Tag: Terry Pratchett

Writing Prompt: Odd couples

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Sometimes, the most brilliant ideas come from pairing concepts that seem to be totally unrelated. The best example I know is Firefly, Joss Whedon’s short-lived TV series that sparked a fierce and widespread fandom. The idea of a space western sounded ridiculous — but it worked, and was nothing short of amazing.

To give another, somewhat simpler example, consider the League of Black Ribboners from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels. This organization is made up of vampires who have taken a pledge not to drink blood: basically, a vampire version of Alcoholics Anonymous. (They have meetings where they sing rousing songs and drink cocoa.) Pratchett explores this idea with wonderfully comedic results in a subplot of his novel The Truth and also uses it as a background society detail in several of his other books.

This week, I encourage you to think beyond the norm and pair unusual ideas to create something totally unique.

Writing Prompt: Quotable Quotes

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This week, I’m looking to some of my favorite authors for inspiration. Here’s some interesting quotes to jump-start your creativity and get you writing your own story.

“‘Life is wasted on the living.'” Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

“‘Don’t put your trust in revolutions. They always come around again. That’s why they’re called revolutions. People die, and nothing changes.'” Terry Pratchett, Night Watch

“It was irritating to have one’s physical shortcomings pointed out quite so plainly twice in one evening…” Tom Holt, Expecting Someone Taller

“‘You bastard!’ This burst out of me before I could stop it. I regretted it at once, but it was too late.” Steven Brust, Taltos

Writing Prompt: The Letter

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In Going Postal by Terry Pratchett, postmaster Moist von Lipwig delivers a letter (one of many) that had been sitting in the post office for decades. The letter conveyed the acceptance of a marriage proposal, and after its delivery, the couple reunited and were finally wed.

Write a poem, scene or story in which a long-lost letter is finally received, altering the recipient in some way.

Check this article for some additional prompts.

Writing Prompt: Discworld dialogue

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Many moons ago, I would send out monthly writing prompts to my fellow classmates from Gail Adams’s flash fiction class. I stopped after a couple of years when interest started waning, but at the writing retreat, mentioned that she’d like to see me revive the practice. So this entry is the first of what I hope will be a weekly series, with new prompts each Friday afternoon. (If you’re familiar with RSS, you can use it to subscribe to my blog so that you can automatically keep up with future prompts: http://tembrooke.net/feed/.)

This week’s entry uses lines of dialogue from one of my favorite authors, Sir Terry Pratchett, who spins delightful tales of humor and satire that take place on the fictional Discworld. Pick a quote you like and use it as inspiration for a scene or a brief story.

  • “Now would be the right time to run.” Moist von Lipwig, Going Postal
  • “Always remember Rule One.” Lu-Tze, Thief of Time
  • “I vas vaiting for zer roll of thunder.” Otto Chriek, vampire, The Truth
  • “…one always feels somehow that there is something delightfully dangerous about a captain.” Sybil Ramkin, Guards! Guards!
  • “DAMN. I WISH THEY DIDN’T LEAVE ME TO DEAL WITH THIS SORT OF THING.” Death, The Truth

Happy writing!

Check this article for some additional prompts.