Tuesday 30 December 2014

Best of 2014, Things to come in 2015

December 30, 2014

This will be my last post of 2014.

I've had a good year, so I'm going to talk about what I'm grateful for, as well as some hopes for 2015. I'll probably repost the 'resolutions' in the New Year. 

First of all, here were my 2014 goalshttp://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/01/2014-goals.html

Basically here is what I wanted to do. I've shortened it a lot from the original post. Explanations are linked above.  Italics are how I did.

Read More. (I read - not more.)
Work on spelling and grammar. (I try.)
Start writing letters to future me. (Future self isn't impressed so far, but Clint has a bunch of future love notes to read.)
Write in my  journal more. (I can't remember the last time I looked at my journal. Or where it is.)
I'm going to try to do something with my book. (I think I thought I'd have had a response from a publisher by now, when in fact I'm still waiting before I send it out again. However, I did follow through.)
I'll start a new novel. (I did, but it took me until November, so it's not finished.)
I will blog. (SUCCESS!) 
I will do blog or photo prompts. (I do when I don't have other things to discuss in posts.)

I think I was easy on myself with the 2014 goals.

Here are some things I'm grateful for as 2014 ends:

I'm most grateful that I'm now calling myself a writer. It took me a lot of years to admit that I'm a writer, and a lot of years to start writing while calling myself a writer. I wish I had started sooner. I wish I hadn't wasted years not writing because it would have helped. 

I am a writer, and I'm incredibly proud of that. I will continue to write, and I will never lose faith in myself as writer, and I will continue to hope that someday, my writing will be published. Until then, there is always my blog.


I'm grateful for my family. My parents and my sister are my favourite people. We've had a great year, and have spent a lot of time together. That includes an amazing trip to Newfoundland. 

 Clint and I have had a great year. I fall more in love with him all the time. I'm grateful that I found somebody who builds me up every day. I had a lot of Canadian trips this year to be grateful for. Clint and I had a trip to Ontario, where I got to see and meet all of his family. I'd already met a few friends and family. This time I met the rest. 


I'm grateful for my friend near and far. Life would be pretty sad without them. My friendships continue to grow stronger. No pictures for this one. My friends who read this know who they are. 

I'm grateful for hopes for the future, a light heart, and breathing this year.

And the one thing I've learned this year:



Here are my hopes (sigh, resolutions) for 2015:


  • I'm going to spend less time posing unimportant details of my life on Facebook. It's ridiculous how much I post. It's a habit now, and I need it to stop. I'm going to cut back what I post, and hopefully go on it less. Even if I keep my friend's list small, I don't need to share my life. It's mine. All I really need to do is enjoy it. People don't need to know that. Except when I share my blog posts. That will always be shared. 

  • I'm going to spend more time with my real camera and less time with my cell phone camera. It will mean less selfies, but I think I can live with that.

  • I will continue to blog at least three times a week. I'm hoping to do one gratitude post a week on THIS blog, as I'm closing up shop on the Gratitude blog.

  • I will continue to write my novel. I will continue to try and get the other one published.

  • I will read. My goal is one book a month. I'll also post on my book blog about it. 

  • I will exercise and eat right. Eating right is easy, exercising I have to motivate myself to do.

  • I need to spend more time with my friends. Laughing, talking, enjoying life.

  • I'd like to gossip and complain less. I've done it for 34 years, so cutting it out will be as easy as cutting Facebook out. (NOT EASY.) 

  • If the future isn't what I planned, I'll alter my plan and love it anyway. 


That's it. Thanks to everybody who has read my blog this year. It means everything to me. I'll be back in 2015 to blog while working on accomplishing my goals. 

All the best in 2015. 
And as always:


©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

Prompts from: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/12/updated-prompts.html

Wednesday 24 December 2014

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Wednesday December 24th, 2014


Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all celebrating this time of year! (And lots of love to those that aren't). It's the day before Christmas in Saskatchewan, and I have about four hours left of work. 

