Found Phrases as Story Starters

A Catalyst for Writing

Stories surround us, but sometimes, drawn deep into our work, we lose touch with those lively inspirations.  The imagination needs fuel.  If you neglect filling it for too long, you’ll wind up with the dreaded empty page glaring back at you.  Personal experience is an excellent catalyst for writing, but I often prefer to search for ideas outside myself.  One technique I’ve found useful is glancing through newspapers or online sources to find phrases that spark my curiosity and call to mind a character or setting.

I’ve pulled a few posts from craigslist as examples :

Regarding wolves:
My grandfather, a Native American from Browning, ranched in the area near there. He told me that the occasional cattle killed and eaten by wolves was an honor- a very small sacrifice for stealing the land from them. 

Woman’s ruby ring:
Beautiful dark ruby ring surrounded by diamonds selling for half the value due to financial needs.

Sunbeam Faces:
Let Sunbeam Faces put a smile on your face – young and old alike. You can be made into a fairy princess, a puppy, a tiger or even a super-hero. 

Lost Shepherd Husky Mix Male:
Lost dog, about a year old, big and friendly! He is not fixed and has a tan mask. Our children miss him dearly. He goes by Ollie. Please help us find him; he looks like a wolf and is very healthy. He does not bite and has had his shots. Please do not mistake him for a wild animal and shoot him.  

Feeling inspired?  I sense stories waiting in each of these . . . And I’m thinking I might call Sunbeam Faces about being made into a super-hero.  It can’t hurt, right?

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