Write Anyway

Another Friday, and thank goodness for that! I’m always happy for a Friday to come around, but I’m especially happy for this one because I think my husband has been working way too hard lately and needs a break from things.

And, given it’s Friday, it’s time once again for my favourite: Friday Fill-Ins! I’m even going to try to remember to leave a comment at the site….

Friday Fill-In #87

1. When I’m sick I’m __________. a bit miserable, but I try not to be miserable to be around.

2. When I take a walk, I think about __________. whatever comes to mind, be it work, my husband, or life in general.

3. Money can’t buy happiness but it can __________. buy a bit of stress relief.

4. Cotton makes me __________ and leather makes me __________. think of pillows, think of motorcycles.

5. The strangest person/character I’ve had lewd thoughts about was __________. my husband. Kidding! Let’s see… I can’t really think of anyone ’strange’… Honest!

6. My favorite color these days is __________ because __________. purple, it’s girly without being too girly and makes me feel calm.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____! probably going to the pub, going out to lunch because I got a birthday voucher that will expire soon and probably working on the disaster area that is the spare room, finally build that other bookshelf I have and get books on it!

And there you have it! Happy Friday everyone. I hope you have a wonderful rest of the day and an excellent weekend.

Remember to leave a comment so I can check out your answers!

Hello and happy Thursday Thirteen, all. As per usual, I will be giving you a list of thirteen prompts in all shapes and sizes. They could be a first line of dialogue, a plot idea, or something else. I hope you enjoy and pick and choose as you please.

If there are any other types of prompts that you would find useful, let me know anytime.

Have a great day.

1. Write your life story in six words.
2. Set a timer for one minute and start writing. No preparation, no thinking about what you’re going to write.
3. “You put that back this instant!”
4. Get together with a friend and create some word prompts for each other.
5. Join (or create) a writer’s group for people in your area. Talking with other writers is a great way to find inspiration.
6. “Do you have the time?”
7. Imagine being denied something not necessary to your survival but something (or someone) you wouldn’t want to live without.
8. Write a poem for your best friend about your best friend.
9. “I need a drink.”
10. Go to an antique shop and find an object to write a story about.
11. “Something weird is going on here.”
12. Create the most annoying hero you can think of.
13. “Pour the champagne!”

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens on The Book Stacks and Fiction Scribe

Hello once again everyone!

Welcome to another mid-week random word bank. I rather like random word banks. There is a challenge in them that not only gets your mind working, but you can also end up with a scene that you didn’t know you had it in you to write.

I hope you find these word banks useful. If there is a type of prompt you would prefer to see, please let me know.

Remember, with all the words, you can use any form, any tense of the word. Eg. Laugh can be laugh, laughter, laughs, laughed.

For the first word bank, I don’t want you to write a short story or anything actually. What I want you to do is word association. For every word there, I want you to write the word and then write the first word that comes to your mind after.

For the second word bank, I do want you to write a short story (or something longer if you like) that incorporates this week’s theme. This round goes as usual; just include all of the words in the bank.

For the third word bank, it is something different yet again. I would like you to try your hand at writing a poem incorporating the words provided.

Enjoy!

First Word Bank
band
moon
mall
cancel
television
march
mother
mail
bake
incense

Second Word Bank
good
read
history
run
panic
street
arrow
laugh
thought
room

Third Word Bank
woods
brother
eyes
green
climb
water
whisper
song
trail
boot

Today (and lately), I have been contemplating the important things in life.

Sometimes it feels like all I am doing is trying to catch up with work. When I finally get ‘caught up’, I don’t get the chance to rest (even though I try to) because I have to get up and do it all the next day to stay caught up. Sometimes I get ahead, but I never get ahead and everything. Usually I just end up ahead in some, behind in others, and with a big mess needing organization on my hands.

While I like the money I make - actually being able to pay your bills is a good thing - I have been thinking that I don’t often get the time to do things that make me happy. Yes, I get time off. Lately I have been trying to make sure that weekends are real weekends and I don’t work - but that doesn’t always work out, to say the least.

