Writing prompt – colourful vegetables
No Comments »14th August, 2013; Category: Poetry, Short Fiction, Short Stories, Short Story Starters, Writing prompts
Vegetables on sale at a farmers’ market in Morocco
A few years ago my wife, daughter and I travelled through magical Morocco for two wonderful weeks. One of the places we visited was the village of Sefrou which is about 30km from the city of Fes. It was one highlight in 14 days filled with many highlights. You can read more about my journeys on another site I write for: Trevor’s Travels (click here).
On our visit to Sefrou we wandered through the local farmers’ markets, featured in today’s photo above. Farmers from the surrounding districts had brought in their produce for sale, set up on stalls in the streets, squares and lanes of the town. The locals crowded into the cramped spaces buying up delicious looking vegetables and fruits. We bought some yummy bananas and mandarins as a treat. Other fruits included oranges, apples, dates and many more. The vegetable range was even more diverse, with tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, silver beet, cauliflower, capsicum, beans, cucumber and much more.
The displays, like that shown in today’s photo above, were colourful and inviting.
Writing prompts:
Here are some ideas for writing. Use these prompts as an exercise in warming up your writing at the start of the day, or perhaps even as the start of a short story or poem.
- Describe the scene shown in the photo above.
- Imagine being one of the vendors shown in the photo. Describe what you are feeling.
- Write a short story from the point of view of a young child lost in the marketplace.
- Tell the story of the journey from the farm to the home of the buyer. Try it from the point of view of the farmer – or perhaps even a vegetable.
- Write a poem describing the sounds, colours and smells of the market.
- Write about how you would feel if you had no money and was starving and you saw the above scene.
Good writing.
Your dream of being a published author and things you should give up
Most writers dream of being published.
That’s a given. Sure, there are a few people who just love to write with no intention of getting published. That’s fine. I have written many things which will never reach another reader in my lifetime. An example of this is my private journal. I use this to record events in my life, reflecting on how these events have shaped and influenced me. This journal is just for me but it might be read in the future by my children or even my grandchildren, but I doubt if they will have the stamina.
Getting back to my theory that most writers dream of being published I realise that many aspiring writers will inevitably be disappointed. It is a tough gig and getting tougher to break into the established publishing world. Ironically it is also becoming easier – if you consider blogs and ebooks. That is a topic for another day.
Some unpublished writers love the idea of having written. They dream about someday writing a book. The problem is – they don’t realise the effort it takes to write a book. It takes enormous discipline and single-mindedness to finish a book. My latest children’s novel went through 17 drafts. Significant portions of it were rewritten many times. Large slabs were written – only to be deleted later. Most people don’t have that sort of patience. Mind you – I had some help in the discipline side of things. The novel was for my Masters degree and I had two supervisors gently pushing me along, not to mention an insistent wife.
If you want to be a published writer you have to do two things: read widely and write daily.
That’s it.
Oh, I forgot… those two steps may take you five or ten or twenty years – or even a lifetime before you see your name in print.
But, I hear you cry – I don’t have the time to do that. So the only solution is to make the time. You can’t be a published writer with a string of publishing credits if you spend five hours a day watching television. It won’t happen. In fact, there are many things you will have to sacrifice to be successful as a writer. An article I read recently lists 7 things to give up so you have more time to write. The author makes some great points, but for me I’d add several more:
- Severely control how often you access social media. They will suck the time out of your day.
- Sacrifice some sleeping time. On a cold winter’s morning it may be tempting to sleep in. Don’t.
- Housework. Sure, some housework must be given attention, but would you rather have a reasonably clean home and be published – or a spotless home and nothing written.
I’m sure you can think of time and energy thieves in your life.
Further reading:
Writing while sick
A week or so ago I wrote here how I had been overtaken by sickness. I am steadily improving from my recent bout of bronchitis but it has taken over six weeks of my life. During that time I have struggled to do any writing at all. Even catching up on reading has been difficult.
Life is on the improve, however, and this week I have managed to write quite a few blog posts here and on my other sites (Trevor’s Birding and Trevor’s Travels). These articles I have scheduled to appear here and on the other sites over the coming weeks. Once I have enough scheduled for a few weeks I can then concentrate slabs of time on other writing projects. Clearing the deck, so to speak. Strategic planning. Forward thinking.
Sickness can be quite a problem for writers. You don’t get paid on the days off. There are no sickness benefits or sick leave days available. Suck it up and get over it. This is a dilemma when the illness drags on for weeks or even months rather than days. Earlier this week my attention was drawn to an article called “Writing while sick“. Some good advice there so it’s worth a read. I’ll wait here until you get back.
Good writing – and may your life be filled with good health.
Writing prompt – what is this man’s story?
No Comments »7th August, 2013; Category: Fiction, Short Fiction, Short Story Starters, Writing prompts
Old blacksmith in the village of Sefrou, Morocco
One of the benefits of travelling is meeting interesting people. This is true wherever you go, but I have found it especially so when travelling to exotic and beguiling places like Morocco. On our visit to the village of Sefrou near Fes we met this 85 year old blacksmith, still happily working away at repairing farmers’ tools. He was very happy with his life’s work and, despite his age, intended to continue with his important trade.
Writing prompt:
Write a fictional story about this man and the life he may have lived. Imagine the changes he may have seen in his lifetime, and what has remained the same. Perhaps include some heartaches, disappointments and also the joys of his life. Your main character doesn’t have to be a blacksmith, nor does he have to live in Morocco. Over to you.
Good writing.
Moroccan blacksmith
Let the birds inspire you
Sun Conure, Adelaide Zoo, South Australia
I have to admit that birds inspire me. Not only do I write regularly about them on my site Trevor’s Birding, I also use every opportunity to get out into the the garden or the surrounding bushland to watch and photograph birds. I also enjoy visiting various zoos around Australia. Some of these, like my home zoo in Adelaide, have walk through aviaries which make the photography of birds a little less challenging, and often very rewarding.
Because of my love of our many wonderful birds here in Australia I have found myself writing frequently about them, not just on my birding site. I have written dozens of poems about them as well as featuring them in short stories and in my novels. Somehow, some of them always creep in – almost uninvited. As a spin-off from my writing and photography I also get many requests to be a guest speaker, showing my bird photos to community groups. Publishers now send me books about birds to review which is a delightful bonus.
Birds can be inspiring to everyone. Even if you are not as obsessive about them as I am, I’d recommend that you take time out to not only smell the roses, but to also watch the birds. If you lack bird life in your neighbourhood, seek out a nearby park, lake, swamp, zoo, river or seashore. Sit and watch the birds going about their daily activities. Let their beauty inspire you. You may find that just being near these wonderful creatures is enough to refresh you for your next writing session. You don’t have to even write about them.
Good writing.
Red-collared Lorikeets, Adelaide Zoo, South Australia