Category: Friday Fun-Day

Friday Fun-Day Writing Prompt: Nothing to Fear

Good day, my fellow writers! It’s Friday once again. You know, in October we’ll be having a Friday the 13th. I don’t know why people fear that day (I know historically why but it’s just a silly superstition to me). Still, I love the name for the irrational fear of Friday the 13th: triskaidekaphobia. Quite the mouthful, isn’t it?

Speaking of fear, today’s writing prompt deals with exactly that: our fears. We all have our unique fears, from things which only send a shiver down our spines to phobias which render us catatonic. Take a look at the Wikipedia list of phobias; there’s a clinical term for the fear of almost everything. I’m personally arachnophobic (very afraid of spiders), ophidiophobic (very afraid of snakes), and somewhat sociophobic. (I’m nowhere near the worst when it comes to any of these but my fears are definitely not within the normal range.)

With all of these phobias, fear seems to be a rich vein of writing material. After all, most readers love a good thriller or Gothic horror story; that’s why Poe sold out in the first place. This prompt will encourage you to mine this vein and go deep into your own psyche.

I’ve done a fear-based prompt with “A Box-Shaped Mystery” before. However, this time I want you dig deeper down beyond the superficial definition of your fear and your reaction to it; I want you look for the source of this phobia.

First, write down your worst fear. I’m not talking about any mild fear you have. What would render you beyond words and actions if you encountered it? Try and make it as close to a phobia as you get, something you know is irrational but you’re afraid of it anyway. Then take a few minutes and meditate on your fear. How do you react when you encounter it? Why do you react that way? Is there something from your past which could explain your fear, or do you not have a clue as to why you’re so scared of it? Spend about five to ten minutes jotting down answers to these questions and then walk away for a few minutes.

When you come back from your short break, look over your notes. Now, use your notes and your continued reaction to the thought of your fear to write a scene, short story, poem, short personal essay, whatever. Really dive into your emotions, tap into that fear and let it flow out of your pen/pencil/finger tips as they hit the keys. Don’t worry about any stylistic aspects or even character/plot/setting development; allow your stream of consciousness to flow onto your paper or monitor.

I know that this prompt may be difficult for people. I have a hard time tapping into things like my fears, and I imagine that others will have a hard time as well. Exploring the source of it will be even more difficult. Nevertheless, such exploration will both help us grow as people and allow us to access a new level of emotional connection in our work.

What did you discover in this exercise, either about your writing or yourself? Did you gain any insight from this prompt that you didn’t get from “A Box-Shaped Mystery”? Write anything worth sharing? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

The Pitfalls of Self-Employment

For this Friday Fun-Day, I’ve decided to post a more serious topic alongside the weekly writing prompt. Mainly, I want to talk about my experiences with self-employment and use my mistakes thus far as a horrible warning for those who are looking to work for themselves. Mind you, the experience has been great for me; I’m making some money, meeting new people, and getting to read some interesting books and short stories I otherwise wouldn’t have come across. Still, I’ve made enough mistakes these past 3-5 months to share nuggets of wisdom with my readers.

You can’t take self-employment lightly. Even if it’s just a side gig, there’s a lot to it: pricing, customer service, taxes, schedules, just to name a few. There are many materials across the web and in print about this subject, but none of them can fully prepare you for the reality. Some things you have to learn first-hand.

I don’t have any big “this mistake could’ve ruined my financial life and career” stories. Instead, I have a few smaller, more general pieces of advice that I think can help others looking to start self-employment:

  • Find the appropriate platform to promote your services. When talking about side jobs for struggling writers, I mentioned Fiverr, Freelancer.com, and Upwork. I’ve heard that more options exist, but I’ve only tried these. It took trying each one for me to realize that Fiverr is the best option for me. Because customers come to me primarily, I’ve been able to get many more orders at better prices. Fiverr is also more understanding when people make mistakes, usually removing gigs rather than users unless there’s a clear scam, trolling, or abuse. Freelancer.com never yielded any jobs; Upwork gave me one good connection, one unprofessional experience, and multiple scam attempts before I made a mistake and they deactivated my account. You can’t take my word for it, though. Fiverr works best for my freelancing efforts but that won’t be true for everyone. You just have to try each one on for size. Heck, you may find that your best option is to use as many as you can handle.
  • Word your gig postings appropriately. One of the biggest problems I’ve had on Fiverr has been writing the descriptions for each gig. If you’re not careful, one word or phrase can be misinterpreted as breaking a rule and be removed. Fortunately, Fiverr only removes them. Other similar sites aren’t so lenient. You must also make sure to read the site’s rules for gig postings carefully as well as the rules for any other website you may mention within the gig posting. Some don’t actually allow the service you’re offering or otherwise don’t want to be associated with certain gigs. If you’re not sure about your posting, save a draft and ask the website customer service or admin to look it over. They don’t want to spend time removing gigs any more than we want our gigs removed, so they’ll most likely not have a problem with letting you know about any issues.
  • Price your gigs fairly. I’m not only talking about fair prices for your customers; the prices have to work for you, too. I’ve been horrible about underselling my skills. Two different customers have suggested that I raise my prices. When your customers, without consulting each other, tell you that, you should probably listen. You can’t gauge your clients but you can’t rip yourself off, either. Your time and effort are valuable. If your skills are worth paying for, they’re worth paying a fair price.

