Category: Monday Sparks

What Mystery Could Take Place Here?

What mystery could take place here?

What mystery could take place here? I’m using this photo for my first Monday Sparks this month because my theme is mysteries, and this building was the inspiration for the abandoned home in my latest Rae Riley mystery, A Riddle in the Lonesome October. At least, I think it is.

Let me explain. When I was learning to drive, my dad would often direct me to drive into the most rural parts of our county, Belmont County, Ohio. I remember on a spring evening seeing an abandoned building. My dad thought it was the county children’s home. In my mind, I always remembered that building sitting by itself in a lonely field.

Fast forward several decades. I used my memory of the home as a setting in my first Rae Riley mystery, “A Rose from the Ashes”. When I returned to Belmont County three years ago for a library program, I tried to find the abandoned children’s home. This building in the photo is not the way I remembered it. But as I drove the route Dad and I used to take, I didn’t find any other candidates. The building in reality sits much closer to the road and is much bigger than I remembered. So either my imagination changed the building, or I didn’t find the right one.

Either way, this building presents a lot of potential for crime fiction. What mystery could be take place here?

Here are more writing prompts for mysteries.

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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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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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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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How Does the Character Fit the Setting?

Certain settings suggest certain characters. So my writing prompts today is to ask how does the character fit the setting in this picture? When I first saw it, the sinister vibe caught me, and I immediately thought the character was a Victorian villain–like Mr. Hyde is about to have a really violent night on the town.

But I always like to go against stereotypes. It occurred to me that the way the character is overlooking the city reminds me of pictures of Batman. What if he’s a Victorian Batman? No superhuman skills. Just a man who’s trained himself to fight crime. He could even be a reformed crook who knows the underworld of London so well that he can fight it better than the police.

How would you fit the character to this setting?

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