Possible Prompts

Below is a list of prompts I’ve come up with in response to today’s DailyPost topic. I’m certain many have been used before, ideas are hardly new nowadays, though these are what came off the top of my head.

Current Events Questions:
i. If you were given the chance, how would you have “solved” the dilemma of raising the debt ceiling? Would you have utilized existing legislation, or developed your own? If you developed your own, what would this legislation entail?
ii. What do you think of the Presidential Office? How has it fared over the years? Explain.
iii. Should Americans, or any member of a particular country for that matter, be required to know basic knowledge about their country and perhaps the world? For example, the basic workings of their gov’t, their type of government, how the country is organized (provincial, states, etc.). Explain.
iv. According to an industry report, 95% of online music downloads are illegal. What do you think of this figure? Should additional action be taken to protect intellectual property on the internet, or should the music industry provide music for free? Explain. Consider the artists that create the music.
[http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jan/16/online-music-illegal-downloads] [http://hothardware.com/News/95-of-Music-Downloads-are-Illegal-IFPI/]

Other Questions:
I. What type of pages do you usually bookmark, “like,” tweet, or favorite?
II. What are the characteristics of love? Can true love really hurt?
III. What is your favorite poem? Explain.
IV. If you could be the leader of every country in the world, simultaneously, for one day, able to pass any and all legislation you desire without question, what would you do?
V. If you had the resources to make the next blockbuster film, what would it be about?
VI. If you could tame any animal and have it as a pet, what would you choose? Explain.
VII. What sort of games did you used to play as a kid? Write about the one that first comes to mind.
VIII. (Multiple Questions) How do you define an idea as original? Are any ideas really original, or simply derivatives from another’s inspiration? Why do we have intellectual property laws? Explain.

You Can’t Avoid It Forever

Goals… they seem great when you plan them, but when it comes down to achieving them, procrastination is suddenly right there with you. That’s my dilemma right now with my book – write ten pages a day for a few weeks, revise the novel, find a good agent, then get published!

Simple, right?

Not so simple.

Lately I’ve been experimenting with various writing techniques, seeing how I may incorporate them into my book. The problem is, many of them either appear trite or unconventional, taking away the morale and literary momentum I had previously attained. Tomorrow will hopefully change that – time to take to the pen with a greater determination!

Coming up, my review on True Grit!

The One Thing EVERY Writer Needs

Idea Boxes

When I read Erica Johnson’s, or rather, Shari Lopatin’s, 10 Reasons Every Writer Should Keep an Idea Box, it made me think for a bit – even to the point of considering buying my own “idea box” from Barnes and Noble (and I found the one mentioned here). Then I recalled my suitcase, my 3DS, my blog, and the many other places I store my ideas – they were all idea boxes, simply not consolidated into a singular medium.

My Suitcase – I started using my suitcase when the clusters of papers scattered around my room became overwhelming. The folders within helped me to separate each of my writing projects into organized categories, and I could fit a few pens here and there for use on the go, with easily accessible sheets of paper in the two end-side binders.

My 3DS -Who would have thought my Nintendo 3DS would actually help me

My Nintendo 3DS

along in my writing? In addition to it’s internet browser, and plethora of apps, there is a program called “Game Notes” – which I have found to be invaluable in the past few months. My latest writing project has produced a variety of random ideas which beg to jotted down immediately. If I feel the idea slipping away, faster than my hand can write, I record it on the 3DS Sound Program, essentially explaining the idea to myself when I need to recall it later.

My Blog – Although I don’t traditionally use my blog for storing ideas regarding fictional mediums, I do find it imperative for allocating my blog ideas for dates that I am lacking in creativity. In the drafts section of my dashboard I find this solace, and there I store my many brainstorms – good and bad, for potential future use or deletion.

My Notebooks – In the area of stationaries, I am certainly not lacking! And, in the long run, they are definitively the most vital in recording my thoughts and conveying bursts of inspiration, especially those which make themselves out to be quite lengthy. I’ve written entire manuscripts in my notebooks, and I can always return to them when I wish to review, with a hint of nostalgia, how my writing has exponentially developed. Unlike a computer, they cannot crash or catch viruses, though I can certainly lose them! This is why I store the majority of my idea-books on a shelf in my bedroom, easily found and kept track of, even with my INFP unorganized personality.

