Tag: Writing ideas

What’s the Mystery Behind the Fire?

Mystery writing prompts

I’m reposting this photo prompt because the inspiration it gave me for the beginning of a story is one of my favorites. What’s the mystery behind the fire? Here’s what I wrote six years ago:

*****

Even though me and Jace stood like a football field away, we could still feel the heat of the fire that ate up the caretaker’s building in the Union Cemetery.

Lots of people had come into the cemetery to watch: Father Mihalic, Mrs. Hudson, who worked as a janitor at our school, mean, old Mr. Olsen, Mayor Coleman, some other kids on their way to the middle school.

Jace elbowed me. “Did you see the mayor?”

“I ain’t blind. Nobody can miss him.”

He was closer than anybody to the fire, except the firefighters, walking fast, back and forth, shouting if they were sure Mr. Delaney hadn’t been in the building.

“Mayor Coleman’s acting real upset,” said Jace. “Do you think he’s scared he killed Mr. Delaney when he set fire to the place?”

I tried to remember what we’d seen in the early dawn when we’d left the house because Dad had finally come home. 

I shook my head. “I think he’s scared he didn’t.”

*****

What mystery does the photo inspire for you?

Here are more mystery writing prompts.

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Writing Inspiration from Photography

writing inspiration from photography

Since my amateur sleuth, Rae Riley, is an amateur photographer, I had to include a prompt about writing inspiration from photography.

I’ve always loved photography, so it was easy to create a main character with that love. Her passion gives my amateur detective an eye for detail, which is important for anyone investigating a crime. Because I write Rae Riley Mysteries in first person POV, her interest in photography also allows me to create vivid descriptions which are within character.

I’ve used photography for my writing in other ways like taking photos of wildflowers so I know which ones are blooming in the which season and capturing landscapes that I can use for future settings.

Like the one I took of the river by my house one evening in March.

I haven’t taken photos of interesting faces I see. I think that would be intrusive, but I have gained inspiration from characters scrolling through portraits on Pixabay.

What writing inspiration have you found in photography?

For more tips and prompts from this month of using other arts in our writing, click here.

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Write the First Lines for this Scene

Write the first lines of this scene

My last photo prompt for this month’s theme of beginnings is to write the first lines for this scene from the point of view of one of the people in the photo. Whom do you choose? The woman? The young man beside her or the one with a satchel? Here’s my inspiration:

I started as a young guy with a mask slipped his arm around my waist. “Pretend you know me.” He whispered. “It’s a matter of life and death.”

Mine or his?

I pulled away, but his dark eyes above the mask caught mine. They didn’t look like they belonged to a creep on the hunt. They looked scared.

For more prompts to begin a story, click here.

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Behind-the-Scenes Story for this Photo

Behind the scenes story for this photo

Here’s another prompt for a Christmas scene. After taking the Christmas photo of our kids for sixteen years, I know there’s a story behind this cute photo. If you think of a behind-the-scenes story for this photo, drop it in the comments. Here’s mine.

As soon as I looked up from the viewfinder, my youngest niece Ava burst into giggles, jumping up and down.

“Let me see.” My older sister Jessica brushed me out of the way and looked at the view screen.

“Are we almost done?’ whined Olivia. “I’m cold.”

The oldest, Evelyn, had the weary expression that came from living with my sister for seven years. She knew we might be here for another hour. I gave her a sympathetic smile and she returned one.

“Is Olivia squinting?” Jessica turned to me. “I think she’s squinting in all the pictures from this last set.”

“But they’re all smiling and looking in the right direction.” I wanted to add that she couldn’t expect perfection, but I’d given up on that argument about ten years ago.

“Yes, but the squinting makes her look pained.” Jessica looked over the top of the camera. “Girls, we’ll try it one–where’s Ava?”

Evelyn and Olivia glanced around the snow covered clearing in the park, eyebrows lifted with expressions that seemed to say that not only didn’t they know where she was, but they were pretty certain they’d never heard of this Ava person before.

For more Christmas writing prompts, click here.

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Complete This Christmas Scene

Complete this christmas scene

Merry Christmas! As we kick off December, I’ll have two themes for my blog this month. Monday Sparks will be Christmas writing prompts, and Thursdays will be reposts of my most popular blogs from the past seven years. Today’s prompt is to complete this Christmas scene. I’ll start the scene below and then I need you to add what the boy sees out the window in the comments.

Could Christmas break get any more boring?

I laid on the floor with my feet on the couch.

I’d never guessed spending the whole day by myself would make me so bored that school was looking okay.

I glanced at my phone.

Mom would be home in an hour. Maybe she wouldn’t be too tired to do something with me. Could I live that long?

I sat up and climbed onto the couch and looked out the window. Rain poured down. Like it had at breakfast, and at lunch (If I’d eaten lunch. A container of Oreos probably didn’t count), and now at supper.

The houses outside all looked empty. Everybody was probably at work, and their kids were at friends’ houses having tons of fun.

An old car drove into our cul-de-sac. It must have been somebody who got lost. None of our neighbors owned a car like that.

The driver got out.

I gasped.

For more Christmas writing prompts, click here.

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