It’s not that I hate my work or that I never get time to do the things I want, but I can’t help but feel that I need to step back from things to really focus on what’s important. Namely, paying the bills and my happiness.

Today I would like you to think of a time when you had to step back and weigh your options. What did you have to decide about? Did you make a positive/negative list? Did your decision involve other people or was it purely personal? Do you regret the decision you made or are you happy you made it?

Remember, to help clear your mind before you start writing, take a few deep breaths. Focus on the sound of the air entering and leaving your lungs. Let the noises and worries of the day fade for a few moments while you focus only on breathing.

After you are calm, think about your experiences and start writing.

Wishing you much creativity.

Hello everyone and welcome to the last week of August’s Musical Monday. (Once again, I am stunned at how fast time is passing. I’m coming to the conclusion that I really need to just stop once in a while and look around…)

I’m starting to rather like focusing on individual musicians and bands for Musical Mondays instead of themes, so I’m going to keep on doing that. I have a lot of artists I enjoy listening to, so I shouldn’t run out of subjects anytime soon!

This week we are focusing on the group Panic at the Disco who have recently taken my interests with their interesting lyrics and music that I can easily dance to.

According to Wikipedia, Panic at the Disco “is a rock band that originated in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Their sound incorporates elements of pop punk, big beat, electronica, techno, and rock, along with many other genres like psychedelic, baroque pop, folk and jazz. Their 2005 debut album, A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, reached #13 on the US Billboard 200, and has sold over 2.2 million copies since its September 2005 release. The band’s second album, Pretty. Odd., was released on March 25, 2008 and debuted at #2 in the US.”

Nine in the Afternoon

That Green Gentlemen

I Write Sins, Not Tragedies

And, of course, you can find more videos by searching YouTube or just go out and buy their CD.

Their music (and definitely their videos) can be a bit odd, so I hope you like them and hope they can inspire you in your writing today, this week, and in the future.

Have a great week and I’ll be back tomorrow with more prompts.

Welcome to Friday Fill-Ins, my favourite Friday activity. There is something about this meme that really gets me ready to go for the weekend. I think it might be that last fill-in because it gets me thinking about all the things I want to accomplish on the weekend.

Or maybe because it’s just plain fun and that’s exactly what I need on a Friday. What do you think?

As always, if you decide to play along, leave a link in the comments to where you’ve posted your response or respond right in the comments. Have fun!

1. Dancing to the __________ while __________ makes me __________. Radio, cleaning, feel happy and like I’m getting a work out while cleaning.

2. The last time I __________ I nearly __________. Went to the pub, cheated on my diet…

3. When I drive I __________. (I can’t really answer this one because I don’t drive.)

4. I saw __________ standing __________. A strange looking woman, at the train station.

5. Give me __________, give me __________, give me __________. Strength of will, strength of heart, strength of mind.

6. Next week I am looking forward to __________. Getting some nice things in the mail.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to _____, tomorrow my plans include _____ and Sunday, I want to _____!

Going out and relaxing after a hard day of work, putting together some furniture (new bookshelves!), get the bed put together so the hubby and I can get rid of our old crappy bed!

A very exciting weekend ahead, as you can tell. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Hello and happy Thursday Thirteen, all. As per usual, I will be giving you a list of thirteen prompts in all shapes and sizes. They could be a first line of dialogue, a plot idea, or something else. I hope you enjoy and pick and choose as you please.

If there are any other types of prompts that you would find useful, let me know anytime.

Have a great day.

1. Go somewhere you have never gone before and write there.
2. Play along with Velvet Verbosity’s 100 Words Challenge.
3. “They say you can’t do much with a rubber band, but I reckon they’re wrong.”
4. Go to a public place - train station, cafe, etc - and people watch for a while. That should provide you with some great inspiration.
5. Find some videos of comedians on YouTube (or other video sites) and use them as inspiration to write a humor piece about your life.
6. You have been granted the ability to stop and start time at will…
7. “Even when I’m not, my love will always be here with you.”
8. What one choice, if you had chosen differen
9. If your life were a specific genre book, what genre would it be? What would be the title?
10. Try meditating and clearing your mind for ten minutes before you start writing.
11. Use a lyric from your favourite song as the first line of dialogue in a story.
12. Do you have a pet or wish you had a pet? Write on that.
13. What advice would you give to someone struggling with writer’s block?