My Computer – Aside from my blog, I tend to use computers as an archive of my thought processes. Generally for the purpose of temporarily storing and printing out my final drafts (which find their way to my suitcase – if I don’t give in to my unorganized tendencies)

My Mind - The most unreliable finds itself to be my first and last resort. When I have an idea, I make certain to record it into one of the above mediums, but if I (for some odd reason) find myself without, then I attempt to store it in my brain by memorization. “Make the character do this… Make the character do this… Make the character do this… What did I want the character to do again? Oh yes! Make the character do this…” Even though I have a keen memory, I don’t always maintain the best concentration when other, more important thoughts, bring themselves to center stage.

What is Your Writing Box?

Do you rely on the ole’ noggin, or go digital with an iTouch, iPad, Droid, or other high-end technologies? Whatever the case, I most certainly agree with Shari Lopatin- keeping a writing box (or boxes), in it’s many forms, altogether calls for and develops observation, authorial solidification, unique perspectives, annihilating boredom, instills importance, literary diversity, and a most fun experience (most certainly instead of fumbling around for an idea you have hopelessly forgotten).

If you don’t have one and you call yourself a writer – get one! You won’t regret it. My idea boxes have helped me to grow and mature as a writing, fine tuning my skills by learning from my mistakes and gain innovative perspective and experience. Inspiration may strike from the slightest of ideas, and by writing one down, you may find yourself one day with a bestselling novel in your hands.

Shifting into High Gear

Image by colemama via Flickr

Lately I’ve been somewhat restless – sure I’ve gotten my sleep at night, but I’ve been itching to do something – in literary terms. I’ve been wanting to get back to my writing and finally finish one of my many “work-in-progress” novels, then get it published – no matter how long it takes. I suppose it’s the lack of momentum that is keeping me in a rut, and to truly achieve the momentum needed, I have to get back to writing each day.

My first big-time writing project sprouted from an idea I had in 8th Grade, as well as a short story I drafted for a school assignment about the same time. After working on it for years, I finally ended the story back in 2010 or late 2009, though it was without much satisfaction – considering it didn’t meet up to the standards I wanted it to. My second project, and the one I wish to resume, was originally released as serials on InheritanceForums.com,  which I discovered was most likely my best work of the time. After releasing a few serials, I stopped posting them on the website and made a quick choice to turn it into a novel. To this day I only have about 10 pages or so written of it, not including the various chapters I’ve drafted here and there – then tossed when they didn’t seem to suit the tone I was trying to create. Next, next week I hope to officially take on this project with a full-throttle, one-way, nonstop perspective. Then we’ll see where I go from there.

As for blogging! I may post occasional updates as to my writing pursuits, although I’ll mainly be posting reviews for Scorpia Rising, the Nintendo 3DS, and finally catching up on the Weekly Photo Challenge.

Thanks for reading!

DP: If you could bring one fictional character to life for a day…

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If you could bring one fictional character to life for a day, who would you choose?

Quite like one of the prompts I came up with a while ago – and it’s quite a fun topic to answer!

Jason Bourne would be an interesting character to bring to life, though a bit difficult to fit into our society – what with his compulsive need to engage in scenes of intense action.

Or better yet, Sherlock Holmes, with his acute deductive reasoning – and inclination towards the complex, he would be the perfect man to bring into the 21st Century, and a help to the police force, to be sure. Although this subject has been explored by many unofficial Sherlock Holmes authors and scriptwriters, it will be officially explored in a novel by Anthony Horowitz quite soon – one I’m certainly looking forward to!

Photography Prompts

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The Weekly Photo Challenge has been a welcome asset to my blog as of late, and I’ve decided to develop a few topics of my own.
-Darkness & Light
-Instinct
-Perspective
-Irony
-Humanity
-Nature
-Exclamation
-Joyous
-Illuminate
-Universal
-Discovery
-Fantasy
-Treacherous
-Scrumptious

DP: What’s your hidden talent?

Image by doug88888 via Flickr

Ironically enough, it’s writing. When I wrote a miniature play, which I hope to expand one day, the teacher it was presented to seemed quite surprised, and gave me one immediate line of feedback, “Never stop writing.” And as you can see with this Post-a-Day challenge, there’s no chance of that happening!

