Happy “National Frankenstein Day” (if you’re reading this on October 29th)–though that really seems like a more appropriate day for October 31st, but maybe it was already full.

I’ve always liked Frankenstein, the story that is.  Not just for the story itself but because it was written by eighteen-year old Mary Shelley as part of a competition with Percy Shelley and Lord Byron to see who could write the best horror story.  She certainly showed them.  Her story, a combination allegory, fable, epistolary novel, and autobiography, continues to be more successful than she likely ever dreamed.

The novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (1797-1851) tells the story of a young scientist, Victor Frankenstein. While she published the first edition of Frankenstein in 1818 anonymously, the first 500 copies sold out. However, the public believed her husband, Percy Shelley, to be the author. Then in 1823, Mary Shelley published a new edition under her name. Another edition in 1831 included Shelley’s explanation about how the story came to be. This version is the one modern readers are the most familiar with today.

Perhaps I’ll pull out my copy and give Frankenstein a a re-read.  It will be a nice distraction from the painters who will be busily working (I hope) outside.  I can’t wait until they are done, everything is put back where it belongs, and I can get on to the next project. 

NaNoWriMo starts in just a few days, so as a warm up I’ll definitely be giving today’s writing prompt and 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 either today’s random words or writing prompt will catch your creative fancy.

Ready?

Prompt:   What a monster!

Feel free to interpret the prompt any way you choose (or ignore it completely) and include any (or all) of the following random words:   

torch                  greed                 tight               paste

fiendish             chain                 hunter           orange

chamber           company           crowd            collision

arch                  shadow              game              grinding

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 writing prompts.  Ideas are always welcome.

Happy writing to all!