Wendy Jayne Scott, my author friend from New Zealand, offers writing prompts to engage young people in storytelling by firing up their imaginations (ages 6-up)
Here are 3 examples from her book of 12 prompts:
- It’s Christmas Eve, and you’re supposed to be tucked up in bed, but you sneak downstairs to check if Santa has stopped by. The stockings are still empty. You hear a noise, so you crouch behind the sofa and hide. Who comes in and what happens?
- This Christmas decoration contains one magic wish. What do you wish for?
- Close your eyes and imagine all the special Christmas smells wafting from the kitchen. Describe how Christmas smells and tastes.
Find 9 more exciting writing prompts in Wendy Scott’s book for aspiring authors! Click below to buy ebook or paperback:
Buy Christmas Writing Prompts, Book 3 of 6, Aspiring Author Series
Wendy Jayne Scott, author
Any writing prompts or other Christmas/Hanukkah activities you like?
What holiday rituals will go on for you in spite of pandemic restrictions this year?
Here’s where to share. Thank you!
I will take a short break from blogging until January 2021. In the meantime, do savor this joyous season!
Good morning, Marian! I didn’t receive a notification for this post. More WP craziness, I guess.😀
I don’t have any seasonal prompts to share, but my friend Sarah Connor is doing an advent poetry calendar, which is lovely, and another friend, Damien Donnelly had a special holiday themed podcast episode. I’ve been fortunate to be a part of both.
I wish you and your family much happiness during this very strange (and sometimes sad) holiday season!
Your poetry is spanning the arts with calendars, podcasts, and awards, I see. Kudos for all of the above!
Thanks for the good wishes. I’m sure your Hanukkah season is tinged with sorrow with your mother’s absence. Light in darkness is a wonderful theme this year.
As to your not receiving a notification: I’m having my web guy updating my plugins in case that may be a problem; however, others have replied here, so I guess it’s one of those gremlins.
Thanks for again leading the way with our conversation today, Merril! 🙂
Creative ideas! I have shared with family members who might be able to use those prompts in the next two weeks. Wishing you and all your family a very Merry Christmas.
Thanks for sharing this with the Stoltzfus and Showalter siblings, just the perfect age for such an activity. And merry Christmas to you too with best wishes for a wonderful 2021, Shirley.
These are great ideas for all ages! Might be a fun Christmas day activity ro see who comes up with the most unique story. Have a very Merry Christmas!!
I like the idea of injecting a little competition to the exercise. Make it a contest! Why not! Thanks for this, Darlene! 🙂
Great ideas! Sounds like a wonderful book.
My Christmas tree is up, so that’s one Christmas ritual done. I also put up my Nativity scene. Not sure about how the others will play out this year.
Have a wonderful Christmas, Marian!
We have mimicked your practice, L. Marie: Christmas tree and nativity scene + a door wreath. Every year I display a little less: either I’m being more minimalist or have less energy – ha!
However, the nativity set will be a mainstay every year – can’t do without that. Thanks! 🙂
I have also read this lovely book of Wendy’s, Marion. Thanks for sharing your review.
Without our book club connection, I would have met neither you nor Wendy. Here’s to more good connections.
Thanks for chiming in again, Robbie! 🙂
My pleasure, Marian. Yes, RRBC is a great place to make new friends.
Yes, indeed, Robbie, and you are one of the BEST! I’m so glad we have this connection now. 😀
Thank you, Marian.
Thanks, Robbie, glad you enjoyed it.
😀
Wow, Marian, this takes me back to my newspaper days in Southcentral Pennsylvania. As lifestyle editor in the 1980s I started a Christmas writing prompt feature for children that became wildly popular. It was an idea shared by another editor at a Gannett seminar. We would start a story with a few sentences and the kids would finish it. Such creativity! We awarded prizes in age categories. The editor after me continued the tradition but I don’t know if it is still going on.
But you gave me an idea I should have thought of years ago: do this for my grandchildren. Might do that today. Thank you. Merry Christmas!
Lorrie, I can certainly visualize you as Lifestyle editor, a perfect fit for your writing skills. I’m glad this post prompted that memory and goaded you into sharing with those grandkids of yours. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hmm, I need a prompt for my Christmas newspaper column. Probably the hardest one to write all year, especially after 30 some years of giving it a go. Thanks for the inspiration! Enjoy your break, and you are wise. I read here locally where we’re expecting 4-8 inches of snow that even though the kids are mostly studying virtually–they’re excusing everyone to enjoy the snow day–which the teachers especially will appreciate. We haven’t had much snow in the last 3 years. Enjoy your warmer climate! I hope my husband and I can eventually spend January or something in Florida like my parents and many of our relatives have.
Well, Melodie, maybe you can adapt this theme as a prompt. No harm in that! I’m amazed at your longevity as a writer & editor. I wonder if you’ve ever taken a pause. You certainly have earned it – and more.
If you and Stuart come to Florida, we have a guest room waiting. You are welcome any time! 🙂
Marian — Oh, what fun! I can hardly wait until two-year-old Luna’s at the age for writing prompts. That’s going to be a blast!
Maybe next year Luna would be ready for something auditory: set a scene for her or show her a picture and have her talk about it. When that happens, you can tell us about it. Yes, it will be a blast for sure. Thanks, Laurie. 🙂
Hi,
I enjoy at times writing that it guide directed by using a prompt. Thank you for this review of Wendy’s book.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
Hi, Pat! You do know Wendy as I do through RRBC. Thanks for commenting here. And Shalom to you as well! 🙂
Hi Pat, I find writing prompts are a great ice-breaker when I’m tutoring Creative Writing classes – I love the diversity!
