Hahaha I’m gonna pretend it hasn’t been like a month since I’ve posted. I will probably type up a quick life update/overview post soon but for right now, I’m just gonna post this real quick. I’m excited to hopefully get a few more posts out seeing as how I took an impromptu month break without meaning too (oopsy daisy!) but I do have lots to talk about now that I’m back. I’ve gotten settled into my internship position, have gone on vacation, seen the ocean for the first time ever, and am now feeling refreshed and ready to write!
Phew! That was a lot. I have been gone for a month after all so I’ve been saving it all up I guess. Anyways, onto the prompts!
★Nightstalker
An city’s industrial economy begins to grow. Thousands of new factories are built and a heavy smog begins to coat the city, cloaking it in darkness despite the time of day. The people did not mind this until they realized the 24/7 lack of light attracted something….
★Victorian Avengers
I don’t see why a steampunk city can’t have super heroes. Weave a tale of Victorian crime fighters.
★Botanical Apocalypse
As the industrial revolution begins, nature begins to fight against man’s machinery in an act of revenge and rebellion.
★A Girl and her Goggles
A girl steals a pair of goggles from a family member only to find a new perspective. The sight of ghosts and spirits passed greet her as she explores her home city and figures out what in blazes is going on?!
★A Fox made of Cogs
An boy who grew up in a forest far away from the city gets a job as an inventor in a bustling, Victorian metropolitan area. He accepts his fate but cannot shake this feeling of homesickness for the woods. So, in his spare time, he assembles together mechanical forest creatures, the most special and clever of them being the Fox. So, when the inventor is murdered, it is not wonder the Fox wishes to solve the case and enact revenge.
★The Age of Dragons
The time of draconian domination has all but passed at the time of the industrial revolution. And yet many still survive, learning to cope with this cruel world that man has manufactured. Some have even managed to thrive. Some choose to befriend humans while others slink back into the sewers and abandoned factories and wait….
A dog’s owner is the chosen hero of this story. The hero sets out with their furry companion… only to be killed shortly thereafter. However, a loyal pet to the end, the dog decides it will complete it’s master last wish and fulfill the prophecy that was foretold ages ago…
★Good Dog
People tell legends about a black dog that hangs around the graveyard, escorting spirits and ghosts to the after life. It’s a scary trek to take on one’s own after all. Write a story about this dog.
★Tis I, Cerberus
We all know about the age-old love story between Persephone and Hades (or kidnapping, depends on your version of the myth). Tell this legendary story with a twist-make it from Cerberus’s perspective.
★Labracadabrador
A witch accidentally switches bodies with her pet dog, a golden lab. Now, visitors find a overly zealous and cheerful witch who knows nothing of magic staying in the witch’s hovel. The dog however, seems to be trying to tell everyone something…
★Red Fur/In Another’s Skin
Red Riding hood makes her journey to her grandmother’s house, meeting a wolf along the way. But this Red Riding Hood is not frightened-she is a well-trained hunter and has been tracking and killing wolves all her life. She ends the wolf’s life right then and there, the creature not having a chance to so much as growl. She thinks nothing of it. This is not the first wolf she has killed. She didn’t realize, however, that this wolf was special. She does not find this out until she wakes the next day, finding herself in the body of a red haired wolf. It seems she is about to learn a lesson or two…
★Every Dog has their Day
A child’s dog dies in a housefire after alerting the family to the blaze. The young pup perished , tragically. The child, distraught, grows up to become the most skilled necromancer in all the lands. The necromancer only wishes to do one thing- raise their pet from the dead so that they may have another chance at life.
All for your writing or roleplay purposes for when you are unsure of where to place your characters. If you have any biome suggestions to add to the list, feel free to comment them down below.
A wizard comes to you in your dreams and claims they need you to come rescue them. In turn, they’d teach you magic. These lessons can only occur while you’re sleeping as this wizard is known as a “Dream Mender”. So you set out on a quest to save this wizard, learning new skills every night as you sleep.
