I’m writing this post on a day when our projected low temperature (after wind chill) is -47 Celcius (that’s -53 Fahrenheit). I despise the cold at the best of times, but on a day like this… I let my daughter stay home from school because I didn’t want her waiting at bus stops and I canceled an important appointment I had so I wouldn’t have to go outside.

I worked out, had my breakfast and then put on my coat and shoes and filled my bird feeders.

That’s right. I wouldn’t go out for an important appointment, I let my daughter miss school and I still went outside when it was so cold the air was physically heavy, to feed chickadees and sparrows.

It helps that filling the feeders only takes a couple minutes, but still, I think it says a little something about me, too.

What about your characters? What would make them go out in the cold? What do they really, truly willing to be be uncomfortable for? Or, if we take the idea a step further, to suffer or die for? What would they run into a burning building for?

Write a story or poem which includes a wickedly cold day or a winter storm. See how your characters react to it, and find out what (if anything) they are willing to open the door for (or to… dun dun dun!).

~Rhonda

Today was stressful at work and I made a conscious decision to NOT have a Coca-Cola Classic. I gave them up just over a week ago. This made me think about how our characters deal with stress. Something to think about as you prepare for NaNoWriMo is the evolution of our characters. How they deal with stress at the beginning of the novel can be quite different from how they deal with it at the end.

Can you think of some behaviors that people (or animals) exhibit when under stress? Feel free to share – you may help someone else build a character!
~Amber

Use the following image as the inspiration for a short story or poem:

Use one of the following images as inspiration for a short story or poem:

~Rhonda

Use the following image as the inspiration for a story or poem:

Image courtesy of Rhonda

Use the following image as the inspiration for a short story or poem:

Image property of phospheratu

Use the image below as the inspiration for a story or poem.

Image courtesy of IStockPhoto.com

~ Rhonda

Use the image below as inspiration for a short story or poem.

Image courtesy of IStockPhoto.com

~ Rhonda

What happens when you put your character into a small, dark, enclosed space?  Think closet, coffin, cave, space hatch and so forth.  These are the times when your character cracks, finds courage or gets eaten by something.

Set your timer for 30 minutes and go!

~Amber

Use the image below to inspire a poem or short story.

Image courtesy of IStockPhoto.com

~ Rhonda