I will not be on my phone or any sort of social network on Christmas Day. It's my present to myself. I will be saving the day for family, food, and lots of fun.










After I'm done work, Clint, Jodi (my sister), Rolo the cat, and I will be heading to my parent's town and new house for Christmas celebrations. I can't wait.

So Merry Christmas to all. I'm not sure when I'll post next. I have one more post (on Sunday) for my gratitude blog, and then I'll be doing only one blog. Gratitude can be saved for special occasions on this blog. 








My next post will be a New Year post. You know the good things about my year, as well as things I'm looking forward to in the next year. Just a head's up, one of the things I'm most grateful for is the fact that I'm now calling myself a writer. More on that next time though. 


All the best!










And as always:


©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

Prompts from: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/12/updated-prompts.html

Sunday 21 December 2014

Loss

December 21, 2014

It's that time of year. The time when you can't help but feel the love around you. People are happy. They are planning holidays with loved ones. I'm happy. 


This month, mixed in with the happiness and excitement, I've been seeing loss. It seems like a lot of people have to deal with sadness. Death breaks my heart. All the time, it breaks my heart, but it's so hard over the holidays. It's always hard. I know this. No matter when it happens, you always have to live through all the moments. Birthdays, celebrations, holidays. Losing somebody in November and December is hard. It's a month full of celebrations, smiles, family, and love, and to go through loss when everybody else is feeling happy, is hard. 

I have so much going on this month. I have a great work crew that does Christmas activities. Clint and I have a beautiful tree up with gifts for family under it. We will be spending the holidays in Plenty with my family. I'm excited to spend the day in Mom and Dad's new house.


And yet, on this day, I'm sad. 


It was three years ago today that my friend was killed in a car accident. 


It's been three years, and it's still fucking hard. 


(I don't swear a lot in this blog - I save it for real life. I'm sorry to offend anybody, but that's how I'm feeling.)


Today, my thoughts are with Cameron. They are on his family, his friends, and his loved ones. 



Calling Cameron a friend is 100 percent true, but he was more than my friend. He was my ex-boyfriend. For two years, he was my boyfriend. We lived together, we travelled together, we shared holidays together. We loved each other, but not enough. When we broke up, it was a good break up. We stayed friends. We lived in two different provinces, but still spoke frequently towards the end. It was hard. I had trouble figuring it out, but we made it though, we were friends.








I can remember the last time I saw him. (Labour Day weekend). I can remember the last time we spoke on the phone. I can still hear his laugh when I told him a story about not fitting into a dress for my Christmas party. We were finally friends. 




He was my friend, and the day I found out about his death, was one of the worst days of my life, and it was followed by a year of figuring out how to deal with it. 


As hard as it was for me, it was worse for others. It always is. He was loved. He is missed. Every day, he is missed.




We had a lot of good times. We also had bad times. Things weren't perfect, but in the end, that didn't matter. I lost somebody I had considered a best friend at points. He was a son, a brother, a friend, an employee, a coworker, and a guy with a fantastic laugh.



















On this day, I miss the loss of my friend. He died too young, and had a whole life of laughter left. 

This year, on this day, my thoughts are with his family and his friends.

This year, on this day, my thoughts are with all the people who have lost loved ones. It's a fact of life that never goes away. This year it seems like so many people are dealing with tragedy, and whether I know them or not, it's tough as hell. Dealing with loss is hard, and like I said, it breaks my heart to see people having to deal with it so close to the holidays. 

I am incredibly grateful for the life that I have, the life I'm living, and the people I spend my time with. I'm happy to be with the love of my life. 

That doesn't stop me from taking time to remember the loss of Cameron, and to think of all the others who are dealing with something sad or scary. 

It's a tough day. But it is also a day to live and to love. It's a day to appreciate what you have because tomorrow, everything could change in an instant. It's a day to live life to the fullest, and to laugh. I have cried today. I've also laughed, smiled, and told people that I love them. I'm thankful for knowing Cameron. 

I know I'm not the only one. I visit his Facebook page on his birthday and on this day. He was loved, and I hope he knew that.

