Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’

{photo: commons.wikimedia.org}

Try this little game for unlimited story ideas:

Grab a pair of dice

Roll em

Create stories based on the numbers that are showing.

So, if you roll:

1 = a boy wearing a cast

2 = angry crowd around a flagpole

3 = spilled coffee on the carpet

4 = litter blowing in the street

5 = an obnoxious cell phone ringtone

6 = the first bite of a warm brownie topped with ice cream

So, with two dice you’ll get twice the numbers and you can combine two of the above: like if you roll a 3 and a 5 then start a story or poem or essay using  spilled coffee on the carpet and an obnoxious cell phone ringtone. Or think up 6 more prompts if you roll numbers 7-12.

Think of the possibilities!

Macaroni Monday

 

{photo courtesy of kinderteacher.com}

Remember the macaroni art from your younger days? Your home room teacher, or maybe art teacher would pass out bowls of uncooked elbow noodles or fusilli or mostaccioli to paint and paste in a unique design? Or perhaps you’d string the noodles on colorful yarn to make necklaces and bracelets which were then regifted to Mom or Grandma.

Well, today’s writing prompt has to do with Macaroni:

You have two options – either Write a Memory about a Macaroni Art Project you completed (describe the textures, the colors and the finished piece of art and who you gave it to and what their reaction was)

OR …

Write about a funny time you either cooked or ate macaroni (we all know someone who laughed until a slimy wet noodle came out of their nose!) Ew! Gross! I know, but give us the gory details.

Feel free to post some of your writing here! We’d all like to read it…

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

{image courtesy of Mrs Derek's Fourth Grade Class Blog}

To celebrate the author/poet/illustrator  get out your Dutter and Dutter, cake cutters, play your Drum-tummied Snumm and your Hinkle-Horn Honkers! The Time-Telling Fish and Great Birthday Bird would like to recite a Birthday Poem! (a smooshing snooshing of absurd words and images. Enjoy!)

Silly sally, dilly dally

All the day long

With striped legging-ly

Tiptoeing-y

Across the pages of bloom

 

A sniff, a snaff

A purple butterfly bath

Bubbles float up and

pop   *     pop  *     pop

Suds fizz down – plop

                                  plop

                                        plop

 

And Silly Sally dallies on…

 

~ Mary Jo Campbell

 

What kinds of characters and worlds can you create today to honor the Sultan of Silly, Dr. Seuss?

 

WaCkY WeDnEsDaY

Are you ready to be Wacky?

Write about a time when you were caught doing something gross or embarrassing (picking your nose)

Imagine if your character had a “mocking” disease: he is sitting in class taking notes on a lecture and begins, beyond his control, to mock and sneer at the teacher. What would cause this disease? What consequences would your character face?

Create a story where kids are considered model citizens if they can train a chicken to walk on a leash.

Can you come up with Wacky Writing Ideas? Share them here!

Wacky Wednesday!

{courtesy of Mistydreamz.com}

This week’s Wacky writing idea lends to culinary craziness:

Write about a magic microwave. One that comes with a supply of multi-colored beans. Each bean, when heated according to the specific directions, will morph into a fantastical creature. From the spotted bean will emerge a baby dragon, when heated on HIGH for 35 seconds. Although the same bean could become an evil-spirited goblin if set to DEFROST for 55 seconds. Chose your creature wisely and write about their escapades! Share your stories here!

Wacky Wednesday is BaCk!

I just completed an awesome week of teaching and writing with young writers!  I’m preparing some juicy tid bits to share with you from last week’s summer writing studio, including pictures…

But in the meantime, I will leave you with this Wacky Wednesday prompt:

Write about a batch of cranberry nut muffins served during the school’s science fair.  Everyone who eats one becomes a clone!

Share your story with us! C’mon, just a scene or two?

Wacky Wednesday

Instead of the usual Wacky Wednesday writing prompts, today, let’s take a field trip. It’s summer, you’re going places, so go into a bookstore, or a library with this mission in mind:

Find the WACKIEST children’s or YA book on the shelves and answer:

What made you pick the book up?

Why is it wacky?

Is it wacky-strange or wacky-silly?

Would you read it? Recommend it to a friend?

What ideas does it give you for your own writing?

Don’t be shy, share your findings with us.  Let’s see who can find the WACKIEST book out there (and I do mean “out there”, groovy cats!)

Wacky Wednesday

Writing gives us the freedom to explore words and their meanings, but also to use words in an unconventional way.

Today, I’d like you to use descriptive words in a WaCkY way. Here are some examples:

• Her breath was like lightning. (Could mean it was hot or “stinky;” or it could be literal and every time she breathed streaks of lightning shot out of her mouth.)
• Blinda put on her crispiest dress for the party. (Could mean her dress was a fresh and crisp new fashion, or that it literally was “crispy” like dried leaves that would disintegrate in the wind.)
• Teagan felt carbonatedas he visualized the outcome of today’s big race. (Could mean he was pumped and energized, or that he literally had bubbles percolating under the skin which would help his speed.)
• Your turn: select a descriptive word and use it in a sentence in a wacky way…see where it leads you. TIP:  look on food or beverage labels for unique words that can be used in wacky ways!

Wacky Wednesday

Since we’re discussing characters this week, let’s write wacky characteristics and discuss how you can “show” not “tell” through writing.

Example #1:  Minor Character has a nervous twitch when he walks.

Don’t say:

Billy has this weird twitch when he walks. 

Instead, say:

Billy lagged behind the others. He was careful to pretend he had stumbled if anyone noticed that his left leg swung out at an awkward angle when he walked.

Example #2:  Main character has a unique fashion sense.

Don’t say:

Melody liked to dress in mismatching clothes to get attention.

Instead, try:

All eyes turned when Melody entered the cafeteria in her purple leopard printed leggings, orange turtleneck and red gingham jacket.

Your turn! Write a before and after of a character describing a wacky characteristic or trait.  And don’t be selfish with your creations – share them here!

5 Prompt Friday

Here are some more writing prompts from young writer, David C. of Downers Grove, IL:

1. How do the tissues feel when your snot covers them? (Write from the point of view, POV, of the tissues.)
2. Would you rather be able to only smile forever, or frown?  Why?
3. Write about the life of a bug: honey bee, ant, beetle, etc.
4. What would life upside down be like?
5. Write the best “LOL” tag ever – like this: LOLROFLATUONGWGMAY would mean: “laugh out loud rolling on floor laughing and throwing up on new girlfriend who gets mad at you”

Whew! Can you beat these outrageous writing prompts?  Share yours here!