    Image retrieved from surelyjobs.com
  • Set a schedule. It’s so easy for your personal life to invade your work life and vice versa, even more so when you’re self-employed. Setting a schedule helps to separate these aspects a little better. The line still blurs but at least you can tell your loved ones that you have to work and then you can tell yourself that you’re off the clock with minimal guilt. I’m still working on this lesson, along with fair pricing. Modern culture, at least in the U.S., encourages people to take their work home with them and essentially become workaholics. Writers and other freelancers know this all too well, especially since we usually love our work. For our mental health, we have to force the separation. Writers often have to separate regular work from writing as well, and that’s what I’m most struggling with right now.
  • Remember it’s a learning process. As a perfectionist, I have a hard time accepting this fact. Self-employment is a matter of trial and error. You learn something new every day and you can’t beat yourself up for every tiny mistake. Learn from it and move on. Don’t stop the process at your own experiences, either; search out resources talking about self-employment and learn some tricks from seasoned veterans. It may seem like a lot of extra work but you’ll be glad you did it.

Writing and self-employment can be very similar. They can both take over other aspects of your life and require a lot of trial-and-error before you feel comfortable with your work. You have to remain resilient and never give up. You know what they say: if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.

What are your experiences with self-employment, both as a writer and in other areas? Any advice I forgot to mention? Leave your thoughts in the comments so others may benefit from your wisdom.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Friday Fun-Day Writing Prompt: Painting a Picture

Hello writers! Join me in ushering in a long-awaited Friday and an even more welcomed weekend. For my American readers, it’s Labor Day weekend, another long weekend which normally calls for celebration. Instead of all the drinking and salutes to the last days of summer, might I suggest a writing prompt? Today’s prompt involves visual stimulation and a famous painting.

Yesterday I gave you my thoughts on the tightly-knit nature of writing and other forms of art. Now I want to put that relationship into action. In particular, I want to focus on writing and painting.

One of the oldest tricks in the book, as far as jump-starting one’s writing goes, is to immerse oneself in art. Usually this includes visiting a museum or something of the like. For this prompt, you only need access to your favorite painting (the Internet is a wonderful thing).

Find an image of your favorite painting. Meditate on it for about five minutes; write notes, jot down whatever thoughts come to mind. Don’t put too much conscious thought into it. Just let the painting wash over you.

After five minutes, take a short break. Five minutes, ten, whatever you want or need, so long as you remember to come back to your notes. When you come back, get the image of the painting out of your sight and focus on your notes. Using your notes as a springboard, write a scene, short story, or poem inspired by the painting.

I haven’t done this exercise in this exact form but I have written pieces based on other art forms, from a painting to a statue and even an old photograph. Here’s one from about six years ago, based on Van Gogh’s The Starry Night:

SWEET DREAMS

Each inch of sight,

a smooth stroke

painted by gentle angels,

or perhaps a mad man

with perfectionist behaviors

and a steady hand;

All blues and greens

and blacks and browns

and muted yellows;

No screaming kids

or barking dogs

or yelling teens

or roaring motorcycles,

Just silence,

not even a whisper of wind;

Neither hot

nor cold,

Perfectly warm

and perfectly cool.

If only I could remain asleep.


The Starry Night by Van Gogh, retrieved from Wallpapers Wide

As I’ve said before, I’m no poet. Nevertheless, you can see the sort of work that can come from an exercise like this.

Don’t take this prompt too seriously. Just have fun with it. That’s why these are called “Friday Fun-Day” writing prompts, after all.

What did you get from this exercise? Care to share your piece or an excerpt? Share your work and experiences in the comments below.

