A writing prompt is a tricky thing to follow, photo and painting prompts more so.

Since I’ll have hosting duties, I’ll pre-schedule at least some of the posts this year.

You need not be participating in the A to Z Challenge to challenge me with either a story starter, or a picture writing prompt, or both. The more the merrier! Last year I had asked for word prompts, and I got loads to choose from! This year, I’m taking it a step further.
As a sort of warm-up and illustration of what I hope to do, I’m pasting below a painting, a story starter, randomly chosen, and the resulting story.
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Painting by Edgeworth Johnstone, titled, “Orchestra” |
Writing prompt: You must not….
Story:
“You must not use scissors to cut out hearts”, she said, walking towards him in cold, steady steps, “you must use a surgeon’s knife. You wear a surgeon’s cap, so get rid of the scissors. Scissors are for paper, not flesh and blood.”
They had met many years ago, him and her, both walking their dogs. They had taken the longer route home. Scissors and knives had little place in their lives, at the time. Those things lived in kitchen drawers, just like in every other home, useful, indispensable, harmless.
This was before they had figured out they shared dreams. A decade went by, the dogs that had introduced them died, and they did not get new ones. They pillowed their heads next to each other, less than an arms length apart, and watched birds as they slept, birds, and platypus, and sting rays and fish with beaks larger than their bodies. They saw the blood, flowing, spilled, congealed like flavored yoghurt in bowls, and neither spoke of it to the other.
They woke up, kissed, careful not to breathe on each other before they brushed their teeth, and went off to work, lunch boxes and train passes in hand, waving to each other, smiling innocuous smiles. They never spoke of the cranes that danced with their beaks open, sharp as knives, the cockerels dazzling them with their plumes, the buzzards that looked from high up above on pregnant mermaids, of tribal men dancing, their hands like pitchforks, glowing by the campfire.
Until that night when she found him at the kitchen table at 2 a.m, red scissors in hand, bending over blood. She leaned on him as he cut, and they spoke, in short words and long, shaky breaths, of their dreams. Now and then, they glanced out of the window, smiling at those shifting noises of the night that go unexplained.
Outside in the darkness, the night shivered, and grew afraid.
What about you? Do you write based on picture prompts? Have any of them gone on to be published? Do you enjoy writing short fiction? Are you going to send me a writing prompt or two?
PHOTO: http://morguefile.com/archive/display/172797
PROMPT: He stood back….
Good luck with your fun and ambitious-sounding plans!
Madeleine Begun Kane
Thanks for the prompts and the encouragement, peeps…you know I love you all.
I've started receiving prompts in the mail, and I've now had to resort to folders and labeling to keep them organized.
While that is good news, I still need loads more in order to be able to produce 26 pieces of fiction. So any of you with a challenging prompt for me, feel free to drop it here!
How do you manage to come up with these stories so quickly?! I'm still working on one short screenplay that should have been finished months ago, lol.
I'll email a prompt and a photo to you in the coming weeks.
Right now, I'd like to offer you the following prompt to write on:
Prompt – Based on principle alone…
The Madlab Post
Hmmm…sounds like you've created two monsters. Gonna see if I can find some Jamaican paintings and shoot them your way.
Great story. I'll send you something in an email. Gotta think about it.
You're co-hosting the AtoZ?
You are THE BEST!
http://tinyurl.com/6s9vny2
Prompt: Day three and four continued to fade….
Marian Allen
Fantasies, mysteries, comedies, recipes
That looks like a great challenge. I'm thinking about the A-Z myself. Good luck with it.
where'd you find such a crazy picture–that is pretty incredible. And the story is up to par–excellent job. I'll have to see if I can come up with a picture. Maybe something from Ada Z our A to Z artist?
Lee
A cat's memoir?
Wrote By Rote
Those few words sure packed a punch. I'll be on the look-out. I already have one I think that you might like though. Just gotta dig it out. One of these days, all my printed pictures and all my digital pictures will be organized. Of course that's after my novel, so don't hold your breath too long. Just long enough to freak out the others in your car while driving through that tunnel…
Tina @ Life is Good
Co-Host of the April 2012 Blogging from A to Z Challenge
I'll definitely keep an eye out. Fantastically freaky story.
I'll look through my computer and find something suitably dark for you. I know you like dark gritty stuff.
Image prompts?
Let me give you the one that helped inspire my first book and see what you come up with: http://frankfrazetta.org/viewimage.php?loc=frank_frazetta_space103attack.jpg
I'm looking forward to reading your posts. Maybe a book 2?
Well written story to an interesting picture. Good luck with your challenge.