Welcome to another Friday. Hope your week has been a good one or at least a trauma-free one. Mine had a very busy start, but is having a relaxing end due to two days off from work.
Part of my “follow-through” goal this year includes following through on scheduling, and more importantly taking, days off work on a regular basis. An unfortunate Catch-22 situation about having been at a company for a long time is that you tend to earn a lot of paid-time-off, but it can be very difficult to ever take any of it.
A recent New York Times article touted the benefits of time off (see quote below), so I’m doing my best to change my long-hour-working ways and start building time off into the schedule. I’m feeling more creative already!
“[time off] literally makes us more creative, better at problem-solving, better at coming up with creative ideas.”
Now that I an well-rested with two fun-filled days of doing virtually nothing under my belt, I’m going to take advantage of my increased creativity and give today’s writing prompt and/or random words a try.
Care to join me?
For those of you working away on a story (whether a first draft or a polished version on its way to publication), if you’re not feeling random, we’d love to hear a bit – whether it’s a scene, a paragraph, or even a phrase that you are especially pleased with and would like to share.
If you don’t have a story in progress, or just want to work on something new, I hope today’s random words and writing prompt will catch your creative fancy.
Ready?
What if: “Your character has to deal with a difficult client?
Feel free to interpret the “What if” any way you choose (or ignore it completely) and include any (or all) of the following random words:
bulldog undersea grill moonbeam
lonesome chain ambush detox
facade bluntness miserable injury
wealthy audience entertain cynical
I look forward to seeing your stories in the comments. If you’re not feeling in the writing mood today, or don’t have time, feel free to post suggestions you might have for future “what-if” prompts. Ideas are always welcome.
Happy writing to all!
Eight Ladies Writing 
Two days off! Woo-hoo, Elizabeth! I had a fun time with my two hippie PR ladies below. Thanks for the prompts!
Showtime
“What is the matter with that woman?” Consuelo O’Brien hissed to her best friend and colleague, Moonbeam Stanislavsky. “I’d like to chain her to a fence and let Killer the Bulldog eat her toes.”
She made a show of wiping her hands. She’d ambushed Moonbeam at the bar and dragged her into the bathroom of the Lonesome Cowboy Bar and Grill, the better to complain about their miserable client, the Baroness von Hell.
“Maybe we should have taken her to a detox facility, instead of a fun restaurant,” Moonbeam said, dabbing on some mascara. “She’s certainly poisonous enough.”
“It’s not too late to entertain that idea.” Consuelo leaned against the sink. “Seriously, I’d like to do her an injury.”
Moonbeam put down her mascara wand and took out her lipstick.
“She’s our wealthiest client,” she said, swiping her mouth. She rubbed her lips together and then pouted at the mirror before dropping the tube back in her purse. “We have to maintain at least a façade of compliance.”
“I don’t see why. She wants to host her next Oscar party in an undersea palace! She says the audience will like the feeling of floating. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there aren’t a whole lot of undersea palaces, even in LA.”
“So young, and yet so cynical,” Moonbeam said, shaking out her bob, the better to admire the bluntness of the cut. “Come on, girlfriend. We can do this. Maybe we can convince her to hold the party on Mir.”
Consuelo brightened.
“We’ll give her a one-way ticket!” she said. Moonbeam smiled, holding open the door.
“Now you’re talking,” she said.
Very fun, Kay. I like your hippie PR ladies too, not to mention your always great character names.
Yes, and I got to use one of the prompts for a name! Killing two birds with one stone, sort of. 🙂
“Cynical” and “bluntness” jumped out at me. They may need to find a place in my current humor piece. Thanks!
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