If you could go back and redo your school years knowing what you know about your life now, would you make the same choices? If so, did your career turn out the way you hoped? If you would choose differently now, what differences would you make and why?

1. So it was Friday the 13th. So what? What could possibly go more wrong today than yesterday, thought Josie as she walked towards a ….

2. Peering further into the depths of the freezer, Sarah saw something she hadn’t seen before. Sticking slightly out from behind the frozen peas was ….

3. "Pizza Party" said the invitation in David’s hand. Problem was that Emerald would be there with ….

How do your main characters react under stress? Write two journal entries, one of them for your protagonist, and one for your antagonist, expressing how they feel about the terrorist attacks on the WTC. The date of the journal entries is September 12th 2001. Even if your character does not live in the US, they will still have some reaction to what happened - perhaps having friends living/working near Ground Zero, or no longer wishing to take a holiday involving air travel for example.
If you write for children, think about how the children reacted to the attacks. Write a journal entry for a character telling of how they heard the news, how much they understood about what was happening, and how they feel about it. The date for this journal entry is September 12th 2001.
If your novel is based in a different time period, then choose an event in world history that would have had an effect on them - for example a Civil War, WWI or WWII, Pearl Harbour, Fire of London, Sinking of the Titanic, etc. As this selection requires a date appropriate to the event you are writing about, please choose a journal entry date one day after the event in question.

Write for 15 minutes on the theme of "The Heroes". These can be personal heroes, national heroes or even international ones. They can be living or long since gone. Just think about the title as you write/type it and then time yourself to write for 15 minutes without editing, stopping to review what you’ve wrote or make a cup of coffee! At the end of 15 minutes read what you’ve produced so far - and then, if you’re inspired, continue on.

Your exercise today is to incorporate all of the following words into an article, short story, poem or whatever comes to mind. You must use all of the words (in any order) to complete the exercise, but the context in which they are used is up to you. Think about the words for a few minutes before you start to write and see what pictures come to mind - then see if you can weave them all together into a piece of writing.

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This morning, I’d like you to think of a circus - I know, many us feel that we’re actually living in one, especially on Monday mornings! When you think of the various skills that are needed in the Big Top, where would you cast yourself? Would it be calmly walking the high wire far above crowds, or would you be happiest clowning around in the sawdust? Maybe you’d be most at home cracking the Ringmaster’s whip! Write a short journal entry entitled "My Life in the Circus".

Idea Seeds! Start your page with any of the following and see where your creative muse takes you:

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As fiction writers we are constantly told to “show and not tell”. One of the best ways to do this is with vocabulary. The words you use can turn a peaceful walk in the forest into a sinister adventure fit for a thriller.

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Write about something that you regret. It may be something very personal to you such as words spoken in anger to someone you love and respect, or it may be something like not being able to meet a famous celebrity or being too late to purchase the best bargain in a sale.

Your exercise today is to incorporate all of the following words into an article, short story, poem or whatever comes to mind. You must use all of the words (in any order) to complete the exercise, but the context in which they are used is up to you. Think about the words for a few minutes before you start to write and see what pictures come to mind - then see if you can weave them all together into a piece of writing.

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