Camp NaNo Prompts for Week 3

I am still behind on my word count for Camp NaNo. But then again, when have I ever been on track during Camp NaNo? I think there’s just something different about the rest of the year compared to November. I suspect that yet again, I’ll be writing most of this at the last minute.

For the curious, here’s the archived post for the Week 3 @NaNoWordSprints prompts:

April 15, 12:20pm-1:20pm (UTC -7)
Triplet Phrases

• No shirt, no shoes, no service (10 min)
• Beg, borrow, or steal (20 min)
• See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil (15 min)

April 15, 10:00pm-12:00am (UTC -7)
Diamond in the Rough

• Stolen diamonds (10 min)
• Under high pressure (15 min)
• Conflict and blood (30 min)
• Engagement (20 min)
• Symbolism and folklore (20 min)

April 16, 8:30pm-11:00pm (UTC -7)
Pairs

• Flotsam and jetsam (10 min)
• Forgive and forget (10 min)
• Wax and wane (30 min)
• Shake and bake (10 min)
• Loud and clear (10 min)
• Dead or alive (30 min)
• Heart and soul (10 min)

April 17, 8:30pm-11:00pm (UTC -7)
Elvis Hits

• Hound Dog (10 min)
• Jailhouse Rock (15 min)
• It’s Now or Never (30 min)
• Surrender (10 min)
• Suspicious Minds (15 min)
• Devil in Disguise (30 min)

April 18, 12:20pm-1:20pm (UTC -7)
Pig Idioms

• Do not cast your pearls before swine (10 min)
• Clumsy as a hog on ice (15 min)
• You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig (20 min)

April 18, 8:30pm-11:00pm (UTC -7)
Captain’s Log (A Star Trek Parody)

• Captain’s log, Stardate 9522.6. I’ve never trusted plot ninjas, and I never will. I could never forgive them for the death of my… (10 min)
• Captain’s log, Stardate 41153.7. Our destination is 30,000 words beyond which lies the great, unexplored… (30 min)
• Captain’s Log, supplemental. Our rescue mission to the plot hole in Chapter 5 has been halted by… (10 min)
• Captain’s Log, Stardate 41798.2. We have been ordered by NaNo HQ to proceed the nearest write-in and investigate the… (15 min)
• Captain’s Log, supplemental. Traveling at high word warp, we are still several days from rendezvous with the mysterious… (30 min)
• Captain’s Log, Stardate 50893.5. The moment I have dreaded for nearly the entire month has finally arrived… (20 min)

April 19, 12:00pm-2:00pm (UTC -7)
The History of Chocolate

• Bitter and ceremony (10 min)
• Sharing and exile (20 min)
• Import (30 min)
• Invention (10 min)
• Steam (30 min)

April 19, 10:00pm-12:00am (UTC -7)
Bath and Body Works Discontinued Scents/Obscure Sports/Pottery Mashup

• Charmed life, extreme ironing, earthenware (10 min)
• Morning mist, cheese rolling, porcelain (15 min)
• Whispering flowers, bog snorkeling, maiolica (30 min)
• Gingham, cardboard tube dueling, jasperware (10 min)
• Limelight, camel wrestling, sea pottery (30 min)

April 20, 12:00pm-2:00pm (UTC -7)
A Field Guide to Plot Bunnies

• Pirates (10 min)
• Disguise (10 min)
• Flying (30 min)
• Fighting (10 min)
• Monster (15 min)
• Treasure hunting (15 min)

April 20, 8:30pm-11:00pm (UTC -7)
All the Meanings of Charm

• Spell or incantation (10 min)
• Charisma (15 min)
• Trinket (30 min)
• Quantum (10 min)
• Amulet (5 min)
• Financial change (30 min)
• Flower (15 min)

April 21, 12:15pm-1:15pm (UTC -7)
Comedy Tropes

• I resemble that remark (10 min)
• Talking in your sleep (15 min)
• Caught with your pants down (20 min)

April 21, 8:30pm-11:00pm (UTC -7)
Cat Idioms

• Playing cat and mouse (15 min)
• Letting the cat out of the bag (15 min)
• Cat got your tongue (30 min)
• Herding cats (15 min)
• Fat cat (15 min)
• Raining cats and dogs (30 min)

Camp NaNo Prompts for Week 2

I think I may be slowly running out of interesting prompt themes for Week 3. Mostly because all the themes that I have been coming up with are inappropriate for an all ages audience. (There are kids following! And adults writing children’s books! A wild This is Spinal Tap sprint session would be beyond the pale!) Or the prompt themes might be controversial even though I don’t see them that way. Also, I kind of want to stay away from camp-related prompts. The other sprint leaders are already doing a better job with those than I would have.

