Best Served Cold: More Writing Prompts for Our Early Arrived Winter

By Courtney Dekanich, English major at Silver Lake College and editor of The Novice

The last of the fall leaves have barely hit the ground – and Thanksgiving dinner has yet to be served – and a steady flurry of snow has already begun to spiral down upon us. Winter has yet to officially begin and it’s already time to break out winter coats and mittens, pompom-topped hats, and snow boots. While many have greeted the premature changing of the seasons with a groan, the unmistakable chill of winter in the air can undoubtedly serve as a source of inspiration for all those looking to create.

If you’re having trouble getting started, here’s another week’s worth of prompts from the staff of The Novice. Take a look at the prompts, let your inspiration run its course, and send the products of your creativity to thenovice.slc@gmail.com. If you send in your work, your submissions will be considered for publication in the upcoming editions of The Novice, Silver Lake College’s own literary and art publication.

Happy writing!

1. It’s ten below and your car breaks down on a very quiet – and very empty – country road. Just as you’re about to brave the cold and hike back to the last house you remember seeing, a pair of headlights appears in your rearview mirror. When the car stops, you’re relieved to be getting help. When you see the driver, however, you’re absolutely shocked. Why? Who’s the driver? What happens next?

2. Walking down the street one day, you heard a strange noise suddenly come from a narrow alley. When you go to check it out, you find nothing but a dead end and a package wrapped in beautiful paper and topped with a gorgeous bow. The tag, however, reads “DO NOT OPEN.” What do you do?

3. It’s a Friday night, and you’re home alone in the middle of the worst blizzard in years. When you answer a sudden knock on the door, you find a shivering figure on your doorstep who very politely says “I seem to have driven my car into a snowbank and was wondering if I could wait out the storm here.” You’re quite speechless as you recognize the person. Who is it (they can be famous or infamous, real or fictional, living or dead), and how in the world did they end up alone in the middle of a Wisconsin blizzard?

4. You finish building your own version of Frosty the Snowman in your front yard one day. In the middle of the night, there’s a knock on your door. You open it to find a very alive – and very serious looking – snowman on your doorstep, greeting you with the words, “I think it’s time we had a little talk…” What’s on your snowman’s mind?

5. You’re walking through the mall when a jolly looking department store Santa tries to flag you down. In a hurry, you say Merry Christmas and keep on walking, only to hear him call you by name. Confused – and more than a little curious – you turn to him, only to hear him say “I know what you did.” What did you do (if anything), and what happens next?

6. Write a break up letter (or love letter) to winter weather.

7. You stumble upon a very disgruntled Christmas elf, recently released from Santa’s employment, and does he have the dirt to dish on the big man. What does your new elf friend have to say? What happens when Santa himself suddenly walks in on the conversation?