People are often confused when I tell them I have no control over my characters. Inevitably they say something like, "But you made them up..." I really did not make them up. They come to me wanting friendship or someone to tell their story or both. So here is my advice for the week:

Don't try to control your characters. If they rebel, let them, the story will be way more interesting. 

This one is especially hard for planners who like to have detailed outlines. Deviation may seem hard but I'm telling you the characters know better. 

Keep on Creating, 
K. A. Jairl

Your writing prompt for this week is to find a picture of a place that inspires you. It can be a painting, a drawing, or a photograph. If you need some suggestions you can click on the picture above or below for my Pinterest board that is FULL of pictures like these.

Feel free to post an excerpt of your writing in the comments section below. I'd love to hear from you guys. 

Keep on Creating, 
K. A. Jairl

There is a really great book series that I have read countless times. I have probably read this series more than the Harry Potter series and that is saying something. It's the Stravaganza Series by Mary Hoffman. They actually have a few things in common with the Harry Potter series. They were originally printed in the United Kingdom and have magical elements to them. 

In this YA series, teenagers living in Barnsbury, England are chosen by these talismans that if they fall asleep holding them, will transport them through time and space to a country called Talia in the 16th Century. Talia is actually based on 16th century Italy but in this alternate universe, Remus defeated Romulus and the capital of Talia is therefore Remora instead of Rome.

If you know anything about the Medici family in 16th century Italy, you will see their parallels in the Chimici family of Talia. Both of these families are interesting in their own right so if you know nothing about the Medici you are in for a treat. Google them and see what you can learn about them. They were a fearsome family politically but they were also patrons to the arts because the 16th century was also the time of the Renaissance. 

As you can see in the image above, the writing prompt for this week is "You and he agreed on three meeting places in the event of a disaster. You're about to enter the last one." I found this on Pinterest and the image of the prompt says it is from mandywallace.com. 

I hope this prompt has given you some ideas. If it has I want you to answer these questions in the comments below. 

1. What are the three meeting places? Describe them or describe the last meeting place in depth.
2. What is the disaster that caused the meeting places to be necessary?
3. What genre of story does this prompt?

Also feel free to post whatever you write in the comments section as well. Hopefully this sparks your imagination like it sparked mine.

Keep on Creating,
K. A. Jairl

I know I apologized last week for not posting more. And then this week I forgot to post another writing prompt this Wednesday. I have no real excuses. Since I just graduated I'm down visiting my family this week. Plus on Wednesday I was down at our new apartment cleaning the floors and walls and windows preparing for the carpet guys who are coming to install our new carpet on Monday. So there are reasons I didn't post, but the most important one is I simply forgot with everything else going on. I wish my phone would let me have alarms for specific days of the week but my phone is lame. Once I get a new phone, hopefully I'll be better at remembering posts. I promise I'm trying.
I made a list of all the things I want/need to do for my writing. I included my weekly emails and blog posts on that list in the hopes that it would help me to remember. Hopefully once things settle down and we move I'll be less sporadic in my posting.

This weeks writing prompt is something I saw last week and really liked. It inspired me enough that I started writing again for pleasure for the first time (almost) since my last semester started in January. Assignments are not a lot of fun. They have rules and restrictions on what you can write. :p

I found this prompt on Pinterest and this is the Link it took me to.

So here is the prompt, I know you've all been waiting for it.

I apologize for going a few months without posting or sending out my weekly email updates. I do not really have a good excuse, other than that I had a lot of homework these past few months. However, that was my last semester (hopefully ever) as a college student! I graduated this last Saturday and am trying to adjust to life without classes, homework, or a reason to get out of bed in the morning, haha.