Month: September 2025

Write a Fall Haiku

Writing prompts for setting

My last Monday Spark for this month is to write a fall haiku, something you love about the season. If you’re unfamiliar with the form of poetry that’s haiku, it’s a three line poem. The first line is 5 syllables, the second is 7 and the third is 5. It usually doesn’t rhyme and often describes something in nature, but if your favorite part of fall is getting a pumpkin spice latte at your local coffee shop, then write a haiku about that. Here’s mine:

For a brief moment,

The woods catch fire, but you can

Leap into the flames.

Share your haiku in the comments.

Here are more writing prompts about fall.

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How to Write about Rivers in Our Stories

Writing tips on setting

This is a repost for a few years ago. For the past nineteen years, we have lived across a road from a river and a creek that flows into it. The change that rivers bring to any locations make it a wonderful setting for almost any story. Below are some ideas and tips on how to write about rivers in our stories.

Crossing Rivers

Crossing rivers throughout history and literature is a sure sign of an irrevocable decision or event–Caesar crossing the Rubicon, the Israelites crossing the Jordan, the dead in Greek mythology crossing the River Styx. Once the river is crossed, there is no going back. (Fortunately, that hasn’t been the fate of my family. We cross back and forth all the time, but we’re not a future dictator, ancient Hebrews, or mythological characters.)

If a character is trying to leave the past behind, crossing a river can be sign of not looking back. Or the opposite can be true. A character crosses a river as a symbol of going to confront something from her past. 

A river can also be a symbol of an obstacle or barrier in the character’s life. When he crosses it, it means he can now conquer the situation.

Flowing Rivers

The flow of our river during different seasons brings all kinds of change with it. In the winter, when there’s a thaw, the river can rise many feet. In the summer, when it’s low, we never know what we might find. These changes can symbolize changes in the main character’s life. A suddenly high river or flooding river can symbolize danger or an overwhelming emotion. A low river can show that a character’s life is drying up, without vitality. 

I always find time spent on the river and creek, away from the routine demands of living, refreshing to my soul. So the river can be a refuge. When it isn’t flooding.

Rivers in Mysteries

A river is a very handy natural feature in mysteries. An unusually low river can reveal the body of a long-lost person. A fast river can sweep away evidence. In A Storm of Doubts, I used rising waters of a flooded creek to add drama to my climax and complicate a rescue.

.Here are more tips on how to explore settings in our stories.

How would you write about rivers in your stories? What book has used a river effectively?

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What Questions Does This Setting Inspire?

Photo prompts for writing settings

When you first consider a setting for a story, it should prompt questions. That’s what I love about this photo prompt. What’s going on here? Has the room been ransacked in a search? It doesn’t look messy enough for that. But who would place papers all over the floor? Who is the woman? The owner? The ransacker? A neighbor concerned about the owner? Or a cop called to a strange crime scene? What questions does this setting inspire? And what are your answers?

Here are more photo prompt for writing settings.

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My Video Interview

My Video interview with Kathy J. Perry

I’m interrupting my regularly scheduled writing tip today to post my video interview with children’s and YA author Kathy J. Perry. Kathy invited me to discuss JPC Allen Writes and the posts on writing tips and prompts I’ve provided here since 2016. We also talk about the research I do for my mysteries and how the old TV show Columbo inspired one of my short stories. Enjoy my whole interview below for a peek behind the curtain at the stories behind my stories. I promise–it’s isn’t scary!

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Suggest a Story for This Setting

Writing prompts for setting

One thing I love about exploring a new setting for a story is the way it can inspire characters and plots. Although writers often discuss those three elements as if they are distinct, they all feed into each other. So let your imagination wander and suggest a story for this setting. Do you want to decide the genre first? Historical fiction would have different characters than a fantasy. Or maybe it’s a contemporary story. An archaeological expedition is working in the castle, which hasn’t been inhabited in centuries. That could lead to a mystery, thriller, or suspense story. Or a romance between two people on the dig. Maybe there are rival dig teams. Here’s my inspiration:

*****

  • Genre: Mystery
  • Setting: An archaeology dig at a remote castle in Eastern Europe.
  • Characters: Professor leading the dig. Two graduate students who are his assistants. The undergrads who make up the bulk of the team. The government official who has given them permission to dig. Local people from the nearby village–farmers, shopkeepers, maybe a mayor.
  • Plot: After digging for a month, the archaeological team has found nothing significant. Although a few locals don’t like the team studying the castle, most of them like the business the outsiders bring. Then accidents occur at the site. Finally a body of a local who objected to the dig is discovered. Was it another accident? And if it was murder, why?

*****

In the comments, list your genre, setting, main characters, and basic plot. I’d love to read how the picture inspires you!

Here are more photo prompts for writing settings.

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