Writing is an amazing art – it’s on the opposite side of the spectrum with calculations and proofs, and may seem a bit unruly to a person who rather favors that spectrum, but for a writer… it’s really something magical. Having words flow out of you, and watching a story unfold. Seeing characters come to life, a world come to fruition, and a beautiful literary legacy, even if it never goes beyond your study (room, My Documents folder, etc.), unfold, is something to behold. Again it is so with poetry, though one may dare turn it into a calculation-game,  it unravels the eternal, divinely established beauty of the imagination, and tears away the barriers of ordinary life.

That is why I write, and that’s my hidden talent.

Standing Up to Writer’s Block II

Here’s an even greater compilation of prompts than before, including the topics from the previous list, and the updates that were made thereof.

1. Write about your life’s biggest adventure.
2. Write about your top ten hobbies – elaborating on each.
3. Write an interview between you and someone else.
4. Write about the most interesting conversation you’ve ever had (and can remember).
5. Write a review on the best movie you have ever seen.
6. Write your own step-by-step process to blog fame.
7. What is the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen? (e.g. Paris: The Eiffel Tower at Sunset, your well-furnished backyard, etc.)
8. Write about your life from the eyes of another person.
9. A Day in Another’s Shoes: Write about what it would be like to live a life in drastically different conditions than yours. (e.g. In poverty, in great wealth, as royalty, as a news broadcaster, etc.)
10. Write a brief poem (a minimum of 100 words – afterall, this is WordPress) about your day today.
11. The Best Thing I Ever Ate… Just like the TV show, describe the best thing you’ve ever eaten. Don’t forget to include all the mouth-watering details, and having your readers come back for seconds!

12. Write about one of your biggest social blunders, the likes of which you tend to share, or be reminded of, among friends and family.
13. Write a Q&A on a subject you specialize in.
14. What woulld your dream life look like?
15. What would world peace look like?
16. Write about an important figure in history who has drastically changed the way you personally live – for the better.
17. Share your favorite food or drink recipe with your readers – whether you have made it yourself, or at the expense of another.
18. Envision what your life will look like 5 years from now. Any drastic changes? Big achievements? Notable actions?
+10 years
+20 years
+30 years
19. If you were the President/Leader/King, what would you do?
20. If you had a talk show on TV, what would you do? Who would you invite?

21. If you could purchase anything (donations included as a “purchase”), all funds provided at no catch or condition, what would it be?
22. If you could visit any country in the world, expenses aside, where would it be?
23. If you owned a massive, multi-billion dollar frachise, what would be the company’s primary focus?
24. Write your favorite quote and what it means to you.
25. Blog about something (or a subject) you’ve NEVER blogged about before
26. If you could have anyone view your blog, who would it be? (e.g. Your favorite teacher, Harry Potter, Leonardo DiCaprio, etc.)

Here’s some more [topics that "specialize in the ridiculous"] a friend and I thought up:
27. If you could pilot any vehicle, what would it be? (Gundams and Death Star included)
28. Did you read about a character that met a tragic end, much to your distaste? How would change the storyline if you were the writer?
29. If you could have any EPIC super power, what would it be?
30. Which two beings would create the most epic duel-to-the-death scenario?
31. What kind of office supply would you be, and why? (e.g. “I’d be like a rubber band because you can only stretch me so far before I snap, a blank paper waiting for ideas, etc.)

32. If your life was a play/movie, which actors would you choose to play the main characters?

33. If you could go back in time and redo any moment in your life, which moment would that be, and why?

34. What is your opinion regarding the End of the World? Is it all just superstition, or does some of the hysteria ring true?

35. If you could develop a video game, what would it be about? And through which company would you work?

36. What is your dream job? Have you achieved it?

37. What is the WORST thing you’ve ever eaten? Or alternatively, what would younever eat? [e.g. raw snail]

38. If you could start your own country, what would it be called?

+ What would its infrastructure (economic basis) be based upon?
+ How would you “fuel” your nation? Would you go Eco-Friendly, or the way of Oil?

39. If you could spend the day with any fictional character (from movies, books, video games, etc.) who or what would it be and what would you do?

40. If you could visit any fictional realm (e.g. The world of Narnia), which would it be and why?

The Magic Behind Post-A-Day 2011

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There is a certain magic behind the Post-A-Day & Post-A-Week challenges. They have the potential, when utilized correctly, to expand the limits of your writing abilities – sharpening them into a fine, masterful point. They ignite the creative spark within their participants mind, and bring dormant flames rising out of the ashes of Writer’s Block and closed minds.