Live life to the fullest, and enjoy what you have. Today and always. 

And as always:


©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

Prompts from: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/12/updated-prompts.html

Wednesday 17 December 2014

A letter to Mini-Me (who may not ever be)

December 17, 2014

I found this in the prompts (linked below). I'm going to give it a go. Just a bit of a warning, I don't know if it's going to end up being funny, sad, or what. It's an interesting prompt, and I was up for the challenge.

Prompt: Write a letter to your unborn child. It’s okay if you don’t have children, don’t want children, or are done having children – that might make it more interesting.

Dear Little One,

I don't know if you are ever going to exist. Sometimes I wish I'll get you, and other days, I don't know what I want. I know if you do come into our life, you'll be loved. That's a fact. That's the only fact I can promise. You will be coming into a family that loves you more than anything. 

You aren't here yet though, and I refuse to have regrets if you're never going to arrive. I will be happy with my life with or without you.

That being said (because I have to say that), I can imagine you. I imagine a little girl, although I can imagine a little boy as well. I can see a mini me, or a mini Clint. I can see your smile. 

I can see your sweet little smile, and I can also see you getting away with a lot with your sweet little smile. 

I can't guarantee your life will be perfect with Clint and I, but I can promise you that you'll see love and joy all the time. You will see it when we look at one another, and you will see it when we look at you. You might hear bickering sometimes. It was my least favourite thing to hear when I was growing up, but we still will respect and love one another. 

I don't know what your name will be, but I have a lot of ideas. I just have to get them approved by your father. (Even though this letter is to an imaginary child, saying 'your father' sounds very strange.)

I don't know what the future will hold, but I imagine laughter, a dog, a house, and smiles. If you are there, it will all be shared with you, and you'll be born into a great extended family as well.

I will read to you. All the time, and if you follow in your parent's footsteps, you will be a bit of a book worm. Do so proudly. Maybe I'll even start writing kid's books for you. 

If you follow specifically in my footsteps, you will have no rhythm, be slightly tone deaf, and be just a tad uncoordinated at sports. I'll love you anyway, and you know who to blame. I'm joking, of course. You'll be good at everything - especially singing.

You will have grandparents that love you and spoil you from the second you arrive. They'll probably be in two different provinces, but that won't stop lots of visits and love. You'll get to see the best of Canada. (It's all beautiful). 

You are going to have aunts, uncles, and cousins that love you. My sister will think you are the best, as will Clint's siblings. You'll have a lot of cousins on the Crowe side.

Basically, you're going to have a great life. No matter where we are, what we're doing, we will be smiling. And just a warning, when you cry, I will cry with you. I am going to be an emotional Mom, and I definitely won't do everything perfectly to begin with. Perfectly Imperfect. That's your mom.

Maybe we will meet some day. I'm not sure. I wrote letters in a journal before to a baby that will never be. A sibling that will never be. I still have it, but I don't read it. I don't know if you will be in my future or not, but if you are, I can't wait to meet you. 

Love Always,

Your possibly future Mom.

To be perfectly honest, I feel kind of silly posting this. I'm going to anyway. Like I said, I don't know if a baby is in my future. I don't know if I would be a great Mom, but I do know I would love with all my heart.

If baby looks like her Mom or Auntie Jodi..


Back to work for me. This was my lunchtime writing.



And as always:


©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

Prompts from: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/12/updated-prompts.html

Wednesday 10 December 2014

For the love of reading

Dec 10, 2014

After the last post about my guilt and disappointment at myself for not writing, I've made a decision.

I'm not going to pressure myself. I will finish this novel, but if it's not in 2014, I'll be okay with that. I'd love to have finished my second novel the year after my first, but there are other things I want to do.

I want to read. Whether it's a book I haven't read yet, or a book I've read but can't remember, OR a book I've read over and over; I want to read. (Right now, I'm reading a Harlan Coben that I read a long time ago, and can't remember at all).

Reading is the biggest motivation to write. I want to read as much as I can this month, and if I have time to write, or feel the urge to write, I will. 

