Putting down on paper exactly what you want to share, being specific, is an easy way to bring more depth or color to your writing. Instead of tree, tell the reader what kind of tree. Instead of flower, give the reader a rose, a carnation, a lily. The reader will see, and smell and feel the difference. What kind of dog? Boxer, bulldog, jack russel terrier, shar pei or mutt. Show them. Let the reader see the furniture; chaise lounge, broken wooden stool, over-stuffed sofa. There are times when a basic word is all you need, but think about how you are painting a picture for the reader.

Let me show you what I’m talking about. Let’s start with a basic sentence:

The dog ran across the grass to the woman under the tree.

You could make a simple change to:

The beagle sprinted across the grass to Elizabeth who was standing under the pine tree.

Or you might try:

The white poodle skittered across the tight green grass to her owner who was sitting in a pale pink tennis skirt under the shade of a giant oak.

Or maybe:

The bullmastiff lumbered across the dry grass and up to a frail woman who was sitting on a wooden bench. He nuzzled her hand with his muzzle, and leaving her raincoat wet with drool, waddled over and peed on the stump of an old cedar.

These aren’t perfect, but I hope you can see how being more specific can draw a totally different picture?

For today’s writing prompts, let’s give it a try…

WRITING PROMPT 1: Use the example above, the dog ran across the grass to the woman under the tree, and write one or two examples of your own being specific.

WRITING PROMPT 2: Choose your own basic sentence to expand upon.

WRITING PROMPT 3: Samantha was learning to be more […]

Sometimes I want to do a quick free write, so I keep it simple. I grab the nearest book, open it up and put my finger down on the page. The first word I read is my starting point. Right now the closest book to me is The Everything Learning German Book (I’m working on learning more than just Hallo and Auf Wiedersehen). The word my finger hit is ALONE. Had it been a German word, I would have used that as my starting point. Occasionally I pick one or two more words to use as well. Do whatever feels right, just WRITE!

Another simple way to find a writing prompt is to act like a three-year-old and look around the room and then pick out an item that speaks to you. For example, looking across my kitchen right now, I see my daughter’s cactus sitting in the windowsill. I have been babysitting it since she left to Taiwan a year and a half ago. She has stayed there because Covid19 is controlled in that country and she can live safely. Not only does that plump little cactus make a good story all it’s own, I now feel all sorts of stories ready to escape.

Don’t make it hard on yourself, pick out a word or an object, and just sit down and write.

WRITING PROMPT 1: Choose a word (or two or three) from a book or magazine, and write.

WRITING PROMPT 2: Look around you, what object speaks to you? Use that object as a starting point and write.

WRITING PROMPT 3: Jasmine set her book, The Great Pretenders, down, looked around her room and…