by Naomi L. | February 25, 2015 | Blog, Creative Writing, What If? Writing Prompts |
Here are some more “What If?” Writing Prompts to cover my creative writing posts while I catch up with my grad school work. The theme this week is a genre pairing that I have yet to feature a second time in this segment: mystery and suspense. Enjoy trying out these ideas, and please feel free to add more of your own! Good luck!
What if… you discovered your parents weren’t who you thought they were?
What if… whenever you answered that persistent knocking at your door, nobody were there?
What if… you were followed home by a strange animal?
What if… you couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching your every move?
What if… someone you’d never met passed away and left you everything in his/her will?
Have fun writing your own mysterious and suspenseful stories!
If you have any “What If?” writing prompt suggestions (for any theme), please feel free to share them in the comments below. Ideas I like may be featured in future “What If?” posts, with full credit and a link to your blog (if you have one)! Also, if you’ve written a piece based on an idea you’ve found here, be sure to link back to the respective “What If?” post. I would love to see what you’ve done with the prompt! Thank you!
by Naomi L. | February 23, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: behemoth
Pronunciation: bi-HEE-məth / BEE-ə-məth
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: a huge or monstrous creature
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Continuing from last week’s post on the word “leviathan“, here’s a complementary word for another type of giant monster. If there’s a name for a titanic water-dwelling beast, it stands to reason that there should also be a name for a colossal land-based creature. Once again, mythology provides us with one such name: the great “Behemoth”.
A “behemoth” is basically a creature of monstrous proportion. The word comes from the Hebrew noun bĕhēmōṯ, the intensive plural form of bĕhēmāh, which means “beast”. It has a notable reference in the Bible as a massive creature God shows to Job to prove the point that His might is unmatched by anything mortal (Job 40:15-24).
While the official dictionary entry for “Behemoth” doesn’t specify its habitat as terrestrial, some legends identify it as the male earth-dwelling complement to the female sea monster “Leviathan”. In the same way the latter most likely represented a whale or crocodile, the former may have been equated to such creatures as an elephant, a hippopotamus, a rhinoceros, or even (according to certain theories) a dinosaur. Also similar to “leviathan”, in modern language, “behemoth” can be used as a metaphor for anything enormous and powerful, especially a company or organization. If you tend to write plenty of titanic entities into your stories, “behemoth” may be the word you’re looking for! Good luck!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
by Naomi L. | February 18, 2015 | Blog, Creative Writing, What If? Writing Prompts |
It seems my busy real-life schedule is catching up with me again, so I’ll have to leave you all with some “What If?” Writing Prompts for now. This week’s set returns to the first theme I ever featured in this segment: fairy tales. Enjoy putting your own spin on some favorite fairy tales with these ideas, and by all means, please feel free to add more of your own! Have fun!
What if… princesses never needed a man to rescue them, but instead could get themselves out of trouble?
What if… Snow White hadn’t reacted as expected to the poison apple?
What if… the “evil witch” were the real heroine of the story all along?
What if… another young lady had fit into Cinderella’s glass slipper first?
What if… for once, a prince had to be rescued by a brave woman?
Good luck writing your own reimagined fairy tales!
If you have any “What If?” writing prompt suggestions (for any theme), please feel free to share them in the comments below. Ideas I like may be featured in future “What If?” posts, with full credit and a link to your blog (if you have one)! Also, if you’ve written a piece based on an idea you’ve found here, be sure to link back to the respective “What If?” post. I would love to see what you’ve done with the prompt! Thank you!
by Naomi L. | February 16, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: leviathan
Pronunciation: lə-VY-ə-thən
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: a very large aquatic creature
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Here’s a less common word for all you fantasy and mythology enthusiasts, especially those fond of the ocean. Legends of the sea are hardly complete without a colossal sea monster to stir up some fear, so it stands to reason that such creatures deserve a name of their own. Fortunately, mythology has provided one such title: the mighty “Leviathan”.
A “leviathan” is basically an enormous water-dwelling creature. The term is especially notable in biblical use, where it refers to a giant sea monster generally equated to a whale or crocodile (e.g. Job 41, Psalms 74). This word is the English translation of the Hebrew noun liwyāṯān, which also means “whale”.
I absolutely love stories about the ocean, so I’m actually surprised I haven’t made more use of the word “leviathan” myself. A great sea monster would be an indispensable addition to a tale about the mythical beasts of the sea. Of course, the word’s uses aren’t limited to fantasy, as it can also refer to something very large and powerful (usually a ship). If you ever find yourself in need of a description for those aquatic titans in your stories, “leviathan” is the word for you! Good luck!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
by Naomi L. | February 9, 2015 | Blog, Word of the Week |
Word: amorous
Pronunciation: A-mər-əs
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: showing, feeling, or relating to sexual desire
Source: Oxford Dictionaries
Valentine’s Day is this Saturday, so here’s a more romantic word for this week’s vocabulary post. For those of us who enjoy writing romance, sometimes we need just the right word to convey the passion between our characters. And let’s just say that for spicier interactions, “amorous” is on my favorites list.
An “amorous” action is one relating to love or sexual desire. The word can be traced back through the Old French adjective amoros (“in love”) to the medieval Latin adjective amorosus. These in turn stem from the Latin noun amor, which means “love”.
The last time I used the word “amorous” in a story was to describe a kiss between a couple of teenage characters who were desperately in love. I needed an adjective that would accurately define their level of passion without being too explicit, as most of my readers were relatively young and innocent. For that particular purpose, I believe this word worked perfectly well to convey my characters’ love and desire for each other. If you too enjoy romance with plenty of passion, I’m sure you’ll have no trouble writing some “amorous” scenes into your stories! Good luck!
What are your thoughts on this word? Any suggestions for future “Word of the Week” featured words?
by Naomi L. | February 4, 2015 | Blog, Creative Writing, What If? Writing Prompts |
Welcome to February! To start off the month of love, here’s a new set of “What If?” Writing Prompts for you to enjoy, all set to the theme of romance. See what sorts of love stories you can write based on these ideas, and feel free to add more of your own! Have fun!
What if… you were stuck in a never-ending Valentine’s Day until you found that special someone?
What if… you loved someone you could never be with?
What if… you found out your best friend has had a crush on you for years?
What if… you were in love with someone… who was in love with someone else?
What if… the only way you could win over the person you love was through a talent you lack (singing, writing poetry, etc.)?
Enjoy creating your own romantic tales!
If you have any “What If?” writing prompt suggestions (for any theme), please feel free to share them in the comments below. Ideas I like may be featured in future “What If?” posts, with full credit and a link to your blog (if you have one)! Also, if you’ve written a piece based on an idea you’ve found here, be sure to link back to the respective “What If?” post. I would love to see what you’ve done with the prompt! Thank you!
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