I'm going to set out 15 minutes of writing every night. The rest of the time will be for reading (or whatever). With the 15 minutes, I won't feel guilty for not writing because I will be putting in an effort. Sometimes, all it takes is writing to remind me that I love to write. 

I have a friend who made a goal to read 50 books in 2014. I don't know if I can go that far, but I think in 2015, along with my writing goals, I'll also make some reading goals. One book per month seems pretty doable. (It seems like I could probably do better actually.)

So this short post is to say I'm going to stop feeling guilty. I'm going to start DOING. I'm going to be okay with what I choose to do, as long as I'm doing it. That sentence may have only made sense to me. I've been upset because I haven't been writing. I plan to write, but not push myself to do another 50k in December. 

The rest of this month is going to be full of reading and writing. (I'm done with the Christmas stuff for the most part). And OF COURSE, I will also be blogging. Twice a week is my goal for posts. 

The picture below, has nothing to do with this post. I just like it. I took it yesterday on my walk home from work. Maybe some day, it'll be a cover for my book! (Not either of the ones I'm working on currently.) 


Now, I'm going to spend the rest of my lunch break reading.



And as always:


©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

Prompts from: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/12/updated-prompts.html

Monday 8 December 2014

I miss Nanowrimo!

Monday, December 8, 2014

Here's the truth. I found National Novel Writing Month to be exhausting. EXHAUSTING. 


I didn't know this until after the fact. After it was over, I was exhausted. Mentally, I was exhausted. I didn't realise it until after I was done the 50,000 words though.  


I loved it at the time. I wrote like crazy, I loved what I was writing, I loved that I was writing, and I loved that all I could think about was the next time I would write.

So how do I know it was exhausting? Because since I finished my 50,000 words, I haven't written anymore. I've barely blogged, and I've not looked at my novel since November 20th. 

In my defence, I've had a few other things going on. I did LOADS of Christmas cards to send out to friends and family (they're sent), and I just had Lasik eye surgery. (I've had 20/20 vision since Friday). We have also been decorating and wrapping presents (also done as of the weekend).

I've had time to write though. I know from November how easy it is to write a little bit every day.

My life has been great lately. I'm so full of complete happiness. I am in love with my life, and the only thing that's been bringing me down is the fact that I haven't been writing. I have no excuses, and I'm sure my characters (if they were as real as they are in my head) are seething that they haven't moved on yet. They are stuck in time for no good reason.

I have no excuses, and yet I still haven't written. 

It's the same old story I guess. My most used story. I love to write, but I don't do it like I should. If every month was like November, I'd be pretty happy.

For that reason, I miss NaNoWriMo. It motivated me in a way I didn't expect. I could make every month a writing month. It just hasn't happened yet.

Also, I would LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE to be published. Or to hear back from a publisher. It wouldn't make me love writing any more (because I love it regardless), but it would make me pretty happy.  Ecstatic, actually.

In other news, starting in the middle of January, I will have been writing both this blog and my Gratitude blog for a year. I plan to stop with the Gratitude blog. I'll still talk about things I'm grateful for, but not to the extent I had been. I think a year is good. I love my life, and that's proof, but I don't need to share pictures of my great meals on a blog. (That's what Instagram is for). I'll finish it up this month, and do a New Year's post, and then it will be done. I'll still have it online, I just won't update unless I have something REALLY great to talk about. In other words, even as I say I'm going to stop, I keep thinking of 'what ifs.'

This blog will be alive and well though. I kind of love it.

As a closing, here's a picture of me a few minutes after having my eyes 'fixed'.





And as always:


©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

Prompts from: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/12/updated-prompts.html

Tuesday 2 December 2014

Reader Profile... help a girl out...

December 2, 2014


  1. Share a profile of one of your readers. Who are they? How did they find your work?
First of all, I'm back to the prompts. My brain has been a tad blocked lately, and I thought I'd do some blogging/writing prompts.

