of chrisroll/freedigitalimages

Awwwww, poor Stuart 😉

Ok, I need a happy ending for this one don’t I 🙂

Six Sentence Sunday (heatherj22.wordpress.com)

Priceless Gift

Posted on September 25, 2012 by Vikki Thompson

This is the piece I wrote in response to the photo prompt of the locket on Saturday 🙂

Hope you like it, and any suggestions, or comments are as always, gratefully received.

Sophia sat with her back pressed firmly against the chair and watched, with a blazing jealousy, the scene in front of her.

Did he know she would be here today? Was that why he’d brought that whore here? To make her jealous?

She lifted her coffee cup and took a sip, her eyes fixed on the table in the corner.

James looked good, but then he always did. He playfully flicked a strand of hair from his companions face. Sophia felt instantly sick. She thought about where that hand had been. The parts of her he had explored with his fingers only last week.

Feeling the anger rising in her chest, pushing hatred into her throat she took another mouthful of coffee. But it was no use, no amount of sweet hot liquid would be able to eradicate the bitter taste that had developed in her mouth.

Clutching the gold locket at her neck she glared at the slim attractive women who was now laughing. Willing her to turn around, but she was too engrossed in James. Too caught up in lust to be aware of anyone else in the cafe.

James fumbled in his jeans pocket as his guest rose to her feet. Sophia grabbed her bag and flung it over her shoulder, shifting to the edge of her seat.

The red head kissed James on the cheek and tottered on her six inch heels in the direction of the ladies. With head down, Sophia stood, and followed her into the toilets.

Oh come on, you know I don’t do happy? Did you really expect anything else? Lol 😉

In my mind I was thinking along the lines that Sophia is one of those women who James can pick up and put down whenever he wants, a shag buddy, but in his eyes, nothing more. She’s not slim and attractive, but she is available. Lets face it, Sophia is in love with him, and in her eyes, its not his fault, its all these gorgeous women who keep throwing themselves at him. James bought her the locket as a gift out of guilt, Sophia thinks that it means they have a future, if only these other women would leave him alone. But the question is……

What does she intend to do in the toilets? 😉