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 #40

On a chair by the bedside were all my own things, clean and dry.  My black silk frock hung against the wall.  The traces of the bog were removed from it; the creases left by the wet smoothed out: it was quite decent.  My very shoes and stockings were purified and rendered presentable.  There were the means of washing in the room, and a comb and brush to smooth my hair.  After a weary process, and resting every five minutes, I succeeded in dressing myself.
— Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte