**Bev's note: I'm going to be a bit busy over the next couple of days, so I have a treat: I'm posting Milli's writing prompt for Cancer a couple days early! Once again, I'd like to thank Milli for being so generous with her monthly contributions. Enjoy and get to writing! ;-)**
By guest blogger Milli Thornton
THIS POST CONTINUES our series of zodiac writing prompts—a fun collaboration between myself and Bev using Bev's book, Sun Signs for Writers, and the writing prompt method from my book, Fear of Writing.
At the bottom of this post you'll find links to the prompts for Aries, Taurus and Gemini. But if none of these signs pertain to you, don't let that stop you from having fun with these prompts. They can be used by anyone at any time.
Now, let's go crabbing!
In human terms, we use the crab as the symbol of crabbiness. Yes, those born under the sign of Cancer are usually quite emotional people. But this doesn't have to mean negative or out-of-control emotion. Other key personality traits belonging to Cancer are sensitivity, intuition and purposefulness.
Cancerians love to focus on home and family; they’re are adept at nurturing others and keeping the hearth fires burning. Bev shares with us that “Crabs have an uncanny ability to send and understand the inner motivations of others, as well as a knack for spotting contradictions between a person's true feelings and his verbal and nonverbal behavior.”
Whoa! Doesn't that sound like the perfect picture of someone who’s probably adept at writing the subtext of his or her fictional characters?
While they may be good at spotting it, this doesn't mean the Cancer writer thrives on conflict. To the contrary, Cancers live in respect of authority and take their duties seriously. Give any Cancer you know a task, whether small or large, and she will carry out that task to her highest ability.
Cancer people are also empathic and very sensitive. They almost can't help taking on the moods of other people or shouldering their burdens. When they reach overload their likely to retreat into their shells like hermit crabs until they've had a chance to recenter.
Now that we know a little about the Cancer writer, let's put a twist into it and make a story.
Read the writing prompt below and allow it to sink deep into your subconscious mind.
Usually this will be enough to produce the makings of a story, but if not, no worries! Look in the links section at the bottom of this post for the article “10 Tips for Using the Zodiac Writing Prompts” and you're bound to find at least one tip that will help you get started.
WALNUT SHELL
The “hermit crab” shell is no longer private enough for you—too many leg holes for people to poke into, trying to draw you back out. You create a walnut shell in your imagination and curl up inside to escape the pressures of life. Soaking in everyone else's stuff and taking on their problems and woes has left you battle weary. You are sick of nurturing others! When will someone nurture you? And when will you ever have the time, let alone the energy, to write? That’s if you could feel your own feelings enough to know if you even want to. While curled in the walnut shell for what seems like an eternity, suddenly the idea for a book comes to you. Entitled, “What This Crab Knows,” you at first assume it's going to be non-fiction. But when you extend two index fingers out of your shell and tentatively start pecking at the keyboard, you're surprised to find it feels more like a short story or novel. And, because you know this material like the back of your crab claw, it's practically writing itself.
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10 Tips for Using the Zodiac Writing Prompts
March writing prompt: Aries
April writing prompt: Taurus
May writing prompt: Gemini
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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 Milliver’s Travels.