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens on The Book Stacks and Fiction Scribe

Hello once again everyone!

Welcome to another mid-week random word bank. I rather like random word banks. There is a challenge in them that not only gets your mind working, but you can also end up with a scene that you didn’t know you had it in you to write.

I hope you find these word banks useful. If there is a type of prompt you would prefer to see, please let me know.

Remember, with all the words, you can use any form, any tense of the word. Eg. Laugh can be laugh, laughter, laughs, laughed.

For the first word bank, I don’t want you to write a short story or anything actually. What I want you to do is word association. For every word there, I want you to write the word and then write the first word that comes to your mind after.

For the second word bank, I do want you to write a short story (or something longer if you like) that incorporates this week’s theme. This round goes as usual; just include all of the words in the bank.

For the third word bank, it is something different yet again. I would like you to try your hand at writing a poem incorporating the words provided.

Enjoy!

First Word Bank
tears
phone
news
apple
waiting
car
Alaska
appointment
carton
gold

Second Word Bank
husband
home
television
anticipation
grey
run
humour
competition
jump
nod

Third Word Bank
miracle
haunted
forever
life
purpose
people
anger
self
share
woman

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,
brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things.

When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I’m feeling sad,
I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don’t feel so bad.

Today I’m contemplating some of my favourite things. There are favourite places, foods, comfort things, movies, colours and all matter of other things. Plenty to choose from, as you can see from the song most of us can at least hum the tune to, if not sing all the words.

Today I would like you to write about some of your favourite things. Be it your favourite food or your favourite spot to get away from it all. Write about your first time with/at/trying your favourite and how it got to be your favourite. Write about the best times you’ve had there, how/if you’ve shared it with others, so on and so forth.

Remember, to help clear your mind before you start writing, take a few deep breaths. Focus on the sound of the air entering and leaving your lungs. Let the noises and worries of the day fade for a few moments while you focus only on breathing.

After you are calm, think about your experiences and start writing.

Wishing you much creativity.

Today’s musical inspiration is going to take a bit of a different turn this week. Instead of focusing on a theme, I am going to focus on an individual musician whose music has been inspiring me since I first started listening to him nearly two years ago. (In fact, I’m listening to him as I type this.)

It’s not very often that I find a musician who consistently creates music I like. Usually the case is that I like only one song, a few songs, etc. Rarely do I like every single song - especially after finding dozens of them.

Australian musician Tommy Emmanuel is one of the best guitarists in the world. “Two-time Grammy nominee Tommy Emmanuel has a professional career that spans over four decades and continues to intersect with some of the finest musicians throughout the world.” - Tommy’s website

My husband introduced me to Tommy and I have loved his music ever since. In fact, one of his songs (which I will put below) is what I walked down the ‘aisle’ to when I married my husband.

Now if that isn’t a love of music, I don’t know what is. So without further ado, here is the Musical Monday Tribute to Tommy Emmanuel. I hope you enjoy and that he inspires you as much as he does me.

Enjoy!

*Note: It seems YouTube has been taking down a lot of Tommy’s videos, so I’ve only been able to find a few of them that work.

Golliwogg’s Cakewalk

Blue Moon (short introduction)

Saltwater - Not the best quality, but this is the song from my wedding.

Hello and happy Thursday Thirteen, all. As per usual, I will be giving you a list of thirteen prompts in all shapes and sizes. They could be a first line of dialogue, a plot idea, or something else. I hope you enjoy and pick and choose as you please.

If there are any other types of prompts that you would find useful, let me know anytime.

Have a great day.

