To get your writing going: check here for updates on words to spark your free writing –they’re contributed by journal and story writers from all over so you get to peer into the mindspace of people you may never meet! And tap into story blasts, groups of words and phrases that suggest a story line. Scroll down past the 5-word sets to see them.

(See the information bar on this site for tips on free writing)

#1: turbulent / taxi / flip / sauce / sip

#2: jack in the box / cottage / book / wink / pimple

#3: remembering / buried / bread / rug / sit

#4: glue / gem / whisp / William /steaming

#5: drink / nimble / grey / ship / dire

Story Blasts: Take a clump of phrases and see if you can make a paragraph or short story with them.  See if they pop you open to writing your own material that might have been lurking near the surface .

#1: feather / Spanish cheese / father’s boat / something Richard said /cigarette in his jacket pocket / beer can / high pressure / zinnias wrapped in paper / sound of the train

#2: coming back / arts & crafts / wrapped present / sleepless / waking up to / 1982 / strong smell of cumin / her face or someone’s / little evidence

#3. then it arrived / thinking about a new / expired passport / Cheryl’s latest husband / money involved / grey green / nightly news / carton of Chinese / reddish luck / hot

#4: moonlight cancelled  / jelly beans on fire / vivid oysters / midnight at Nasir’s bar / neon clients / she doesn’t look like a countess / over easy / sound of the engine / popcorn / behind the scenes

#5: back to her room upstairs / no TV / broccoli / Twilight / out of control / 60mph / low sudsing sense of humor / torrent of mischief / inside her mouth / I mean really