★The White Necromancer
A cleric/necromancer strikes a deal a king whose kingdom was suffering under the strain of a plague: they would heal all afflicted parties as long as they could have their bodies after they died of natural causes. The king agrees. 50 years later, The White Necromancer has an enormous army of undead and is near unstoppable.
★Fallen Magic
A star falls to the earth one night during a meteor shower. Word spreads of this however no one has been able to locate exactly where this star is. You are an astronomer who has a better estimate than most of where the star ended up. However, you find yourself facing a dilemma. You see, stars are very sought after to use in magical potions and weaponry so two wizards- a warlock and a sorceress- both want it. You wish to find the star but are uncertain which party you should serve under as they are both trying to get you “on their side”.
★Borrowed Magic
You wake up in an unfamiliar castle with no memories but magic powers. You wonder the castle and find a few interesting characters who claim to be your “magical helpers”. The mystery deepens as you are told by one of them that the magical powers that you posses were stolen from a wizard. And the wizard wants them back.
★ Man or Monster?
A wizard comes to you for help, claiming to have accidentally turned their friend into some sort of beast. Not only do they want your help finding him and turning him back, they also inform you that you are on a time crunch. The longer the person is under the spell, the more of their mind the “beast” part takes over.
★Secrets are Kept in Boxes
A bloodied man with a tall pointy hat emerges from the woods near your home. He has a box in his hand. Before he dies he whispers only one thing; “Keep it safe.”
★Wizard Assassin
Wizards are becoming a dying breed in your city. Literally. Every wizard known amongst the people is showing up dead with a brand upon their arm. You want to find out who is doing this and why, your motivations being that your lover is a magic-worker themselves.
★Meowgic
You are a necromancer. You have the power to resurrect yourself. You have done so twice already. Oh, and another minor detail- you are a cat.
Being a creator of any sorts whether it be a writer, an artist, or anything in between can be an awesome experience with the internet. More than ever before, you can share your work with a larger audience than you would have ever imagined. But, if you’re anything like me, this can come with its own set of stresses. Especially if you’re a people pleaser, sharing your work can be a tough process especially when you find yourself fighting with your own insecurities. What was once fun and freeing can turn into a huge stressor as you worry about how people perceive you and the work you produce. So I composed this list of “Things to Remember as an Anxious Creator”. I’m not saying it going to fix some of the stressful aspects of being a creator who posts their work online but it may help you remember that the important thing about creating is that you enjoy the process and at the end of the day, no one can make everyone happy. Which, coincidentally, is the first reminder.
1.You can’t make everyone happy.
It’s unrealistic to think otherwise. The things you create won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Additionally, there are always going to be people who think you should be doing something differently. And while one should make room for constructive criticism, at the end of the day, your work will speak to some people and not to others. And that’s okay.
2. Nothing you create will be perfect. Take pride in your work but don’t agonize over it.
You are an imperfect person. So, by proxy, you will create imperfect art. You are always going to think you that you could have done something differently in a piece when looking back on it. That’s good, that means you’re improving. But don’t discredit your past work as being useless because it’s not perfect. Additionally, don’t discredit your present or future work because it’s not perfect either.
3. Don’t take every critique or criticism as gospel.
Listen to people’s advice but if you took in and applied everything people said about your work, it wouldn’t look like your work any more which would be an even bigger tragedy than producing something imperfect. Learn to filter the criticism and apply where you think it is needed.
4. Also note, that criticism is still good.
Don’t let the stressful thought of listening to others make you plug your ears and ignore ALL OF IT. This benefits no one and especially not you. You’ve got to walk the line between “taking all criticism” and “taking no criticism at all”. There is a happy medium to be found.
Also note that is still valid to walk about from some criticism when you feel like you cannot handle it AT THAT SPECIFIC TIME. If you are feeling that you are not in a good mental space to accept to respond to people’s critiques, it is good to recognize that and walk away from it and return to it when you feel you can handle it in a healthy way.
5. Perfectionism inhibits the artistic vision.
Don’t get in your head that as soon as you start a project that it must be perfect. I know I have reiterated this already but it is such a common struggle among artists that I feel the need to remind you again. If begin to fall into the lie that everything you make needs to be on a masterful level, you will most likely experience a sort of “creator’s paralysis” and will become so scared of creating something imperfect that you will not create at all.