🙂
I have two grandchildren (sister and brother) who don’t seem to need any writing prompts. Right now they are writing a series called “the Harrington Hotel” and they’re all excited about it. The older of the two story writers prints and keeps my “Elly Stories” (which I’m emailing to my grandchildren) in a binder. I call her my editor and she lets me know if there’s a mistake! I love to be involved with them in this way. It’s all done by phone calls as they live two provinces away. I will share your writing prompts with them! They are good ones!
Elfrieda, I rejoice with you in successfully handing the “torch” of writing to the next generation. I take it your “Elly Stories” are your memoir chapters. It’s amazing how your passion and creativity as a writer and Hardy’s copyediting skills are being translated into the lives of your grandchildren.
And I’m happy you will share these prompts. And Merry Christmas to the entire Schroeder clan with a wonderful year to follow! 🙂
Last week, our year 8 English class had to write a story about Christmas during a creative writing session; these tips would have been brilliant! 👍
The prompts can be used at any time and, actually, adapted to other seasons. Wendy’s book contains other marvelous ideas + she has a series of books (The Young Writer Series) with other activities.
Thanks for stopping by, Fatima. I’m glad you found this post useful. Happy Holidays to you and Peter!
Thank you. Merry Christmas to you and your family. 🎄
Thanks for sharing! Wendy’s writing prompts are awesome for all ages and a great way to spend family time writing and sharing. 🎄 Merry Christmas! Happy reading, writing and sharing at Christmas and all year through! 💞
Thanks, Bette, Merry Xmas to you, too!
You have so much energy, Bette. I can sense your passion as you write. Thanks for sharing this and your good wishes, all of which I appreciate! 🙂
Merry Christmas, Marian, thanks for sharing my Xmas Writing Prompts book. Wishing you all a lovely Christmas filled with love and laughter.
There you are, Wendy! I don’t know about the time difference between east coast USA and New Zealand. I probably published this while you were fast asleep and now it’s tomorrow for you – ha! As you can see my readers are gobbling up your creativity. I hope you also get some sales as well. Merry, merry Christmas! 🙂
Fantastic prompts to get the juices stirring. I have few books I use for prompts and they are wonderful to have around for those times the well runs dry too. 🙂 x
i can’t imagine your well ever running dry, Debby, but prompts “to the rescue”! Abigail Thomas’ Thinking About Memoir is a marvelous source for me. I bought the book in 2010, before I ever ventured into blogging or any other kind of creative writing.
I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Incidentally, I love how you collaborate with Sally Cronin and others on her “Smorgasbord” and Facebook’s Literary Divas.
Happy Hanukkah, happy holidays, Debby!
As a primary school teacher, I love this! I could come up with a bunch of prompts for kids if I put my mind to it. You might remember from Plunge that I used to write lesson plans around books for a company called BookRags and this post reminded me of that, as I came up with creative ways to engage young readers.
We don’t usually celebrate Christmas and order Chinese take-out so we don’t have to cook. This won’t be possible from the middle of the desert this year. So, we have other plans – the same group with people we celebrated Thanksgiving and my birthday with will meet in a different desert. 🙂
I do remember your referring to your teaching days but not that detail. It strikes me that you have lived several “lives” in one lifetime. And yes, prompts are great for children because they usually draw on their happy memories and fire up their imaginations.
You also have “pods” of friends everywhere you go. I notice that some of your reviews have come from your sailing days. Meeting in a “different” dessert sounds wonderful this year. And so does Chinese, which I could each any day of the week, even a holiday – ha!
Enjoy the holiday, especially with that book out in the world getting rave reviews, Liesbet! 🙂
Thanks, Marion. Those prompts give me plenty to think about. Many of our holiday traditions are continuing unchanged, but there are no parties, which is weird. My Christmas Eve tradition will continue, altered somewhat. We will sing “Silent Night” by candlelight out of doors instead – no matter what this Canadian winter throws at us!
Singing “Silent Night” outdoors with candlelight sounds like a picture-postcard-perfect scene. I wonder if you will blog about it.
Merry Christmas in Canada. You will probably have snow, which I long to see after so many winters in Florida. Thanks, Arlene!
Hi Wendy. I have your book. CONGRATULATIONS!
Hi, Shirley, and welcome! I like all this sharing going on. So happy to have met you and Wendy on RRBC. Perhaps I will see you are the party today. 🙂
Love the prompts!
Thank you, Lady Fi. May you have a merry Christmas and a wonderful new year!
I wrote a piece for my sons about what Vic and I gave them when they were kids. I’ll read it to them on Winter Solstice. We’ll have a family Solstice ritual on Zoom and maybe a Christmas gathering, too. It’s a sad hard time for my son in North Carolina because it isn’t safe or legal for him to come home because of NY covid restrictions. A sad time for so many, but everyone is well in my family, so we’ll get through this. And I’m weepy. Thanks for spreading good cheer and may Cliff draw something that makes you laugh.
Yes, these are bittersweet times. Nature rallies, as usual, although we humans (some of us anyway) continue to be discordant. I’m sorry that your older son is stuck in NC, but thanks to ZOOM can be present in a way that wouldn’t have been possible a decade or so ago. On another note, I’m thrilled that your second son can buy property close by. (Yes, I read comments on Susan Scott’s blog – ha!) I continue to hear whisperings of the good effects of the vaccine and how rapidly they are being distributed to the most vulnerable.
Ah, thank you for remembering the elephant sketch of “me” from my memoir. Recently, Cliff has resurrected a drawing of Santa sitting on someone’s couch drinking hot chocolate, taking a pause in his nocturnal flight through the skies.
You say you are feeling weepy, so I’ll send you some hope and good cheer along with some hugs, my friend! 😀