As I’ve participated in the Post-A-Day 2011 challenge, I’ve discovered that inspiration has become easier to attain. By a constant habit of meeting deadlines – day after day and week after week, I’ve driven a stake through the common writer’s ditch of procrastination, and taken on an increasingly forward approach to my writing.

Listed below are four tips to help get you the most out of your Post-A-Day and Post-A-Week challenges:

1. Don’t settle for the minimum – if you’re in Post A Week, make a full-fledged attempt at posting each day, without putting it off, that way you may just find yourself coming closer and closer to a Post A Day mindset of consistency.
2. Don’t by afraid to make extra posts, especially if you’re participating in the Post A Day challenge. This will provide the maximum writing workout you’re looking for.
3. Store up acorns for the winter! Record any and all ideas you have for your blog in your drafts, and return to them frequently for necessary revisions and elaborations. This will aid in keeping you up with your goals, even when you may be running short on time.
4. Pre-heat the Oven: Many of the best recipes out there require you to pre-heat your oven, and so too may it prove useful, even essential, to set some of your completed drafts on auto-publish. This is especially handy when you’re going on a vacation or business trip where you may or may not be able to update and fully manage your blog. You can set drafts to publish day after day at the same time, or mix it up a little if you so desire.

Essay Writing: Down to a Science

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Middle School – High School – College – Critiquing. What do all these establishments of education, or the exercise of attained ability thereof, have in common? They typically all require essay writing. In the case of Middle School, it may be something small and requiring proper grammar and spelling, rather than content. In High School you soon discover that content is what matters, and writing goes from being a science to an art. In college it may go either way, and when it comes to critiquing, you enter a different territory altogether.

As I’ve participated in Post-A-Day 2011, I’ve found myself writing more and more reviews. In fact, what was once focused primarily on movie reviews has come to encompass books, music, video games, MMORPG’s, manga, food, and various other mediums of culture.

Yet how does one go about writing a review? What about on a regular basis? If you do not have a set standard for review writing, you may find yourself lost in the process with almost no hope of getting back out without encountering the dreaded Writer’s Block. It is however, a relief to realize that many writer’s and bloggers alike develop their systems automatically, whether through practice or spontaneity, some invisible literary thread is formed – a thread which provides the foundation for many critiques in the future.

For those unacquainted with writing critiques, or interested in an alternative style of writing, I’ve provided the basic outline (that are many variants) that I personally follow below:

1. Entitle your critique, whether with the movie’s name, or a related tag-line.

2. Summarize the wonder – or lack thereof. Give your readers a glimpse into what you’ll be discussing. If the movie was a sequel, did it live up to its predecessors? Elaborate upon some minor details – such as the superb graphics (or cheap, low-budget filming), or other such details, without giving to much away. This is your catch – where you’ll be drawing in your reader.

3. Quotes can make a difference. At this point, you may want to add a quote as I did in my Secretariat review. It gives the reader additional information about the movie, and serves as an introduction to the plot.

4. Go over the movie. Your readers may or may not be acquainted with the movie and/or the series, so don’t be afraid to briefly outline the plot. Describe significant points in the film, and leave your summary at a cliff hanger, so as to avoid spoiling the film for potentially interested movie-goers.

5. Diagnose the Patient. What made the movie an enjoyable one, or one of the worst you’d ever seen? Elaborate, and build upon your points with proof - mentioning various sections of the movie where you noticed such fantastic “filmsmanship” or lackluster.

6. Moralistic & Philosophical Aspects. Here you may get into the nitty-gritty.

Image via CrunchBase

If the film had a deep, philosophical contemplation wrapped up in its story, feel free to share! However, keep your leaders tracking along with you by using layman’s terms, as opposed to textbook terminology. If you’d like to be like Common Sense - describe if the content was appropriate or not. Or if you’d like to go in the direction of Christian movie review website, PluggedIn, then describe religious aspects and contradictions. Also, was there a moral to the story? Or something you gleaned from it? Describe it!

7. Get personal. Identify a potential audience for the film, who should and/or should not go see it? Before now you should have given some idea of the film’s genre, now consolidate it.

8. Make your finale. Conclude with your overall thesis statement, you may choose to incorporate #6 here as well.