Cameron Chapman

There’s nothing wrong with getting story ideas from the stories and books of others. Inspiration can come from anywhere, and just because something has already been published doesn’t mean everything it contains is immediately off-limits. A word, a line, or a paragraph from someone else’s work can provide great inspiration for your own work. So each Tuesday and Thursday I provide a short excerpt from classic literature or other books in the public domain. All excerpts are taken from Project Gutenberg.

If you’d like to share whatever you write based on these excerpts, please feel free to do so in the comments below. At some point in the future, this may turn into a weekly competition with prizes. So get your practice in now!

A couple of basic ground rules for submitting your work. Please, nothing derogatory or defamatory about any person, living or dead. Also, please keep your writing samples PG-13 rated. I reserve the right to remove comments that I don’t find appropriate for the site or that I deem may be potentially offensive.

Classical Writing Prompt #24

A stout lady stopped, took a copper coin from her purse and dropped it into the cap held out to her. The sailor grumbled thanks, glanced sourly at the unheeding windows, sank his head and swung himself forward four strides.
— Ulysses, by James Joyce