daytheweirdwriter

[daytheweirdwriter]

WRITING PROMPT #5: Normality

Write about a traumatised teenage hero navigating through normal life.

At just fourteen, you’ve saved the world countless times. You’ve seen, heard and done things that haunt you, but you’ve won. You survived and compared to everything else, high school should be easy…

But somehow, despite the otherworldly horrors you’ve battled, your parents won’t let you go to the biggest house party of the year. That won’t stop you, of course… but watch out.

[daytheweirdwriter]

Poem #3: A first attempt

So this is my attempt at a Petrarchan sonnet (with no iambic pentameter because my brain hurt trying to figure that out). It’s about my MC (as a kid) standing up for herself for the first time and written from her dad's perspective.

(1) I never thought she'd put up a fight;

(2) her peers rarely hear her speak.

(3) She’s small and timid and meek.

(4) She doesn’t bark. She doesn’t bite.

(5) And her face was red and bright

(6) as a tear slipped down her cheek.

(7) She didn’t wail, she didn’t squeak—

(8) just squeezed my hand tight.

(9) Yet, in turn, she cleared her throat,

(10) stared her principal in the eyes

(11) and alone, she waged her war.

(12) Her eloquence was of note,

(13) for after weeks of unheard cries

(14) the girl had learned to roar.

[daytheweirdwriter]

WRITING PROMPT #4: Double Trouble

Bad news: the council has deemed MC the 'chosen one' who will fulfil the prophecy and restore peace in the lands.

Worse news: the council has mixed up the twins again.

[daytheweirdwriter]

[daytheweirdwriter]

Poem #2: Sunday's eve

(Another poem from an MC—this one’s about grief)

Even now there are days

I recall fondly

through a haze

of young, budding feelings—

her voice on Sunday's eve.

Through crackling static,

her words reached my ear.

My heart would panic

(just as if she were near)

as she buzzed with excitement

it was hard to reconcile

that until Monday's morn

I would not see her smile.

But, just as pictures start to fade

and love-laced nights make tiring days,

my love for her has grown

even while her voice remains

in a booth located somewhere

on the trail to greener grass—

she will live on in my head and heart

and I will live in the past.

[daytheweirdwriter]

POEM #1: Fighter

(A poem I wrote about one of my MCs)

I'm more than the blood

that runs through my veins—

more than the fire

engulfing the plains.

“A force like the waves

that crash on the shore…”

A fury, untamed

like never before.

They call me a beast,

a threat, a curse

made in their image

for better or worse.

They want me shackled.

They want control.

They'll claim my body.

but never my soul.

(Not my best work but it’s something <3)

[daytheweirdwriter]

Y’all I’m alive ✨

[daytheweirdwriter]

A retrospective and discussion: The Butterfly Club by Jacqueline Wilson

TW: Implied @buse

Have you ever revisited a book from your childhood and thought: “Oh. Wow.”

This is a long post but after looking at the glowing reviews for this book I feel it’s necessary to critique the response of the characters in this story and the message it sends to the readers.

The main events in the book:

- Tina Maynard is a seven-year-old identical triplet, but she is much smaller than her sisters. She also underwent heart surgery when she was a baby and due to this she can’t participate in strenuous activity.

- Tina always relied on her sisters to protect her but this changes when the three girls are split up by their Year 3 teacher, Miss Lovejoy. Tina is placed next to a notorious bully named Selma Johnson and is, predictably, bullied. Notably, Selma flushes Tina's small porcelain doll down a toilet.

- Tina's love for butterflies is referenced throughout the story but it blossoms when she falls sick with pneumonia. During her recovery, Tina draws butterflies in a sketchbook along with facts about each one. After Tina's mum attempts to talk to Selma's mum about the bullying, it is quickly established that Selma does not have a good home life.

- After she recovers, Tina shows her butterfly book to Miss Lovejoy, and this prompts Miss Lovejoy to enlist Tina and Selma's help in creating a butterfly garden for the school. Tina and Selma gradually become friendly due to this.

- Selma invites Tina to her house, and we learn that Selma didn’t actually flush the doll down a toilet, but instead kept the doll for herself. It’s made clear that her stepfather is @bu$ive.

- The class has a bake sale to pay for the butterfly garden and Tina gets 100% on a sponsored spelling test to raise money.

- At the end of the book, Selma gives Tina her doll back and the two girls talk about their butterfly garden on a show called Ruby Red (a cameo of Ruby and Garnet from the book ‘Double Act’)

If you experienced some whiplash from that, I don’t blame you. As I reread this book, I saw many glaring issues that go completely unresolved.

From personal experience, I do agree with Miss Lovejoy's decision to split the triplets up and in the story Tina does develop because of that. My issue is with Miss Lovejoy's lack of response to the bullying Tina faced. I understand that it is a complicated situation, but the most that she does is move Tina to a different seat at the same table. Although in this story the situation worked out well, for many kids this isn’t always the case! The reminder that you never know what someone else is going through is clear, but that should not excuse Selma's behaviour.

Speaking of Selma, it is very clearly established that she is in an @bu$ive household, but at no point in this story does anyone try to intervene. Tina's mum actually tells her that she doesn’t have to go to Selma's house again (though I must note that Tina isn’t completely open about what happened) but it was established earlier that Mrs Maynard was aware of some mistreatment. Miss Lovejoy is clearly also aware of this, as at one point she reminds Tina that she is lucky to have a loving family.

I know it’s a children’s book and I know that there are children in these situations. To those who have read the book: what are your thoughts?

[daytheweirdwriter]

A retrospective and discussion: The Butterfly Club by Jacqueline Wilson

TW: Implied @buse

Have you ever revisited a book from your childhood and thought: “Oh. Wow.”

