Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Reading a novel by Marquez is a joy and a journey. In classes where time is limited I read his short stories. They give a flavour of his work and sometimes prompt people to read more. His language is dense with meaning and he uses punctuation in his own inimitable way so reading his stories aloud has to be made as easy as possible to get the point across. Two stories I use time and time again because of their brevity are The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World  and The Last Voyage of the Ghost Ship

I can't recommend them enough. If you've read Marquez they act as a small reminder. If you haven't then they are a treasure to come. They are easily available on line to read. Try one of them and immediately after write a story afterwards, bearing in mind the magical and vivid style of Marquez.

Write about 
a journey on a boat 
a remote village 
a stranger
treasure

use an idea of your own


See what you get. Don't edit as you go along just write in a stream of consciousness. You can always edit later if you want to. 

Read a bit about the man and his life and upbringing. It will inspire you. His gifts to this world are his novels and what they say. The greedy amongst us might hope there is a manuscript stashed in a drawer soon to be released to commemorate his passing. 

Impulsive buys and the value of risk

Have you ever bought something on the spur of the moment because you wanted it and then considered your actions at leisure?

The feelings a rash purchase can provoke are interesting.

Fear...of being found out or of overspending.
Pleasure....guilty or otherwise because of your new acquisition. 
Guilt...because you couldn't afford it or put yourself first.
Self-loathing....because you acted impulsively or weren't strong.
Accomplishment... because you made a snap decision.
Denial...whatever you bought gets hidden for all kinds of reasons.

Risk is interesting in writing.

Risky writing styles. 
What happens in a story because of a risk taking character . 

Write a story of any length about a compulsive purchase. Think of a character and what a compulsive purchase might be to them. For some it might be a red Ferrari for others it might be a bowl.

Remember the questions that enable you to create a fully rounded piece of work.

Who.
Where.
When.
What.
Why.
How.

See what you come up with.