100k in 100 days – Prompts – Day One

And we’re off folks!  Happy New Year.

100k in 100 days starts today and here are a few prompts to get those juices flowing. Some are just to get you started, others are lines from poems etc, which you can interpret anyway you wish. It’s up to you, but I suggest you start off light today (after all, you’ll all be getting over your New Year hangovers!).

If you don’t have anything particular planned, I suggest you use some of the brainstorming exercises. As long as the writing is creative, you can still count it towards your 100k, even if you don’t have a finished article, story or poem. I’m trying to make the prompts suit all types of writing, but you can use them anyway you please.

Do share your own prompts in the comments, as I’ll probably need them! After today the prompts will appear at 8am GMT every day.

Prompts for 1st January 2012

1) Start an article, story, poem or chapter with the line: It all began on New Year’s Day.

2) If you own an ipod or MP3 player with the shuffle mode, switch it on and write an article, story, poem or chapter inspired by the 1st song that plays (no cheating and fast forwarding to a song you prefer. If it’s Agadoo, then it’s just too bad!)

3) On your telly, bring up the movie listings. Write something based on the title of a film that’s showing at noon in your time zone today. (don’t worry if the film has started earlier as long as it’s on at noon, it doesn’t matter). If you’re writing later in the day and the listings are no longer available, pick a movie that’s showing at noon tomorrow.

4) Set a timer and for 10 minutes just write first sentences. Try to write as many sentences as you can within that 10 minutes. When the time is up, write something that begins with the first sentence that intrigues you the most (can be a story, poem, article or chapter of a book).

5) Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay…

6) Pick an object in the room in which you sit and write 1000 words inspired by it. Can be fiction or non-fiction.

7)

Write something inspired by this picture of an old bus

8) Pick a book from your bookcase (or better still get a partner or housemate to do it for you) and look at page 50, line 10. Write something inspired by that line.

9) Indeed the Idols I have loved so long

Have done my credit in this World much wrong: 

Have drown’d my Glory in a shallow Cup

And sold my Reputation for a Song.

10)

Write about the woman in this painting