1. If you tend to write in one genre - humor, crime, fantasy, romance - try combining your usual genre with a genre you’ve never written in before. You never know what you might get.
2. “I guess you could call me the queen of misfortune.”
3. Think of a time in your life when you felt like no one understood you.
4. A gun goes off at a crowded party.
5. “We’re not just a family company, we’re a whole world company.”
6. You get the news that if you don’t make some changes in your life, you are going to die…
7. “You’re right; I should be happy. But I’m not.”
8. Write a story based on something you hear/see/read in the news.
9. “I’m sorry I can’t be happy about your sister marrying my father.”
10. You are involved in a terrible accident and lose one of your five senses.
11. You can have everything you ever wanted in life, but someone you love has to die for it…
12. Start writing a biography. Start with notes about important parts of your life and move on to filling in the gaps.
13. “What does that have to do with me?”

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens on The Book Stacks and Fiction Scribe

Hello once again everyone!

Welcome to another mid-week random word bank. I rather like random word banks. There is a challenge in them that not only gets your mind working, but you can also end up with a scene that you didn’t know you had it in you to write.

I hope you find these word banks useful. If there is a type of prompt you would prefer to see, please let me know.

Remember, with all the words, you can use any form, any tense of the word. Eg. Laugh can be laugh, laughter, laughs, laughed.

For the first word bank, I don’t want you to write a short story or anything actually. What I want you to do is word association. For every word there, I want you to write the word and then write the first word that comes to your mind after.

For the second word bank, I do want you to write a short story (or something longer if you like) that incorporates this week’s theme. This round goes as usual; just include all of the words in the bank.

For the third word bank, it is something different yet again. I would like you to try your hand at writing a poem incorporating the words provided.

Enjoy!

First Word Bank
protection
England
musical
sparkling
451
affection
hell
children
laundry
memory

Second Word Bank
find
soul
roam
green
ball
strong
book
deer
soft
pain

Third Word Bank
past
young
rhythm
warmth
surround
inspire
day
tear
blank
trust

Hello everyone and welcome back to Write Anyway. If this is your first time here, welcome! I hope all your writing prompt needs are met. If they aren’t just let me know! If you’ve been here before, thanks for stopping by again.

Today I’ve decided to reach back into the Anything Goes archives to bring you your prompt for today. I was snooping around and found what I think is a great prompt because it applies to so many people. I hope you enjoy this little blast from the past.

From March 18th, 2008

The truth is not often an easy thing to tell. There are people’s feelings to consider. The damage to relationships. The damage to you and your reputation. The truth often makes you sit back and wonder about what’s really important in your life.

These sorts of contemplations often come after a lie has been told. After a lie has been told, the truth often weighs heavily on the liar as well as other people who might suspect there is a lie.

There is also truth and how we hold it above all else in some situations. But should we always hold it above all else?

Today I would like you to take the theme of truth in any of the many ways it can go. If you’re a bit stuck for ideas, here are a few prompts to get you started:

Write about a time in your life where you told the truth when it was hard to do. What was the situation? Why did you decide to tell the truth? Why was it hard? What were the consequences of you telling the truth? Do you regret telling the truth?

Write about a time when someone told you the truth and you wished s/he hadn’t. What was the situation? Who told you the truth? Why do you wish s/he hadn’t? Looking back on it, do you still wish that person hadn’t told you the truth?

What is truth to you? Truth above all? When is truth necessary? When are lies necessary?

There are many, many ways to take this week’s theme. Explore and write on whatever you wish.

Hello everyone and happy Monday. Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday either in comments on my sites, facebook, email, etc. I really appreciate it, and it made a great day even better.

A couple weeks ago I, like many people around the globe, got hooked on Joss Whedon’s for internet only show Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. (If you haven’t heard of it/seen it, check it out. Joss Whedon does it again for funny, slightly crazy musicals.) That got me thinking about the good ol’ days in my youth that I spent watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, etc.

So I decided to look up the Buffy musical ‘Once More With Feeling’ to put here for your Musical Monday pleasure.

Unfortunately, all I could find was the music, a few of the scenes, and some behind the scenes stuff. All of that is very interesting, but I wanted to put up the whole episode. Turns out that the only way I can do that is with the music without the

So you may not be able to watch the episode, but you can sure listen to it! I hope you enjoy, for your listening pleasure.

Without further ado, Once More With Feeling.

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed it, despite the lack of being able to watch it. I also hope it helped, in one way or another, to inspire your writing today. Have an excellent rest of the day and rest of the week.