“Asking for advice about what you should write is a little like asking for help getting dressed. I can tell you what I think looks good, but you have to wear it. And as every fashion victim knows, very few people look good in everything. But in my experience, a writer gravitates toward a certain form or genre because, like a well-made jacket, it suits him.” – Betsy Lerner; The Forest for the Trees.

What is your genre? Do you know? Write a paragraph or two about the genre you are most comfortable writing in.

For this week’s prompt, have a character develop a pretend relationship. That is, the character may pretend to be in a relationship with a fake person (who may live in another country or just always be gone when people ask about them). Or the character pretends the real person in the relationship is someone else.

Imagine a scene with a senior citizen walking into an alley in a small town. The oldster is confronted by a gang of teenagers. You can take this scene in a predictable way or find a twist to make it unique and surprise your readers – maybe even yourself.

Why is he or she in the alley? Is she or he in a disguise? Why is the gang there? What does the gang do? Are they from the small town too? Do they know the senior citizen? Is it day or night? Rainy or snowy or dry? Is this a dark story, a morality tale, a funny fable? Let your imagination fly. Then write it in with a different ending – change the narrative, change the point of view. Work those creative muscles.

John Claude Bemis (a writer and instructor) recently spoke of lessons on crafting an unforgettable story. His advice is to “be wild” with your ideas. Let your idea be simple and unusual. Think of something you would normally never consider writing about. Write down that idea and create at least two paragraphs on that very unique subject–for you at least!

A woman has a secret thinking spot on the roof of a nearby building. When she goes there after learning she lost her job, she discovers someone sitting there.

Examples: a homeless person with two items and seems desperate.

A friend or family member not seen for a long time.

A businessman in an expensive suit, a five o’clock shadow, white shirt unbuttoned and he is holding his tie.

Santa Claus

Or anyone else that comes to mind.

Think of three people you know. Pick out their most outstanding characteristic and combine these traits into one character. Write about this character on a sailboat with his wife.

I once read that even when a writer doesn’t have a pen in hand or a keyboard to use, he or she is creating sentences in their head, observing life around them, such as an argument in a grocery store, two young lovers kissing in the most unusual settings, or the recent and controversial interviews with Prince Harry. A story is being formed. The author says, “All is fodder.” Every situation you experience can begin in your mind, then released to become your next writing. What fodder grabs you—conversations, walking a country road, a Broadway play? Write about it. You might be surprised.