1. Today’s iPOD! Imagine you wake up one morning with a key clasped tightly in your hand. How did this key come to be in your possession? More importantly, what does it unlock? Write at least half a page. Also, you must have some dialogue. Make it serious, scary, or humorous, and be creative!Imagine you wake up one morning with a key clasped tightly in your hand. How did this key come to be in your possession? More importantly, what does it unlock? Write at least half a page. Also, you must have some dialogue. Make it serious, scary, or humorous, and be creative! #1

2. Today’s iPOD! You had a bizarre dream last night. You woke up from a deep sleep muttering something about buttermilk, rainbows, and an amusement park. Describe what actually occurred. Remember to enhance your story by using some imagery. (At least three examples) It must have some dialogue as well. Let your imagination flow, baby!You had a bizarre dream last night. You woke up from a deep sleep muttering something about buttermilk, rainbows, and an amusement park. Describe what actually occurred. Remember to enhance your story by using some imagery. (At least three examples) It must have some dialogue as well. Let your imagination flow, baby! #2

3. Today’s iPOD! While unpacking at your new apartment, you find a box left behind by the previous tenant in the corner of a closet. What’s in it? Do the contents explain a mystery? Are they notes about a wicked plan? Are they love letters? Clues to a treasure? What do the items within tell you about the previous resident, if anything? Will you return the items? Why or why not? If not, what will you do with them? If so, how will you get the items to the tenant; no one knows where s/he has moved to. Use some imagery (3 examples) and dialogue. Make a great story!While unpacking at your new apartment, you find a box left behind by the previous tenant in the corner of a closet. What’s in it? Do the contents explain a mystery? Are they notes about a wicked plan? Are they love letters? Clues to a treasure? What do the items within tell you about the previous resident, if anything? Will you return the items? Why or why not? If not, what will you do with them? If so, how will you get the items to the tenant; no one knows where s/he has moved to. Use some imagery (3 examples) and dialogue. Make a great story! Monday, Oct. 24 #3

4. Today’s iPOD! Somewhere in your iPOD you must have the following sentence: “S/he hugged the tree as s/he looked down at the ground far below.” Then, in story-like fashion, explain the events that led to him/her ending up in the tree. Also, what happens next? Be sure and give this person a name. 10% of your iPOD must have dialogue. Avoid “to be” verbs, use some money words, and some imagery (highlight two examples).Somewhere in your iPOD you must have the following sentence: “S/he hugged the tree as s/he looked down at the ground far below.” Then, in story-like fashion, explain the events that led to him/her ending up in the tree. Also, what happens next? Be sure and give this person a name. 10% of your iPOD must have dialogue. Avoid “to be” verbs, use some money words, and some imagery (highlight two examples). #4

5. You're a pizza delivery driver and it's your last stop of the night. The house is on a dark and scary street. As you ring the doorbell, you're greeted by an unusual character who invites you in while s/he gets cash. An odd series of events follows, ending with you in a very strange location. What are these events? What location do you end up in? Bring the characters to life with some excellent use of imagery. Make it serious, scary, or humorous. Remember to balance showing sentences with telling ones. Definitely use some dialogue. Avoid “to be” verbs. You're a pizza delivery driver and it's your last stop of the night. The house is on a dark and scary street. As you ring the doorbell, you're greeted by an unusual character who invites you in while s/he gets cash. An odd series of events follows, ending with you in a very strange location. What are these events? What location do you end up in? Bring the characters to life with some excellent use of imagery. Make it serious, scary, or humorous. Remember to balance showing sentences with telling ones. Definitely use some dialogue. Avoid “to be” verbs. Today’s iPOD! Tuesday, Jan. 25 #5

6. Today’s iPOD! You wake up in a darkened circus tent wearing a bright blue and yellow clown costume and a fluffy red wig. There is a dwarf standing over you with a bucket of water. "You okay?" he asks. What happened? How’d you end up in a tent? Why are you wearing a clown suit? Who’s the dwarf? Write it. Remember to use some dialogue, balance showing with telling, use some imagery, and try to avoid “to be” verbs as best you can. #6

7. Today’s iPOD! “Ever since they invented_______, my life hasn’t been the same.” You must start your iPOD with this sentence. Then, you must end it with this sentence: “…and that’s how the _____ ended up in my biology teacher’s _____. The word in each blank must be different from one another. Avoid “to be” verbs. Highlight a power-packed verb. Circle an example of imagery. Use some dialogue, and consider trying an anecdote. Shoish!“Ever since they invented_______, my life hasn’t been the same.” You must start your iPOD with this sentence. Then, you must end it with this sentence: “…and that’s how the _____ ended up in my biology teacher’s _____. The word in each blank must be different from one another. Avoid “to be” verbs. Highlight a power-packed verb. Circle an example of imagery. Use some dialogue, and consider trying an anecdote. Shoish! #7

8. You're sitting in class one day and you receive a text message from an unrecognized number. The text says, "I have the money and hid the body. What next?" You think this is serious, so you engage in a series of texts with the unknown person in an effort to secure more information before you call the police. The more texts you receive, the more scared you become. What you don’t know is that it’s actually [insert name here] using someone else’s cell phone. Write the text conversation you have with this “unknown texter.” When and how do you figure out it’s all a hoax? Or, maybe you don’t figure out it’s a hoax. How far is the hoax carried out? Today’s iPOD! Wed., Feb. 18 #8

9. Today’s iPod! A picture over your mantle unexpectedly falls and crashes to the floor. (What causes it to fall?) As you go to pick it up, you notice a note hidden behind the picture. The message is from the future—and written by you. It instructs you to do something important. What does it say? How’d you get to the future and back? Or, is it some elaborate hoax? Use dialogue. Use imagery. Avoid “to be” verbs. Bring it, Amigo! #7

10. Today’s iPod! Good for …  when you have writer’s block  finding ideas to write about  trying to get in touch with your feelings about an issue  getting your feelings down on paper instead of lashing out at others Spontaneous Writing!

11. Enveloped in gray matter. That’s a weird thought. You had it! Did not! So, the constitution is fading. For real? I’m laughing now, baby. Are dogs barking, too? Yes, because I feel angry. Are you getting the picture. No, I don’t have a television set. Kids are going to love that. Speaking of love, is it present? You know, between you and your brother. NO! He pisses me off and that’s a whole other subject. Money is good. How come? Because it’s just a thing. It’s what you do with it that makes it positive or negative. I’m finished for now. Good. Peanut butter, anyone? That crazy roof-sticker!!