Second, I did a post a while ago about bloggers and blogs that I have enjoyed. I mentioned to bloggers that read my own blog. So those are two readers. The link is below, and it's the last two on it. (Reader's Rapture and Flourish or Flounder).



http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/08/august-blog-challenge-favourite-blogs.html

Third, a profile of my readers? I'm going to be honest. I have no idea who my readers are. I see my page view, and I know how many clicks each post has received, but that's about it.

People don't leave a lot of comments, (I love the ones I do get), so I don't always know a lot about my readers.

My mom definitely reads my blog. She also reads my unpublished book(s). So the profile? Nancy reads my blog. She's my mom (as I said). She's a retired teacher. Married to my dad for many great years, and one of the best Mom's in the world. She finds my work because I shared the blog with her, but also because I share it on Facebook.

So anybody who is interested can read it. I just don't know who. They can like the link on FB, but that doesn't mean they actually click on the link.

I share on Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. If it's about a specific person, I'll email them the link.

So, if anybody wants to comment, tell me about yourself and how you found my blog, I'd be honoured.



One of my reader's is this guy's Mom. (My work bff who is on maternity leave).

My mom, and me.


Same Day Update: 
My cousin (I want to say second or third cousin) just commented on my FB link.  "Found your blog from your sharing it on FB. I'm single, work in customer service (hotel) industry. Love to read, loves to laugh, and am a fairly quiet person. Hope this helps, Erin."


And as always:


©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

Prompts from: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/12/updated-prompts.html

Monday 1 December 2014

December!!

It's a new month!

As with my blog tradition, I will do my 'month start' post as per usual. 



So here we go: 


Life: 
To be honest, I haven't really felt like blogging or writing in the last week of November, so I'm glad the December post is always set up for me.

The month has gone by a little too quickly for my liking. I spent the majority of it trying to write 50,000 words. In other words, I was living a very hermit lifestyle for most of it. I succeeded in 18 or 19 days (I can't remember which), and although I was proud of myself, I was feeling pretty exhausted. 


I also have somehow managed to finish all my Christmas shopping. It's left me very broke. 

Going into the December month, I wanted to feel more festive. We are getting a Christmas tree Saturday though, so I guess I'll feel much happier after we have it up.

I'm also scheduled for surgery to 'fix' my eyes on Thursday. Hopefully, I'll have 50-50 vision by next week. I've been wearing glasses for 25 years (since I was 9), so it will be unbelievably wonderful. 


Novel: 

As I said, I wrote 50k. I'm not done though. I am hoping to get back into the writing mood so I can finish it before January. Although I'm liking it so far, I really feel like it's lacking in plot. Things are getting revolved a bit too easily. I'm not sure how to fix that.

Still no news from publishers. No Nays and No Yays.
Love: In love in love in love and in love. It's my favourite constant in my life.
His birthday is tomorrow, so I get to celebrate 34 years of Clint!




This Time Last Year: 


Things were good. I was trying to finish my novel. (And I did on December 16th, 2013). I was present shopping, I was enjoying life.



And it was cold out.



Life and stuff. It's good.




HAPPY December! 



And as always:


©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.

Prompts from: http://erinisawriter.blogspot.ca/2014/12/updated-prompts.html

Updated Prompts

December 1

I originally had prompts Here: from an older Post. It's getting kind of hard to find that, and my mind is needing prompts for this month. So I'm refreshing it, and deleting the ones I've done so I can start again in December.



I found this: http://selfpublishingteam.com/105-author-blog-prompts/

It actually has prompts for blogs. A lot of them. I won't be using any of the self publishing ones because I'm not yet going that route.




Reading and Writing Blog Prompts

  1. Share a profile of one of your readers. Who are they? How did they find your work? Here It Is!!
  2. Give an example of a paragraph of your work before and after editing.
  3. Interview a fellow author.
  4. Choose a character of yours to represent each of the four seasons.
  5. Add on to or update an old post with new info.
  6. Which author’s career are you most jealous of? Why?
  7. From where have your recently drawn writing inspiration?
  8. What book are you reading? How did you choose it?
  9. Profile one of your characters.
  10. Create a list of favourite posts from your blog (old posts tend to drown in the abyss).
  11. Have a weekend writing retreat and detail the experience.
  12. What character would you most like to be stuck in an elevator with?
  13. Create a dinner menu, drawing inspiration from your work.
  14. Do a “running diary” of a writing process (outlining, designing, marketing, etc).

