by Bryn Donovan
Include the scents of an Italian restaurant in a scene.
Write about a character’s negative associations with a smell.
Write a scene that features a rare perfume.
Write a scene that includes the smells of a forest.
Write a scene that includes the smells in a cave.
A character encounters musty smells.
Use the smell of new carpet in a scene.
Write about a character with a very strong sense of smell.
Write about a character who has no sense of smell at all.
50 Prompts Based on Touch and Physical Sensations
These prompts are about tactile sensations and about the way people feel physically. Some of them are about being in physical distress, which can keep readers’ attention and elicit their empathy. Some are physical reactions to emotion, which can help readers feel the emotions more themselves. Write about a character experiencing one of the following things.
shortness of breath and a racing heartbeat after running or other physical exertion
jumping into cold water
easing into a hot bath
getting a deep tissue massage
an aching neck from spending too much time on the computer
blistered feet from wearing ill-fitting shoes
feeling so sleepy, it’s hard to keep his eyes open
feeling so frightened, adrenaline rushes through her body and makes her tremble
feeling so angry, a vein pulses in his neck
feeling a flutter in her stomach when she sees or talks to her crush
heated cheeks—from embarrassment or anger
a tight throat—from emotion or even incipient tears
the feel of velvet
the feel of wool
the feel of modeling clay
a burning tongue and a runny nose from eating something spicy
a burning tongue from drinking a beverage that’s too hot
feeling the caffeine from her morning coffee hitting her system
feeling groggy after a nap
sweating in the hot sun
squishy mud underfoot
stones underfoot
dizziness
nausea
a gentle breeze
a cold, biting wind
putting weight on a sprained ankle
menstrual cramps
scratching an itch
getting a hug
the feel of a cat or dog curled up in his lap
a hornet sting
the feel of smooth satin
the feel of slippery soap
hairbrush bristles against her scalp
someone playing with her hair
a fever
a numb mouth after getting Novocain at the dentist
a needle prick
a pinprick
a high heel stepping on his bare foot
feeling shaky from hunger
feeling satisfied after a meal
the feel of a hot car seat
the feel of rough tree bark
an earache
a dislocated shoulder
the feel of something slimy
the feel of something sticky
the feel of something prickly
25 Christmas Prompts
I’ve done a lot of creative work in my career that centers on Christmas, so I couldn’t resist including a list of Christmas prompts for stories.
Two people are secretly romantically interested in one another. They agree to share Christmas dinner together, just as friends, because a family holiday isn’t going to happen and all of their other friends are already busy.
A department-store Santa who was once a Navy SEAL becomes concerned about the safety of a shopper and follows her home.
A person is on a difficult quest to find or make a particular gift for someone else.
A Christmas card arrives in the mail fifty years after it was sent.
The Christmas ornament is supposedly enchanted.
A man who has just become fabulously wealthy is picking out gifts for friends and family.
A woman is transported to a Christmas in a past century.
To impress her, he learns the words to every verse of her favorite Christmas carol. And he doesn’t even like carols. Or Christmas. Or singing.
She embarrasses herself at a Christmas party.
A boat is decked out in Christmas lights.
One of the figures in the Nativity scene has been replaced by something completely different.
After the blizzard hits, they’re stuck together for a while, and they have to stay warm.
After her neighbors complain about her outdoor Christmas decorations, she escalates the situation.
Two strangers wind up participating in a holiday activity together.
Someone has been cutting down and stealing trees from the Christmas tree farm.
Someone resorts to desperate measures to get home for Christmas.
This is the worst Christmas gift he could’ve imagined.
They’re putting up a Christmas tree at the hospital.
It’s Christmas, and he’s determined to make amends.
Whose reindeer is this and what is it doing here?
She receives a gift wrapped in newspaper and duct tape.
At the palace, Christmas is very different from what she’s used to.
Okay, he’s not Santa, but he did have a very good reason for breaking into the house.
After Santa’s sleigh takes off, elves realize that one bag of toys didn’t get packed.
An actual angel shows up at the kids’ Christmas pageant.
150 Unusual and Beautiful Words as Prompts
Like a lot of writers, I collect words that are unusual and/or that I just like the sound of, hoping to use them someday. In a few cases, I just like the word for existing. Here are some of my favorites from my journals, along with their definitions. If you have a large vocabulary, you may already know most of these!