Aaaaand I know this because I do this. A lot. And I have to continually remind myself that perfectionism has only ever hindered my act of making something. It never helped it.
6. Taking a break is okay.
Remember you are not a machine. Taking a step back from creating for a little while it healthy and you are more likely to return to your work with a fresher perspective and clear mind which will result in even better and more inspired art work!
Breaks are good.
7. Creating is supposed to be fun.
If you are stressed over your work constantly, it might be time to pause and take a step back and evaluate as needed. Creating is not supposed to be a pain staking act every step of the way. Also note that sometimes we are made to enjoy something only for a time and then move on. If you find yourself constantly hating the act of making your art, it may be time to change how you are approaching that art, or take a break from being an artist entirely. We all need to do this sometimes with all kinds of work, not just creating.
For example, if I found myself dreading the very thought of working every day in my field of expertise, that would be a sign that I would need to pause and evaluate my choice of career. Whether this means changing it entirely or simply switching to another job in the same career field but with a slightly different approach to that thing, depends on how I feel.
It doesn’t make you a failure to do this. Life is too short to force yourself to subject yourself to something that you hate on a daily basis. I repeat, take a step back.
And I think that’s it. Those are all the big reminders I have to tell myself as an anxious creator. I hope you got some sort of insight from them! If so, maybe consider following my blog as I post a lot of content similar to this on my little space here. I also encourage you to leave any thoughts you have on these reminders in the comments below and whether or not these helped you! Is there a specific one that you struggle with? For instance the *cough* perfectionism *cough* one? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
You get struck by a lightning bolt of inspiration. A marvelous and clever writing idea is nagging at the back of your head and now you’re excited to get it out on paper. You start typing or scribbling away, determined to create a modern masterpiece. The novel of the century.
Then you read it back and…you hate it.
Well, not hate it exactly… it just seems off. It feels clunky or unnatural. You struggle to convey your idea in a manner which comes off as concise. You’re disappointed in yourself. You pictured that this piece would practically write itself. What are you doing wrong? Could it be that you’re simply not cut out to be a writer??
First off, let me answer that question right away- NO. IF YOU DESIRE TO WRITE AND ENJOY WRITING, YOU ARE, IN FACT, CUT OUT TO WRITE AND, BY PROXY, BE A WRITER.
Phew, now that we got that out of the way, we can start dissecting what might be the core issue behind this scenario. I’d be willing to bet that this has happened to near all of us. We come up with a brilliant idea, picture exactly the vibe we must capture and then fumble and struggle to actually put this idea in action and on paper. We fill stupid and inept. So what’s going on?
I think more than likely, you need your writing skill to catch up with your creative vision.
“More than likely, you need your writing skill to catch up with your creative vision.”
Sometimes the best ideas can be incredibly difficult to write. And this is not a sign that you lack the ability to write it or it’s an impossible idea- it simply means you need more practice. It means you need more time. Time in which you hone your writing skills so you CAN execute this idea. The issue is, that people often don’t like to hear, the practice that is required is you badly writing this idea and gaining the skills along the way.
THIS IS WHY WE HAVE FIRST, SECOND AND SOMETIMES EVEN THIRD OR FOURTH DRAFTS.
You’re probably not going to find your rhythm in writing this idea right away. This will happen slowly the more and more you work on it. That’s why sometimes, when you write a longer piece and you go back to your beginning, you will find errors in the work you had completed merely months of even weeks ago.
The unfortunate thing about being a writer, is we largely learn on the job.
Sometimes we have to power through this part of the writing experience. It doesn’t mean we’re a bad writer. It just means we have a complex idea that we don’t have the practice or skillset to pull off yet. But, if we keep writing and honing our talent, we should accomplish this eventually, and, after a draft or two, pull off the idea exactly how we had pictured in our head.
Best of luck to you, fellow writer! May we power through together!
Very similar to my extensive list of super powers, a list of naturally occurring elements such as water, earth, or fire may be of use to you as a writer. Use this list and this power wisely.
By the Brooke 