 


Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Friday Fun-Day Writing Prompt: Alien Origins

Happy Friday, movers and shakers! The weekend’s finally here. Today I’m going to propose a writing prompt specifically tailored for science fiction fans. In particular, I want to have people take a closer look at alien origins.

I’m not a big fan of stories detailing initial human/alien encounters. Still, I’ve found myself reading two such books recently, one which I will review on this blog much later today. These two books, while both focusing on initial encounters, take quite different approaches to aliens and their interactions with humans. One deals with a more enlightened Earth joining a league of other enlightened beings throughout the universe; the other involves reptilians from the Roswell UFO crash. Both of these books, nevertheless, have caught my attention. Why? Because, while mostly in line with classic science fiction, these stories have unique views of aliens which I haven’t often encountered.

I have a complicated relationship with the UFO and alien phenomenon. I don’t think that all UFOs are alien space craft. In fact, I’m not sure that even a small percentage is extraterrestrial in origin. I just think they’re unidentified flying objects, hence UFO. However, I do think we’re not the only inhabited planet in all the universe. I can’t imagine what the other beings might look like and I don’t know if we ever have or ever will make contact with them, but I think that they’re out there, beyond our reach.

I know more than I would like to admit about the pop culture trend. I watch shows on supposed alien encounters, sometimes out of curiosity and sometimes for a laugh. There seems to be, at least to me, three prominent species of alien people claim to encounter: grays, humanoids, and reptilians (all of which you’ll find on People of Earth).

This affirmation leads me to today’s writing prompt. You see, many pop culture stories focus on the alien invasion rather than the aliens and their home planet (with some exceptions, such as Avatar, although we’re the invading aliens in that one). The books I am currently reading try and address why certain aliens look and act the way they do. That, more than anything, fascinates me, and that’s what I want people to focus on during this exercise.


Here is the only known sketch of Kelly’s little green men based on actual eyewitness accounts. What sort of conditions would such beings come from?

Image retrieved from High Strangeness

Take a famous alien–Roswell grays, humanoids, reptilians, Kelly little green men–and jot down some physical characteristics reported about these species. Once you have these physical attributes, imagine the sort of planet these aliens must come from. Why did they adapt such traits as enormous eyes and gray skin? What do their civilizations look like? How do they communicate? Do they compete with other creatures on their home planet? All animals, humans included, look and act the way they do as a result of evolution; what conditions did these aliens have to work with in order to necessitate their evolution?

If you want to make this exercise a little more thorough, think about the aliens’ initial encounter with Earth. Why did they come here? How? What do they think of the planet and the beings that live on it?

With this information, write a short story or, if you want a bigger challenge, a field report about the aliens which incorporates some or all of the origin theories you listed in the first part of the prompt.

If nothing else, this prompt will help you develop world-building skills and character development. You’ll really get to know your alien buddies in this exercise, which you should do with all major characters in your stories. It might take a little time but it’ll enrich your stories in the end.

Did you come up with something particularly interesting? Encounter any unusual problems? Have an idea for a future writing prompt? Leave your thoughts on this prompt in the comments below.

 

Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011

Friday Fun-Day Writing Prompt: Young at Heart

Joyous day, everyone! The weekend is here! I’m working double-time right now but don’t worry, that means you’ll be learning about a lot of new books soon. In the mean time, I wanted to give you a writing prompt to remind everyone that writers are young at heart.

You remember when you were a kid and could devour a book every day? (OK, some of us still do, but back then you weren’t hindered by bills and other responsibilities.) The pure amazement and glee you felt as you read? It’s time to tap into that wonder again.

One of the reasons writers are so good at writing is that we are young at heart. We approach each book and story with that same sense of amazement and glee that we felt as children. Sure, our reading tastes have matured and branched out and our view of the world at large may now be more pessimistic, but we’ve never lost the reading magic.


Image retrieved from Pinterest

For today’s writing prompt, I want you to write the sort of story or poem you would’ve read as a kid. Think Curious George, Horton Hears a Who, Winnie the Pooh, whatever you read when you were four to seven years old. Try not to think too hard about it; just find that concept that would’ve excited younger you and roll with it. Write no more than ten pages for a story or two pages for a poem. Feel free to draw your own illustrations, no matter how crude they might be.

If you really want to put your writing to the test, grab a kid you know–preferably a family member or friend’s child whom you’re close to–and have them read your work (or read it to them). How does he/she react? No one can help spark a fire under the young at heart than a child they love.

What were your experiences with this exercise? Want to share what you wrote? Have a writing exercise you think we should try? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Happy Friday, and happy writing!

 

Designed by Stephanie Hoogstad circa 2011