Words are subjective, and you might dislike some that I find lovely, but that’s all right—there are a lot of them here. I’ve stuck to English words except in cases where a foreign word has been pretty much adopted into English. Pick a favorite and use it to jump-start a journal entry, poem, or story. Perhaps you’d also enjoy starting a list of your own.
amaranthineAn adjective meaning either a. undying, unfailing, or b. a pinkish-purply-red color, like the amaranth flower.
winterbourneA noun meaning a stream that flows only or mostly in the wintertime.
florilegiumA noun, meaning an anthology or volume of writings.
chaparralA noun meaning a biome characterized by very dry summers, and very wet winters, and shrubs adapted to live under those conditions. It can also refer to a dense thicket of shrubs. I learned this word when living in Arizona, a state with many expanses of beautiful chaparral.
palimpsestA noun referring to a manuscript or tablet on which the original writing or text has been erased and written over…but traces of the original text remain.
sequaciousAn adjective meaning intellectually servile, or devoid of independent or original thought.
tyroA noun meaning a beginner or a novice. I like the energetic and forceful sound of this word coupled with the meaning.
meliorismA noun referring to the belief that the world tends to get better, and we can help it along.
apophasisA noun. This is the act of bringing up a subject by pretending you aren’t going to bring up (“We won’t discuss the way you messed this up last time.”)
vellichorA noun meaning the wistful feeling one gets in used bookstores. Amazing
word, I know.
supertemporalAn adjective describing something eternal or beyond time.
balefireA noun that seems like it belongs in fantasy novels. It’s an outdoor fire used as a signal.
caesuraA noun. I know this one from studying poetry: it’s a break or pause in the middle of a line of verse. It can also be used for some other kind of break or interruption.
nyctophiliaA noun, meaning a preference for the darkness or the nighttime.
noctivagantAn adjective somewhat related to the above—it describes someone who wanders in the night.
troikaA noun from the Russian describing a group of three people, especially three people in charge.
carmineA noun that means a red pigment made from cochineal (an insect), or a vivid crimson color in general.
iceblinkA noun meaning the reflected light in the sky over an ice field.
trouvailleA noun meaning a fortunate find or an unexpected windfall.
empriseA noun meaning an ambitious, adventurous, and/or chivalric undertaking.
dysphoriaA noun. I love the word “euphoria,” and I like knowing that “dysphoria” is its opposite: a state of feeling extremely unhappy or embittered.
eudaemonismA noun meaning the philosophy that personal happiness and well-being is the most important ethical goal.
impavidAn adjective meaning undaunted or fearless.
parallaxThe noun is often used in astronomy. It refers to the way the position of an object appears to be different when viewed from different positions. It’s also sometimes used specifically to describe the difference between the view of an object through a camera lens and the view through a separate viewfinder.
kickshawA noun meaning a worthless trinket. I always guessed this originated in Victorian England, but it’s much older: Merriam-Webster says its first known use was in 1597.
lambentAn adjective meaning softly glowing or radiant. It can also refer to brilliance in words or expression.
griffonageA noun meaning terribly messy handwriting.
gibbousAn adjective meaning either humpbacked or swollen; often used to describe the moon when it’s more than half full, but not completely full.
macarizeA verb meaning to declare something or someone happy or blessed.
archipelagoA noun that means a group of scattered islands.
nacreousAn adjective that sounds distasteful to me but has a pretty meaning: resembling mother-of-pearl.
flummeryA noun. It’s an archaic word for nonsense or trickery, but it’s also a type of dessert.
oblationA noun meaning the act of making an offering or sacrifice in worship.
oblectationA noun meaning pleasure or delight.
sybariteSomewhat related to the above; a noun meaning a person who’s a hedonist, devoted to pleasure and luxurious living.
paladinA noun meaning a military leader or a champion of a cause.
scintillaA noun related to “scintillating,” this means a spark or a trace.
effleurageA noun. It’s a term from massage, meaning a light stroking movement.
ephemeraA noun that refers to paper items that are often thrown away but that someone has saved, such as tickets, flyers, old letters, and postcards.
riparianAn adjective describing something related to or located on the bank of a river.
callithumpA noun meaning an out-of-tune band or a loud parade.
telosA noun meaning a final purpose or ultimate end.
