Mark Welker - Hello there, Mark here. » Writing Challenges

Coffee break: box of letters

Mark — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:46:34 +0000

It's been a long time since I did one of these! Given I've just joined The Inaugural Subdate Challenge over at Toothsoup, I figured a little spontaneous literary finger twitching might be in order.

The deal is unchanged: write for 10 minutes against the picture above, and post an excerpt of the results in the comments below.

Remember, don’t try to guide what comes out. There is no point to the writing beyond the writing itself. Nimble up and let go.

And if you don’t want to post, that’s perfectly ok. Just let me know whether you found it useful.

Untitled, originally uploaded by yyellowbird.

No related posts.

#coffeebreak: center point

Mark — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 22:08:06 +0000

Monday’s are all about procrastinating, so why not procrastinate with a dose of impromptu free-writing? Write for 10 minutes against the beautiful photo below and post an excerpt of the results in the comments at the bottom.

Anyone recognise the location by the way?

Cuba Gallery: Australia / Melbourne / urban / city / people / cinematic / street photography / natural lighting / smoke / vintage / retro / light / portrait / photography, originally uploaded by Cuba Gallery – Now on Twitter!.

No related posts.

coffeebreak: passenger 44

Mark — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 00:34:58 +0000

As I enter the murk of the first draft of my next short story, I’ve become reasonably obsessed with the idea of passengers; as metaphor and in the literal sense.

So here is today’s slightly self indulgent coffeebreak challenge. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a guy sleeping on a train to somewhere. BUT IS HE SLEEPING AT ALL I WONDER!?

….anyway, same rules apply (or don’t apply, depending on how you want to read this). Write for 10 minutes on whatever the photo inspires and post an excerpt of the results in the comments below. No crafting, no revision, just let it all out.

Today can be nothing like yesterday, so why not make a new start.

Passenger 44, originally uploaded by Ali K..

No related posts.

coffeebreak: yokohama

Mark — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 10:19:39 +0000

Snap your creative fingers and write for 10 minutes against the photo below. No rules, no expectations, just get writing and pop an excerpt in the comments below.

denwa / yokohama, originally uploaded by ✈ Sean Marc Lee 李子仁.

No related posts.

B52 woman

Mark — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 11:25:56 +0000

For this week’s coffeebreak challenge I delved into my flickr favourites folder and uncovered this rare colour film beauty from the 1940s.

Having beauty and annihilation so tenderly entwined…it gives me goosebumps!

The usual: write for 10 minutes against the photo and post an excerpt in the comments field below. Unshackle your inner editor and let it pour out like mustard.

Part of the cowling for one of the motors for a B-25 bomber is assembled in the engine department of North American [Aviation, Inc.]‘s Inglewood, Calif., plant (LOC), originally uploaded by The Library of Congress.

No related posts.

coffeebreak: alone in the sky

Mark — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 02:21:51 +0000

Apologies, it’s been a while between breaks. With my recent move to Melbourne, stable internet has been a scarce resource of late. Things are finally starting to smooth out this week.

In case you are new (yes, every now and then I do actually get new readers) the deal is nice and simple: write for 10 minutes against the photo below and post an excerpt in the comments below. No judgments, no revisions, just a chance to mobilise your creative ligaments within the confines of your daily grind.

This photo reminds me of one of my favourite books, Falling Man by Don Delillo.

Alone in the sky, originally uploaded by roibradbury.

No related posts.

#coffeebreak: seagulls in kalasatama

Mark — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 13:51:05 +0000

Was very pleased to hear the other day that Dan Simpson entered one of his first #coffeebreak challenges into a recent short fiction writing competition and got shortlisted. And all from a spontaneous creative prompt!

Here is today’s #coffeebreak challenge for all those still playing. Write for 10 minutes against the picture below. As always, post an excerpt in the comments at the bottom.

Seagulls in Kalasatama, originally uploaded by neiti_frilander.

No related posts.

#coffeebreak: old shoes store

Mark — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:45:28 +0000

You never know what you’ll spot in a window. Write for 10 minutes on the photo below and post an excerpt in the comments.

old shoes store, originally uploaded by mori_blur.

No related posts.

#coffeebreak: the machine stops

Mark — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:45:01 +0000

Today’s 10 minute writing challenge. I feel some Orwellian undertones in this picture. Those machines surely can’t just be for creating newspapers! And who is the caretaker in the middle?

Linotype machines, originally uploaded by edinburghcityofprint.

No related posts.

#coffeebreak: winter in amsterdam

Mark — Tue, 25 May 2010 13:51:17 +0000

A chilled writing challenge to suit the oncoming winter. Write for 10 minutes on the image below. Post the results in the comments at the bottom.

Bikeless Winter in Amsterdam, originally uploaded by B℮n.

No related posts.