Creative Writing Prompts

  1. “Her coffee cup slipped right out of her hand and smashed into a thousand pieces on the kitchen floor…” Finally Did One!!!
  2. “A knock on the door in the middle of the night never means good news…”
  3. Rewrite a book scene from a different character’s perspective.
  4. “They sat shoulder to shoulder on the beach, willing the sunset to last just one second longer…”
  5. “She dragged the box out of the attic, put the record on and felt everything from crashing forward from her memory…”
  6. “He was sprinting at full speed, briefcase banging against his thigh as he ran, but the bus pulled away, leaving him alone in the rain…”
  7. “She never let herself believe in anything so foolish, but this time, something about it—she just couldn’t quite shake the thought that it just might be real….”
  8. Write a post from a character’s perspective.
  9. “He saw her just as she stepped from the train platform into the car and without a second thought, he abandoned his plans and followed her steps…”
  10. “They sat across the table from each other, waiting for the world to come crashing down on both of them…”
  11. Rewrite a movie scene from a novel perspective.
  12. “She wasn’t sure what might have happened that night if the sprinklers hadn’t come on at the last second—but a part of her wanted to know how it might have turned out…”
  13. “His friends told him he was crazy, as did his family and even his girlfriend, but that was only because they didn’t know the whole story…”
  14. Rewrite a scene from your book as a different genre.

Marketing/Social Media/Reviews/Blogs/Design Prompts

  1. Check out the keywords visitors are using to find your site — you might find a post idea!
  2. If you had 5 minutes with Mark Zuckerburg what would you tell him to improve on Facebook?
  3. Share 3 blogs you love to read.
  4. Post a picture of a book cover you liked and talk about what you love about it.
  5. Share 10 people on Twitter you’d recommend following and why.
  6. What do you hate the most about doing your own marketing?
  7. Link to a blog or news article you recently read and share your take on the topic.
  8. Give your blog a mission statement.
  9. Post a book sales report for the past month.
  10. Share 3 marketing ideas that worked for you and 2 that didn’t.
  11. Offer companion book club materials for free download.
  12. Give ideas for a book party centred around your book! Share activities, recipes, discussion questions, etc.
  13. Release a special eBook edition of your book or offer a special limited-time discount.
  14. Respond to another blogger’s post, offering additional info or a counterpoint.
  15. Respond to criticisms you’ve received of your genre or your work, in particular.
  16. Create a soundtrack for your book. Be sure to share links to purchase the songs!
  17. Gather links to favourite posts you’ve read this past week.
  18. Write a “What’s New” post to share upcoming projects. What are you working on?
  19. Interview a reader. What did they like about your book? Would they share it with others?
  20. Encourage reader participation by hosting a read-along of your work. Each week, post a new assignment and discussion questions.
  21. Feature your favourite reviews of your work. "
  22. Your day in detail (I've already done this with the other prompts, but I'm sure my daily routine will change by the time I do it again.)
  23. Siblings
  24. 5 things from your bucket list
  25. Your favourite thing to do right now.
  26. The weather
  27. Something unusual
  28. Someone you miss
  29. Someone you've always wanted to meet
  30. Relationship to food
  31. Something that excites you and fills you with joy
  32. Something that you regret not doing in the last year.
  33. 5 things you're passionate about.
  34. Goals for next month
  35. What made your day special?
  36. Something you could never get tired of doing.
  37. How you envision your life to be.
  38. What do you want?
  39. Family
  40. Daily Routine