Anyways, here are the @NaNoWordSprints prompts for Week 2.

April 8, 12:20pm-1:20pm (UTC -7)
Three

• Trident (10 min)
• Triptych (15 min)
• Tricycle (20 min)

April 8, 10:00pm-12:00am (UTC -7)
Muses

• Euterpe: song, rejoicing well, delight, flute (15 min)
• Clio: history, proclamation, lyre, scrolls (30 min)
• Melpomene: tragic (10 min)
• Urania: skies, globe, compass (20 min)
• Terpischore: dancing (20 min)

April 9, 6:30pm-9:00pm (UTC -7)
I Ching

• Hexagram 19: nearing, approaching a goal, arriving (10 min)
• Hexagram 50: cauldron, holding, establishing the new (15 min)
• Hexagram 43: parting, breakthrough, separation (30 min)
• Hexagram 29: gorge, deep water, darkness (10 min)
• Hexagram 06: arguing, conflict (15 min)
• Hexagram 61: inner truth, staying focused, avoid misrepresentation (30 min)

April 10, 6:30pm-9:00pm (UTC -7)
The Antiques Wordshow (An Antiques Roadshow parody)

• Welch, 1857 (10 min)
• Blast, 1630 (10 min)
• Garish, 1540 (30 min)
• Nougat, 1827 (15 min)
• Rapier, 1550 (20 min)
• Luxuriate, 1620 (25 min)

April 11, 6:30pm-9:00pm (UTC -7)
Unusual Foods

• Funeral cookies (10 min)
• Beef tea (15 min)
• Gentleman’s relish (30 min)
• Welsh rarebit (10 min)
• Hasty pudding (30 min)
• Lye roll (15 min)

April 11, 11:00pm-12:00am (UTC -7)
The Pancake Edition

• Flat as a pancake (10 min)
• Selling like hotcakes (20 min)
• Not worth a crumpet (10 min)

April 12, 12:00pm-2:00pm (UTC -7)
Marathon

• Pheidippides and the Battle of Marathon: messenger (15 min)
• Marathon, Florida: key/island (15 min)
• Marathon, Texas: earthquake, making the earth move (30 min)
• Marathon, Ontario: mill, factory, paper product (10 min)
• Marathon candy bar: chocolate, caramel, braids, 1970s (15 min)

April 12, 10:00pm-12:00am (UTC -7)
Card Games

• Shedding games: discard (10 min)
• Matching games: match (15 min)
• Trick-taking games: tricks (30 min)
• Solitaire games: solitude/patience (10 min)
• Gambling card games: a character makes a bet (30 min)

April 13, 12:00pm-2:00pm (UTC -7)
Narrative Devices

• Explain a concept (10 min)
• Bridge one scene to the next (30 min)
• Vivid description of an important object (10 min)
• Compare one thing to another (15 min)
• Anecdote (30 min)

April 13, 8:30pm-11:00pm (UTC -7)
The Language of Flowers

• Bluebell: humility (10 min)
• Lavender: love, devotion (15 min)
• Snowdrop: hope, consolation (30 min)
• Lemon geranium: unexpected meeting (10 min)
• Yellow daffodil: chivalry (20 min)
• Tall sunflower: false riches, pride (30 min)

April 14, 8:30pm-11:00pm (UTC -7)
SkyPrompts (A SkyMall parody)

• Prompt No. 450289 Hiccup sticks, set of three. “Stop annoying hiccups in seconds!” (10 min)
• Prompt No. 290183 The Cocoon. “Cocoon yourself in comfort with this revolutionary posh sleeping bag!” (15 min)
• Prompt No. 5981 The Solar Powered Cooling Hat. “Harness the power of the sun to keep you cool as a cucumber!” (30 min)
• Prompt No. 968304 Noise Amplifying Earplugs. “With these designer earplugs you can eavesdrop with impunity!” (10 min)
• Prompt No. 4960491 Yeti Garden Sculpture. “Get your own Bigfoot without the hassle of running in the woods!” (15 min)
• Prompt No. 8129394 Tie Rolls. “The perfect device to store your neckties keeping them clean and wrinkle free!” (5 min)
• Prompt No. 718293 Lighted Slippers. “Don’t walk in the dark anymore! Pink and camouflage no longer available.” (20 min)