chypreA noun meaning a kind of perfume with earthy and mossy base notes and citrusy top notes. It’s really a French word, and it’s pronounced sort of like “SHEEP-ruh.”
sillageAnother noun I learned from the perfume world. It refers to the degree to which the scent lingers in the air when perfume is worn. For instance, if a perfume has a strong sillage, you’ll take care to apply it very lightly so you don’t overpower everyone.
aestivalAlso spelled “estival,” but that looks more like a typo to me. This is an adjective describing something related to summer.
capriciousAn adjective describing someone or something who’s impulsive or impossible to predict.
numinousAn adjective, describing something that has a supernatural or spiritual quality.
pennyworthA noun meaning a good deal or a bargain.
vicissitudeA noun meaning the quality of being changeable or up to fate; or a good or bad thing that happens by chance.
dendrophileA noun meaning a person who loves trees or forests.
nexusA noun meaning a link or connection. It can also refer to a connected series of things.
arcanumA noun meaning a mystery, a secret, or secret knowledge.
bellicoseAn adjective meaning pugnacious or eager to fight.
opprobriumAhh, I love this word. It’s a noun meaning condemnation or harsh criticism.
widdershinsAn adverb describing a left-hand or counter-clockwise direction.
astrolabeA noun referring to an antiquated instrument to calculate the position of celestial bodies.
imprimaturA noun meaning the license to print or publish, especially one granted by the Roman Catholic church or by a government.
elysianAn adjective used to describe a blissful or heavenly place.
quixoticAn adjective describing someone or something that is so idealistic or romantic as to be foolish and impractical. From Cervantes’s classic novel Don Quixote.
evanescenceA noun describing the quality of disappearing or vanishing like vapor.
intermezzoA noun meaning a short interlude between longer movements of a musical composition or a short independent musical composition. It can also be used to refer to a short diversion or interlude.
baragouinA noun meaning unintelligible speech or jargon.
élanAn adjective borrowed from the French, meaning enthusiasm, dash, or brilliant style.
maffickA verb meaning to celebrate loudly, publicly, and extravagantly.
sophrosyneA noun referring to moderation or healthy self-control.
pericardiaThe membranous sac around the heart.
ossuaryA noun meaning a place where bones are kept.
chatoyantAn adjective describing a gem that has a changeable luster or color.
apostateA noun referring to someone who has rebelled against or has refused to recognize a religious faith. It can also refer to someone who’s defected; a traitor.
jewelweedA noun. This is a flower—a type of impatien. I’ve read that it’s a natural treatment for poison ivy, poison oak, and other rashes and skin irritants. I have no idea if this is true. The combination of something rare and valuable and something common and unwelcome makes it an interesting word to me.
tessellateA verb meaning to decorate with mosaics, or to cover a surface with a pattern of a repeating single shape.
acanthousAn adjective meaning prickly or spiny.
peripeteiaA noun meaning a sudden and surprising change of fortune, especially in a work of literature.
stentorianAn adjective describing a booming or thundering voice.
aggiornamentoA noun meaning the act of bringing something up to date.
mordaciousAn adjective meaning sarcastic or biting.
petroglyphA noun meaning a prehistoric rock carving.
novaliaA noun meaning lands that have just been claimed or reclaimed for cultivation.
rimoseAn adjective describing something with many clefts or cracks.
apricityA noun meaning the warmth of the sun in wintertime.
bitterrootA noun. It’s a succulent herb in the purslane family, sometimes used for herbal remedies.
soubretteA noun meaning a flirtatious young woman in a comedy, or an actress who plays that kind of part.
vespertineAn adjective describing something that
’s related to or occurs in the evening.
esbatA noun meaning the meeting of a group of witches.
tellurianAn adjective describing something related to the earth, or an inhabitant of the earth.
jejuneI learned this adjective from reading Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited when I was an adolescent. It describes something devoid of interest or meaning.
calyxA noun meaning the green cuplike part at the base of a flower.
byzantineAn adjective describing complicated systems with a great deal of confusing bureaucracy. It’s derived from the ancient city of Byzantium and the Byzantine Empire.
limnA verb meaning to draw, paint, describe, or delineate in detail.
razzamatazzAlso spelled “razzmatazz,” and related to “razzle-dazzle.” A noun meaning the quality of being showy, gaudy, or spectacular.
votaryA noun meaning someone who is devoted to a subject or way of life. It can also mean a dedicated admirer.
