Wednesday writing prompts


Image by Jörg Petersen from Pixabay

Here’s one for next year, so you have plenty of time to research it, pitch it, write it, and submit it.

Fifty years ago next year, on 17 February 1972,  the VW Beetle overtook the Model T Ford as the world’s bestselling car.

What was it about this little car that was so popular? After all, the boot (trunk) was under the bonnet (hood), the engine was in the boot (trunk), and it was a right weird shape. Yet Herbie, the loveable Love Bug, was also a VW Beetle.

Did you have a Beetle? Do you have a Beetle? Do you want a Beetle? What do you love about it? Why is this your chosen car? Could you write about travels with your love bug? Has it seen you through the good times as well as the bad times?

There are specialist magazines for Volkswagen, for enthusiasts. And there are the nostalgia magazines. Or could the car feature in a short story?

Ash Wednesday

It’s Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. This is an evergreen, which means it comes around once a year. However, the feast is moveable, as it depends on Easter.

Next year, Ash Wednesday falls on 2 March, so you have just over a whole year to think about it, research what it’s all about, pitch it, and write it.

Donner Party rescue

This is another one for next year, so again, you have plenty of time to research it, pitch it, write it, and submit it.

One hundred and seventy-five years ago next year, on 19 February 1847, the Donner Party was rescued from the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Now, I already know what this was all about, and so will American historians, most probably. But do you know? It’s an interesting story and one that I think would make a good basis for a longer piece of fiction, perhaps a novella. Or even a novel, if you can find enough meat with which to fill it.

There are also the travel article ideas, such as Ten Top Things to do in Nevada, or Trekking Across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, or Where to Eat (and/or Drink) in Nevada, or The Best (and Worst) Time for Skiing in the Sierra Nevadas.

What is Nevada famous for? How was the Sierra Nevada formed? Are there any famous people who come from, or live in, Nevada?

Here are 15 things you might not know about Nevada from Mental Floss. Choose one and write a story set against it.

Over to you …

… and don’t forget to come back and let me know if and what you did, and how it fared.

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