Camp NaNo Prompts for Week 1

So, I haven’t written much on this blog lately because I’m working on Camp NaNoWriMo. This is also the first time that @NaNoWordSprints has started up for Camp to motivate writing participants. And because I’ve been invited back yet again (no one has kicked me out, woo!), I’m posting each week’s prompts here for posterity.

April 1, 12:00am-1:30am (UTC -7)
Camping with Ray Guns

• Include some action (10 min)
• Fear (15 min)
• Something annoying (15 min)
• Cloudless sky (10 min)
• Moonless night (15 min)

April 1, 10:00pm-12:00am (UTC -7)
Camp Style

• Ostentatious display (10 min)
• Exaggeration (20 min)
• Kitsch (30 min)
• Jokes (10 min)
• Theatrical/flamboyant dance (15 min)

April 2, 12:15pm-1:15pm (UTC -7)
The Unexpected

• A mysterious hook (10 min)
• Strange liquid dripping from the ceiling or seeping from the ground (20 min)
• Odd noises (15 min)

April 2, 8:30pm-11:00pm (UTC -7)
The Phantom Tollbooth

• Expectations (10 min)
• Doldrums (15 min)
• Clocks (30 min)
• Markets and shopping (10 min)
• Pedant/Pendant (15 min)
• Short shrift (30 min)

April 3, 8:30pm-11:00pm (UTC -7)
Symbolism, Part 1

• Curl (10 min)
• Pomegranate (15 min)
• Nuts (30 min)
• Hammer (10 min)
• Comet (15 min)
• Wheel (30 min)

April 4, 8:30pm-11:00pm (UTC -7)
Ghostbusters

• A fridge with chanting coming from within (10 min)
• Characters face a disaster of biblical proportions (20 min)
• Don’t cross the streams (30 min)
• Bad monkey (15 min)
• Keep two characters apart (20 min)
• Threaten your characters with the unexpected (20 min)

April 5, 12:00pm-2:00pm (UTC -7)
Are You Being Served?

• Ground floor perfumery, stationary and leather goods (10 min)
• Wigs and haberdashery, kitchenware and food (15 min)
• First floor telephones, gents ready-made suits (30 min)
• Shirts, socks, ties, hats, underwear and shoes (10 min)
• Second floor carpets, travel goods and bedding (10 min)
• Material, soft furnishings, restaurant and teas (20 min)

April 5, 10:00pm-12:00am (UTC -7)
Topsy Turvy

• Amnesia vs. excellent memory (10 min)
• Battle vs. reasonable conversation (15 min)
• Turn the damsel in distress trope on its ear (30 min)
• Twin vs. non-twin (10 min)
• Calm before the storm (30 min)

April 6, 11:00am-2:00pm (UTC -7)
Arabian Nights

• A character tells a story (10 min)
• Describe the origins of something (15 min)
• Different versions (30 min)
• Discovering a cache of treasure hidden by evil bandits (10 min)
• Include many descriptive details (20 min)
• Fate and destiny (10 min)
• Self-fulfilling prophecy (30 min)
• A character who is spoiled and vain (10 min)

April 6, 8:45pm-10:30pm (UTC -7)
Henrietta Pussycat at the Cat Café

• Coffee (10 min)
• Biscuits (15 min)
• Toys (30 min)
• Grumpy character (10 min)
• Play (15 min)

April 7, 12:30pm-1:30pm (UTC -7)
Symbolism, Part 2

• Cellar (10 min)
• Lightning (15 min)
• Metamorphosis (15 min)

April 7, 7:15pm-9:00pm (UTC -7)
Carl Sagan Quotes

• If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe. (10 min)
• Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. (15 min)
• Observation: I can’t see a thing. Conclusion: Dinosaurs. (30 min)
• You are worth about 3 dollars worth in chemicals. (10 min)
• Where we have strong emotions, we’re liable to fool ourselves. (10 min)