By guest blogger Milli Thornton
Welcome back to our series of zodiac writing prompts, one for each month of the year. These prompts are inspired by Bev’s book, Sun Signs for Writers, and using the prompt style from my book, Fear of Writing.
This month we’re putting Gemini under the microscope to see what kind of fun we can extract.
Naturally, you don’t have to be a Gemini yourself to have fun with this. Allow the story idea to sneak in under your radar: These prompts work best when you allow your subconscious mind to participate. To do that, just relax and treat it as an adventure. No achievement-oriented thinking allowed!
As Bev reminds us in her book, Geminis are the great communicators of the zodiac. They love to talk; they're very sociable, inquisitive, and intellectual.
If you could look inside the brain of a Gemini writer, you would see dozens of ideas for stories or articles all leapfrogging for attention. Multitasking is second nature and the lust to start something new is never satisfied.
Hmm, are we wondering about consequences at this point? You guessed it! One of the biggest challenges for the Gemini writer is focus and follow-through.
To remedy that cycle of initial enthusiasm followed by the itch to move on to something new, it’s vital for Gemini to identify writing projects that can sustain her levels of passion and interest.
Now that we've reviewed a few of the qualities of Gemini, read the prompt and allow it to soak into your subconscious mind. Then doodle in the margin of your notebook or indulge in a little daydreaming while you wait for inspiration.
Remember that you needn’t use every detail from the prompt. Use whatever sparks your imagination.
Also, don’t be afraid to repeat or rephrase key sentences from the prompt in your story (or even write/type the entire prompt). This is a great way to get going when you need an extra push. Such a simple practice, but it can really put your subconscious mind into gear.
If inspiration continues to eludes you, try our 10 Tips for Using the Zodiac Writing Prompts in the link section below.
MY FAVORITE GEMINI
You’ve been hired to write a book on a subject of enormous interest to you. You’ve spent the past month feasting on a smorgasbord of knowledge, and you have a dozen micro-cassettes full of verbal research notes. You had so much fun talking into that little recorder! But now it’s time to write the first draft. Arrrrgghh. Suddenly, you would almost rather be someone else with a different career. The thought of all that writing and discipline makes you restless! While watching reruns one afternoon, Uncle Martin from that old show about the Martian steps out of the screen. He tells you he's here to be your writing mentor. “You're like a butterfly on caffeine,” he says. “Now I want you to sit down and start writing. I’ll time you. And NO TALKING! Your first session will be twenty minutes. OK, go!” Double argh. But how can you say no to Uncle Martin? You sit down and write for twenty minutes . . . and that’s when you have a revelation about your writing.
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10 Tips for Using the Zodiac Writing Prompts
March writing prompt: Aries
April writing prompt: Taurus
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MILLI THORNTON is the author of Fear of Writing: for writers & closet writers and still misses Australia, where she lived for 25 years. A bit of a gypsy, she currently lives in Ohio with her husband. Milli blogs at the Fear of Writing Blog and Screenwriting in the Boonies.
