Happy Independence Day, America! Here’s some writing prompts you can work on as you wait for night to fall and the fireworks to begin.

Rain pattered against the windows as everyone finished dinner. Mia and Rianne washed dishes while Cara put away the few leftovers. Shavonne pitched in by wiping down the table and kitchen counters. She also returned the folding chairs to the laundry closet.

The boys gathered in the living room to say out of the girls’ way. Sakari sat backwards on the couch, staring out the window at the rain. David stood beside him and watched the rain too. Bern leaned against the wardrobe. He slowly flexed injured hand, wincing.

I wish I had something clever to say for the intro this week. But my mind is too busy. I have the current chapter of Reclaiming the City to wrap up. (If not next week, then July. Promise.) There’s the next chapter to plan out, which is becoming more intricate than I initially thought. I have some ideas for a filler piece to publish in between these chapters. (I like that pattern. I’m going to keep rolling with it.) And on top of all that, I have this third project from last winter poking me in the shoulder, saying, “Hey. Remember me?” So… yeah.

Here’s a spare Idea to Steal I had saved for a situation like this. Hope you enjoy.

We had a pop-up thunderstorm roll through last night. That’s the surest sign in these parts that summer has arrived. Here’s some writing prompts to help you weather the next bout of summer (or winter) weather.

A short time later, the eight were sitting around Cara and Mia’s dining table – four in the wooden chairs that matched the table, four in metal folding chairs the sisters pulled out of their laundry closet. They ate Chicken Parmesan off mismatched dishes. Only three of their glasses were identical.

Cara took the container sitting in the middle of the table and shook more Parmesan cheese onto her spaghetti. She said, “Let me get this straight. You’re saying that the world is a cake.”

So… I went down several rabbit holes this week. I’m back on the surface now – re-orienting myself and compiling all my findings so a future Joyce can benefit from them. I also found a story idea while I was down there. Not a clever intro, though.

So I’m publishing this post from the campus library at my sister’s college. I’m in town for her graduation. The actual ceremony is tomorrow, which is why I’m posting a day early. For everybody who doesn’t have big plans for the coming weekend, here are a set of writing prompts for your imagination to chew on.

Fun fact: Today is Arbor Day. That means it’s a good day to go outside, touch some grass, and hug a tree. Here’s a bonus story idea for you to enjoy out in nature.

Cara, Nico, Sakari, and Shavonne returned from a successful scavenging trip. “The store was dark,” Nico reported. “Power must’ve gone out. Doubt the freezers were working.”

I’m spending Easter with my sister, so I’ll be on the road tomorrow. Here’s a story idea for your basket of goodies.