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Lets take a look at our characters today in the guise of a little writing exercise. Select at least two, preferably three or four of the characters from your current work and imagine they each see a scene from your story.

Now, the exercise is to take each character in turn and write how that character would see the scene. What would stand out for them? What might be important to them that would not be important to anyone else in the scene? This exercise is not only to help practice writing, but to help you get to know your characters and what each one’s unique point of view adds to the story.

Pay attention to details that say a child might notice that an adult would not think about. Scents that might mean something to one character and nothing to others. Specific memories that events might trigger for a character that might give them some kind of insight on the current scene.

I saw this National Geographic image of penguins swimming under the ice in Antarctica and my first thought was how much the ice looked like Jupiter with the big spot. That made me start seeing this image as proof that there really are penguins in space.

So, now that we know I am insane, this picture is your prompt for today. What does it bring to mind for your muses? Do you see penguins in space as well, or just a bunch of flightless birds flying under the sea ice? Let your imagination run and find something to write.

Thank you to Marc of Daily Writing Practice for the inspiration to look to National Geographic for writing muse inspiration.

After visiting a seemingly kindly little old lady (or gentleman) your character starts to think there was something funny about the tea they had drank. What are they thinking?

Was the tea drugged? Did the kindly little old cat lady have a habit of putting some kind of hallucinogenic drug in her tea? Did they di it intentionally or accidentally?

Perhaps it was poisoned? Such as with the plot for Arsenic and Old Lace, only with tea instead of elderberry wine. Maybe someone else poisoned the tea, a relative seeking their inheritance early?

Maybe the tea had some kind of magical peppy side effect that adds a few years to ones life – perhaps the crazy old cat lady is in reality centuries old thanks to her special tea?

Imagine you are walking through the woods one afternoon and you find a feather laying on the ground. Something about it catches your eye and you pick it up. How might that feather be the catalyst for something story worthy happening?

Is it a magical feather that someone lost and they want it back?

Is it the feather of an extinct species of bird?

Does it have some kind of mystical powers?

Perhaps it is a feather from the wing of an angel?

Sitting here watching my dad’s kitten attack his cat in one playful pounce after another, I find myself wondering just how someone might write about that.

Perhaps from the observer’s perspective as I watched it? Maybe from the Point of view of either the kitten or the cat?

Set your timer and spend fifteen minutes writing about the subject from whatever perspective catches your fancy. Maybe the observations of a mouse watching from the bookcase?