Amber asked me if I’d like to do a prompt every other week and I said sure. That means you’ll still be seeing my name up here now and then. I hope you’re not too disappointed

In trying to decide what to do I thought back to some of the prompts I enjoyed the most in the past and which received the biggest responses. One of those things was the ‘Roll Your Own Story’ type prompt. Looking at the calendar provided the perfect subject for this one.

The idea is simple. Get a six-sided die and then roll it four times, once for each category below. Each category has six options so each die roll will correspond to one of the options. Voila. Once you’re done rolling you’ll have a random writing prompt that is sure to help get your creative juices flowing.

Genre:
1- Speculative
2- Literary
3- Humor
4- Mystery
5- Writer’s Choice
6- Childrens

Character:
1- Dog
2- Teacher
3- Cookie/Candy Cane
4- Parent
5- Child
6- Writer’s Choice

Verb:
1- Lost
2- Found
3- Wished
4- Died
5- Transformed
6- Writer’s Choice

Holiday:*
1- Christmas
2- Hanukkah
3- Kwanzaa
4- Writer’s Choice
5- New Years (any culture)
6- Solstice

I left things quite open and that was intentional. I didn’t want to box anyone in, in fact, that’s the opposite of what I was aiming for.

Please feel free to share your rolls and/or stories with us

If you need a random number generator there is one here. It’s the one I always use. It’s not better or worse than any others, but clicking that link would save you a google search

*If I missed your favourite holiday I apologise, I only had room for 6

~ Rhonda

I know some of you are probably really behind in your word count. Its possible to get there still. Clear away your distractions such as the internet, your house (yes, sometimes a structured environment such as a coffee shop or the library where you can’t get too comfy helps), and naps.

I’ve got a few more dares to get you through the next few hours.

• Your character meets up with a group of nannies for a night on the town.
• A software upgrade doesn’t go well.
• Someone becomes incapacitated at the worst possible time.
• An ancient, magical book was discovered in a used book store.
• The antibiotics your character took is causing hallucinations.
• A bank error is discovered.
• The tax man delivers an overdue notice.
• A ghost with no particular purpose.
• A door designed to open when kicked.
• Dare someone to lick a porcupine.
• Dialogue in only six words.

Good luck!
~Amber

How is everyone doing? The comments in the daily check-ins for the last week have been on the small side. I hope you’re still plugging away. You’ve written a bunch of new words. All I have to show for the month is a hat and a quarter of a scarf. (Yes, I learned to knit.)

If I could do cartwheels for you I would. And get really dizzy from doing them. Instead, I’ll post a few more dares and prompts to help you finish the month strong.

~Amber

If you’re making steady progress then you’re getting close to the end of your novel. But guess what today is? It’s “Start Your Own Country” Day. Can you find a way for a character to make his or her own country?

Good luck!
~Amber

It’s another word war weekend. How are you doing so far?

Here are some new dares for you:

1. Change the genre of your novel for a chapter.
2. Create a situation in which a character needs to use a dictionary.
3. Your character discovers a long lost twin.
4. Someone loses an eye.
5. A pet or child latches onto your main character.

Good luck!
~Amber

Today is “Take a Hike” Day. Have your characters either go for a walk (unexpected or planned) or get someone out of their life.

Good luck!
~Amber

It’s Day 15 and you’re halfway to victory. Have you been eating to keep up your strength? What have your characters been eating? What does it smell like? Is it crunchy? Slimy?

Have they been marooned on a desert island and have to fend for themselves? Write about what they out, how they get it, etc. Use adjectives to pad your word count.

Try not to make yourself hungry.
~Amber

You’re closing in on the end of week 1. If you’re steadily working on your words you should have 9,996 words written by the end of the night.

Use this as your prompt:
Transportaton

It’s NaNoWriMo time so get as crazy as you want. Do your characters ride the back of dinosaurs to get from one village to another? What happens when that hot air balloon is unmoored?

~Amber

It’s Word War Weekend!

Here’s a list of dares to help you add to your team’s word count.

1. Give a character an unusual phobia.
2. Include song lyrics in your dialogue.
3. Include a poultry accident.
4. A character temporarily loses control of his/her body.
5. Make up a holiday and create a celebration around it.
6. Put a character on a diet.
7. Have an audition go wrong.
8. Write in someone else’s character.
9. Have a character do something illegal.
10. A character breaks a limb.

Good luck!
~Amber

Today is King Tut Day.

Today’s dare:
Include an Egyptian artifact in your novel.

~Amber