Wednesday writing prompts

(Image by JohnNico from Pixabay)

I’m away this week, but here’s one I prepared earlier. Short and sweet once again, but here are this week’s writing prompts.


The Swallow Sidecar Company

One hundred years ago next year, on 4 September 1922, William Walmsley and William Lyons founded the Swallow Sidecar Company in Blackpool. It was later to become Jaguar Cars.

What can you find out about either Walmsley or Lyons? What else were they known for? Where were they born? Where did they die? Where did they carry out much of their business?

Jaguar is still going strong today. What do you know about this company or the cars? What else is Jaguar famous for.

And finally Blackpool. What can you write about set in Blackpool? Can you amalgamate all three things together in one story?

Jesse James

One hundred and seventy-five years ago next year, on 5 September 1847, American outlaw Jesse James was born in Kearney, Missouri.

Westerns are still really popular these days, with even pocket novels set in the wild west. What can you write using this as your starting point?

What do you know about Jesse James? Same questions as above, where did he live, where did he die and how did he die?

Or how about Kearney in Missouri? Is it famous for anything else?

Douglas Bader

Forty years ago next year, on 5 September 1982, British aircraft and Second World War RAF fighter pilot Douglas Bader died.

There is already a classic film about Bader’s life, so plenty of fodder there for additional research. What else could you write about? Can you do a retelling of his life or his work?

He was famous for having two artificial legs fitted. How have prosthetics come along since then? They apparently tried to stop Bader from flying when he lost his legs. Can you imagine them saying that to some of our Paralympians today?

You could also write a story with a Spitfire pilot at its core.

Over to you…

… and don’t forget to come back and let me know if and what you did, and how it fared.