3 Simple Words
Prompt-like phrases
to get you writing
3 Simple Words
By David Stoddard
October, 2010
Copyright David Stoddard, 2010
Smashwords Edition License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment (and inexpensive gift giving). It may not be re-sold, rented or made to hold someone hostage until they read it. This electronic book may be read anywhere water or other liquids are most likely unable to be poured onto your electronic device. Yes, you are allowed to take it into the restroom with you. But please be careful. Like Stephen King has said, you can drop a book in the toilet and not worry all that much. But if you drop your electronic device in there, well, um... you could die.
For those of you who are STILL reading this, you are either very tired but can’t sleep and you need to read this to help you get some Zs, or you were put up to a dare. But let’s face it, you can stop now. I have no idea why anyone would read anything further in these 2 opening paragraphs. So please, just page down and get to the real meat of “3 Simple Words” and get to writing. Hmm, that could wake you up if you get on a roll with these prompt-like phrases. I leave that up to you.
Table of Contents
The Mandatory Introduction
Around the House
Atta Boy Awards
Do The Following
Edu-ma-cation
Everyone Needs Food
Following the Directions
Just Some Animals
Mind Your Business
On The Road
Oops E Daisy
Possible Character Traits
Pretty Personal Pal
Qs & As
Sensing & Feeling
Scenery Is Everywhere
Simply About Sports
Taking My Time
Things to Do
We The Writers
Where Is Everyone?
Summing Things Up
What People Say
More About David
Additional Ebooks from David
The Mandatory Introduction
“What I try to do is write. I may write for two weeks ‘the cat sat on the mat, that is that, not a rat.’ And it might be just the most boring and awful stuff. But I try. When I’m writing, I write. And then it’s as if the muse is convinced that I’m serious and says, ‘Okay. Okay. I’ll come.’” --Maya Angelou
“Writing is 90 percent procrastination: reading magazines, eating cereal out of the box, watching infomercials. It's a matter of doing everything you can to avoid writing, until it is about four in the morning and you reach the point where you have to write.” --Paul Rudnick
It was one of those things that became a habit of sorts. Without really trying, there they were. 3-word phrases. (See, 3-word phrases just then). They seemed to come out of nowhere. Here a 3-word phrase, there a 3-word phrase, everywhere a 3-word phrase phrase.
On the positive side of things, it helped me tune my senses to picking up on what it was I was in need of. I actually took out the digital recorder and used it as it was meant to be used instead of just this thing I carried around with me to keep my pockets full.
On the down side, always finding these 3-word phrases became addicting, annoying, and quite frankly, distracting to my being able to get other things done. I needed to just stop. I forced myself to write longer things. You know, maybe 4-5 word sentences perhaps. Heck, I even decided to put some of those longer sentences into paragraphs. It worked well. It got me writing more, doing more.
Enough about me for now. So what is this ebook about? What will you gain from it? Are they truly writing prompts? Can these entries be used for good? Or are these the nonsensical ravings of a lunatic mind? (Gotta luv Young Frankenstein).
As with most things in the creative arena, they are what you wish to make of them. Maybe they are starting points for your own writings. Or perhaps they can be used as part of a setting or an activity. Some might even make you smack yourself in the head as if this is what you have been waiting for your entire life. Voila!
Will all of the 260ish entries become works of creative genius?
Good Golly! I hope so.
But then again, that isn’t for me to say. Sure, some will be useful for various writings. Others may just be some silly set of words that will make you say to yourself (and maybe even out loud for the world to hear), what the bleep was David taking when it wrote this? Hey, it could happen.
I don’t know about you, but I am not normally a fan of long introductions in books, movies, terms of service agreements, phonebooks, technical guides, directions to the zoo, or lists of any sort. So I shall now end this introduction. Write about now.