Writing

"No matter where you go, there you are." I first heard this in the cult classic Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension. We are always aware of our setting in life, through our physical senses and emotions. This week that's what I'll start you off with, a list of settings. Choose one at random and drop in some characters. Give... Read more →


We've all done it, listening in either inadvertently or deliberately. Writers are especially guilty of it, as the voyeurs of society, collecting dialogue, people, and plots. Oh my! It's a drizzly day here, but I'll head out shortly to the library, then a coffee. Imagine you're in a pub, or cafe, on a rainy day. You hear a conversation next... Read more →


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 of the snow has gone, and you've scraped off 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, but you remember five words. I'll give you five random... 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 shower brings out both songbirds and smiles. But, like all... 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 so far - yay! I briefly considered a basketball theme... 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 Julius Caesar was assassinated, stabbed to death by more murderers... 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 Lent starts soon. Who ends up getting that coat, and... Read more →