Ignite

An inspiration blog for fiction writers

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untitled by Letícia Cruxen on Flickr.

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Structure your story by setting it inside one weekend. What occurs all within Friday through Sunday?

From The Writer's Idea Book by Jack Heffron

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Write a scene where your character does not appear. Instead, other characters are talking about them. How do they portray him/her to each other?

From The Writer's Idea Book by Jack Heffron

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Think about a wild coincidence, whether from your life of made up. Develop the incident with necessary background info and specific info. Fictionalize it, and use it as the opener of a new piece.

From The Writer’s Idea Book by Jack Heffron

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Write about longing by comparing it to place. What place seems to evoke longing?

From The Writer's Idea Book by Jack Heffron

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Write about a time when your character did something hurtful but did not feel guilty about it.

From The Writer's Idea Book by Jack Heffron

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Write a letter describing your neighborhood/city/town/state from the POV of a character who just arrived there. What do they notice? What do they want to tell others about?

From The Writer's Idea Book by Jack Heffron

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Have your character describe their childhood home (or other important location.) Draw out where certain objects were placed, where certain things happened.

From The Writer's Idea Book by Jack Heffron

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Tell a family story, one that gets passed around at holiday dinners more often than the gravy boat. Have your character retell this story to the readers.

From The Writer's Idea Book by Jack Heffron

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Your character is thinking about someone they cared about/admired very much, but they don't appeal to them anymore. How did this disillusionment occur?

From The Writer's Idea Book by Jack Heffron

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Create two or three characters from facets of your personality and put them in a car together. Who drives? Who navigates? Give them a topic of conversation.

From The Writer's Idea Book by Jack Heffron

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Write a piece of flash fiction entitled "The Entire History of You"

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Your character runs in to someone they haven't seen in a very long time. They're very different now from how your character imagined they'd be. What's happened to them since last they met?

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Two people meet in a waiting room. Write a scene where you gradually reveal what kind of waiting room they’re in, and why each of them are there.

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I need a prompt to help me write a short story about a sycophant (a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important to gain advantage) please help I'm have a major writers block and I have to finish this by tomorrow! I'm begging you please!

Hmm okay.

If you haven’t already, think about what setting these two people are in. Are they coworkers in an office? Or roommates in the same apartment? Teacher and student? Two friends? Two competitors? Then decide what does the sycophant want and why do they want it so badly? Are they innocent desires (wanting a promotion, wanting to placate the other person) or are they a little more selfish (are they trying to gain information, gain their trust, or maybe they’re trying to repair their own reputation?) I hope these questions will help your gears turn!

Hope I got to it soon enough, best of luck! let us know how it goes xxM

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Think about something that you don't like doing, or you feel bad at.

Then write from a character that loves to do that thing more than anything else.

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Pick a proverb or fable that you think your character would find meaning in. Then write a conversation where they try explain the meaning to somebody else.