This is a long post but after looking at the glowing reviews for this book I feel it’s necessary to critique the response of the characters in this story and the message it sends to the readers.

The main events in the book:

- Tina Maynard is a seven-year-old identical triplet, but she is much smaller than her sisters. She also underwent heart surgery when she was a baby and due to this she can’t participate in strenuous activity.

- Tina always relied on her sisters to protect her but this changes when the three girls are split up by their Year 3 teacher, Miss Lovejoy. Tina is placed next to a notorious bully named Selma Johnson and is, predictably, bullied. Notably, Selma flushes Tina's small porcelain doll down a toilet.

- Tina's love for butterflies is referenced throughout the story but it blossoms when she falls sick with pneumonia. During her recovery, Tina draws butterflies in a sketchbook along with facts about each one. After Tina's mum attempts to talk to Selma's mum about the bullying, it is quickly established that Selma does not have a good home life.

- After she recovers, Tina shows her butterfly book to Miss Lovejoy, and this prompts Miss Lovejoy to enlist Tina and Selma's help in creating a butterfly garden for the school. Tina and Selma gradually become friendly due to this.

- Selma invites Tina to her house, and we learn that Selma didn’t actually flush the doll down a toilet, but instead kept the doll for herself. It’s made clear that her stepfather is @bu$ive.

- The class has a bake sale to pay for the butterfly garden and Tina gets 100% on a sponsored spelling test to raise money.

- At the end of the book, Selma gives Tina her doll back and the two girls talk about their butterfly garden on a show called Ruby Red (a cameo of Ruby and Garnet from the book ‘Double Act’)

If you experienced some whiplash from that, I don’t blame you. As I reread this book, I saw many glaring issues that go completely unresolved.

From personal experience, I do agree with Miss Lovejoy's decision to split the triplets up and in the story Tina does develop because of that. My issue is with Miss Lovejoy's lack of response to the bullying Tina faced. I understand that it is a complicated situation, but the most that she does is move Tina to a different seat at the same table. Although in this story the situation worked out well, for many kids this isn’t always the case! The reminder that you never know what someone else is going through is clear, but that should not excuse Selma's behaviour.

Speaking of Selma, it is very clearly established that she is in an @bu$ive household, but at no point in this story does anyone try to intervene. Tina's mum actually tells her that she doesn’t have to go to Selma's house again (though I must note that Tina isn’t completely open about what happened) but it was established earlier that Mrs Maynard was aware of some mistreatment. Miss Lovejoy is clearly also aware of this, as at one point she reminds Tina that she is lucky to have a loving family.

I know it’s a children’s book and I know that there are children in these situations. To those who have read the book: what are your thoughts?

[daytheweirdwriter]

Character Development Inspo ✨

For this prompt, we'll be developing a character. This can be an existing character or you can make a new one!

Think of a main trait this character has and equate it to an animal. For this example, I’ll say my character is as cunning as a fox.

The next step is simple and may lead you down a rabbit hole: look up traits of that animal and find one that diverts your expectations.

Did you know foxes are shy and try to avoid interactions?

These quirks don’t have to be as obvious, though. Maybe your character and this animal share a favourite food? Maybe their sleep patterns are similar (or your character wishes they were). Your character could have great hearing or prefer community over solitude.

Ideally, you should mix up traits. For my example character, I’ll say my character is as cunning and shy as a fox but as loyal and friendly as a dog.

Happy Writing!

[daytheweirdwriter]

Sorry for infodumping about my special interest out of nowhere, you said a keyword and it activated my unskippable dialogue

[daytheweirdwriter]

The book that changed my life. (Neurodivergent book rec)

I am autistic and I have always been autistic. Growing up, I knew something was different about me but I had no idea what it was. Having been diagnosed quite recently, I'm still learning to listen to myself and accept my needs.

‘A kind of spark’ by Elle McNicoll has changed my life.

It is a middle grade book, but I encourage any neurodivergent readers to give it a try. The story revolves around Addie, an eleven-year-old autistic girl, and her goal of creating a memorial for the wrongly accused ‘witches’ of her town's past. I've never related to a book so deeply in my life. It’s given me insight into my own mind and for that reason I want to share it with you.

[daytheweirdwriter]

WRITING PROMPT #3: The fool

Your character will try. They will work and cry and bleed for their goals, and every small success will make them work harder. They will fight for what they believe in with everything they have. They will have faith, but faith can only do so much…

“I admire your perseverance, but a fighting fool is still just that.”

[daytheweirdwriter]

WRITING PROMPT #2: Aftermath

Write about a character coping with the aftermath of their story.

“Resilience will keep you alive, but you will not leave unscathed. You are tethered to your story, and it doesn’t end in ‘happily ever after.’ You are alive, of course, but now you must learn to live.”

[daytheweirdwriter]

The Writing Rut (Writing Vent/Motivation)

When I was younger, I used to love the writing process. It came naturally to me, and I thought everything I wrote was a masterpiece.

Now, I’ve started to despise it. I’m in a rut—nothing I write has the same flow as it used to. My vocabulary is mediocre, my sentence structure is repetitive and every paragraph I write reads worse than the last.

I know I can improve, but I don’t know how. My practice pieces make me cringe. I want to enjoy writing again. So, I’m going to try be more active. I’ll probably post some extracts on here, and any and all critique is welcome.

But mark my words, I will learn to love writing again. I will make my younger self proud.

[daytheweirdwriter]

Y’ALL I’M ALIVE! More prompts coming soon ✨

[daytheweirdwriter]

Daydreaming is an important part of writing. Even without words pouring out onto paper, you're still the author of stories.