Update: More Creative Prompts: From: http://thewritepractice.com/prompts-break/

1.He cut the car’s engine with a bloody, trembling hand and stopped his breath to listen for pursuers, but his pounding heart left him deaf to anything else that could be lurking in the night.
2.She smelled roses as soon as she walked into the candle lit room and saw him lying on the bed naked except for a single rose he wore on his genitals.
3.“Not all men are dogs,” he grinned, “but in my case, woof.”
4. They were too late.
5.She held the aluminum bat like a torch with her head held high as she made her way toward the office parking lot. She could feel her coworkers’ eyes staring down at her from their 9-to-5 prison cells. She smiled to more than just herself, but to the realization that she was no longer like them. She had broken free and now she was going to break something else. She just hoped it was the only thing that made her ex-boss happy and that it was parked in its usual spot.

UPDATE AGAIN (August 13)
These came from: http://www.carrieelle.com/2013/01/writing-prompts.html
2. If you had to eat the same meal over and over again for the rest of your life, what would it be, and why?
3. What is the oldest piece of clothing in your closet that you still wear?
4. What material object do you cherish the most?
5. Tell about a lesson you learned in middle school.
6. Describe the most vivid dream you can remember.
7. Create a character ten years older than you of the opposite sex and write about their day in first person.
8. Describe an object in the room without mentioning it by name.
9. Make up a recipe.
10. Pick a controversial issue you are passionate about – and then argue the opposite stance (ooooh…I dare you).
11. Write a letter to your sixteen-year-old self.
12. Write a letter to your ten-years-older-than-you-currently-are self.
13. Start with the day of the week it currently is…and then let your stream of consciousness take it from there.
14. What is your favorite book, and why does it speak to you?
15. If you could have any skill in the world (that you currently don’t have), what would it be?
16. What was your favorite thing to imagine when you were a child?
17. Write a letter to the President.  Without mentioning politics.
18. Describe your perfect day.
19. Write a letter apologizing to someone you owe an apology to (if you don’t owe anyone an apology – make it up).
20. Why do you like to write?
21. What inspires you?
22. When do you feel your happiest and most complete?  How does it feel when you are experiencing this?
23. Describe your favorite sound.
24. What kind of work do you like best?
25. Write about the first thing that happened yesterday morning."


"1. Give a tour of the home you grew up in.
2. Tell about a time you were wrong.
3. Pick an object next to you, and write down what it is  - let your stream of consciousness tell the rest of the story (if I were to use this prompt right now, my story would start with, “The blue pen…”)
4. Pick your favorite name and write a character sketch for a person with that name.
5. Write a letter to your unborn child. It’s okay if you don’t have children, don’t want children, or are done having children – that might make it more interesting. Here it is
7. Describe your car using your senses – how does it smell, how does the steering wheel feel, how does the radio sound?
8. Tell the story of how you met your best friend. Here it is
9. If you had to be an animal for a day, what would it be? Tell about your day.
10. Write the first chapter to a novel you have no intention of ever finishing.
11. Write the last chapter to a novel you have no intention of ever starting.
12. Pretend you’re underwater, and write about how it feels.
13. What is the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you?
14. Tell someone from the early 1900′s about the Internet. Or TV. Or better yet, YOUR CELL PHONE.
15. Who makes you feel the happiest? Tell that person “thank you” in a letter. Here
16. What do you want to accomplish before you die?
17. Why do you love your favorite movie?
18. How does music sound to you?
19. Write about something you’re afraid of – explain why you’re afraid.
20. Explain how to do something in five steps (it can be anything – how to do laundry, how to file your taxes, how to write a book – the more random and difficult to explain, the better).
21. Tell a story using a TV commercial to inspire your setting and characters (example: a pretty lady getting out of a car, an overly-perky mom vacuuming her spotless floor).
22. Describe what it’s like to eat your favorite food – the texture, the taste, the feelings associated with it.
23. Write about your day…only, change your race and/or gender.
24. If you were a color, what color would you be?
25. Write about a pet that used to be in your life."

And as always:



©ErinLeahMcCrea All photos I share on my blogs are my own, please Ask Me For Permission Before Using Them.