You bought a new house, over the winter. It was a great deal. heavily discounted after months, maybe years on the market. It's an older place, a 'fixer-upper', but has great potential. Supposedly there had been a garden in back, too, buried under all that snow. It's spring now, most... Read more →

This week I'll give you a setting. The last thing you remember was settling into your regular bus seat, and closing your eyes for just a minute. When you waken, the bus seems empty, yet the engine is still running. It's dark outside. You were having a dream, fading already,... Read more →

It being spring, hopefully where you live you're getting rain now, instead of snow. Spring rains can be a welcome thing, whether to start your garden, water in a farmer's crop, or rinse away the cigarette butts and dog poo from city sidewalks. That burst of sun after a spring... Read more →

I'm in Toronto this week, and it is definitely spring-like. The snow and ice only linger in the shadiest corners of yards, the sun is out, and the daytime temperatures are above freezing. And the flowers are starting to pop up. No shorts sightings yet, though. This is prompt #13... Read more →

TL;DR - salad, and treachery, with some optional Irish. I had a few themes in mind this week so will blend them together. Today is the Ides of March, a traditional Roman holiday, a day they chose for settling debts. With coins or otherwise. The day, in 44 BC, when... Read more →

This week I'll start you off with a setup. Think of your favourite coat, a comfortable great looking coat. Maybe it's a puffy insulated coat, or sleek leather, or gaudy dress-up - whatever your taste might be. You're going to donate it to a charity—I don't know why, maybe because... Read more →

So many words, so many choices. English is such a rich language. And as our writing skills improve we realize that we can likely choose any genre, character, setting, or situation and craft a good story. It can be hard to focus and get started—hence these prompts, which seek both... Read more →

TL;DR - in a blizzard. Life often sends us challenges that test our character, and patience. I've found that in writing, if I have a character I can't seem to flesh out enough, it can help to throw something at them, to test them and see how they cope with... Read more →

It's that time of the year again, when Hallmark, Laura Secord and countless florists seek to help us chase away the winter blues with a bit of romance. So, in the spirit of the season, let's try a love story. A love story between monsters. They can be cuddly little... Read more →

There are many articles out there on the Interwebs about writing, but I did read an interesting article in the Guardian about writing Flash Fiction. I'll share the main points. They were: Start in the middle. Don't use too many characters. Make sure that the ending isn't at the end.... Read more →