Brainstoryum: Fantasy Writing Prompts with Story Brainstorms

Joinaward-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a journey into the writer'simagination – at once profound, surprising, funny, and extraordinary. Anna usesthe surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse to generate short story ideas bymixing listener's word suggestions into weird sentences. The results areimagination-bending, and a real workout for your creative writing.Listen to brandnew short stories and scenes as Anna drafts them (she uses the “pause” buttonto compose them) and learn from tips, techniques and tools she shares along theway: practical ideas that you can use to write suspenseful fiction, especiallyfantasy.It's theultimate writing prompt challenge. Your weekend is not weird enough (orcreative enough) without Brainstoryum!Subscribe forfree to Anna Tizard's private email list and receive an e-book to begin yourjourney into The Book of Exquisite Corpse (includes exclusive material notpublished anywhere else). Go to annatizard.com.INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 80 of Brainstoryum.As I mentioned last time, today I'm going to talk a bit about a series I absolutely love that has monstrous themes at its heart: Ransom Riggs' Peculiar Children series, which begins with Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. They made that one into a movie; didn't like it, haven't watched it since, but my goodness, I don't know how many times I have read the book – or the whole series, because I just love it. As an author, I have to ask, why? What is it that I love so much? And can I pin-point these story elements, themes or types of things going on, to transform them into something that's uniquely my own, in my writing? This is a great exercise for any writer for honing in on the real stuff that excites you. The better you know yourself as a reader, and why you enjoy what you enjoy, the more you can tap into the same kind of magic in your writing. And that sort of excitement is infectious: if you're excited about what you're writing, this will come across in the style – let alone your fundamental choices about what you write about.Now, while the Peculiar Children series is mainly built around monsters, the threat of these monsters who have tentacles coming out of their mouths and basically eat your soul (pretty way out there stuff), Riggs casts the philosophical net a bit wider. The peculiar children who have various oddities and strange powers are effectively outcasts from ordinary life, and are wrongly considered a threat to others. They have to live apart from the real world, in time loops. So there's this lingering question of “What is a monster? Are some people labelled monsters unfairly?” And the protagonist, whose life is painfully banal, or so he feels, gets to experience this incredible acceptance and belonging in the peculiar group when he finally meets them, who become less peculiar to him once there's acceptance and understanding on both sides. A thought-provoking element of the story; I appreciate a bit of chin-stroking, when it's cleverly incorporated into the story itself and the protagonist's emotional experience.But grey areas aside, the real, undeniable monsters inthe story...

Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a journey into the writer's imagination – at once profound, surprising, funny, and extraordinary. Anna uses the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse to generate short story ideas by mixing listener's word suggestions into weird sentences. The results are imagination-bending, and a real workout for your creative writing.Listen to brand new short stories and scenes as Anna drafts them (she uses the “pause” button to compose them) and learn from tips, techniques and tools she shares along the way: practical ideas that you can use to write suspenseful fiction, especially fantasy.It's the ultimate writing prompt challenge. Your weekend is not weird enough (or creative enough) without Brainstoryum!Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and receive an e-book to begin your journey into The Book of Exquisite Corpse (includes exclusive material not published anywhere else). Go to annatizard.com.INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 79 of Brainstoryum. I hope you've had an excellent Easter by the time you listen to this: I recorded this just before Easter, which, let's face it, is a difficult time for chocoholics. Every time I've been into our local supermarket in the last two months just to buy ordinary groceries, I have been faced with walls of tantalising boxes containing that unspeakably amazing stuff wrapped in glistening purple foil. I usually take my husband with me, not just to do the heavy carrying, but to help me through this… difficult time!And when the egg I really wanted was selling out, so I couldn't leave buying it to the absolute last minute – I really like chocolate buttons – I bought it the weekend before Easter, asked Duncan to hide it… but he wasn't quick enough, so I caved and I ate the buttons that came with the egg. It was only a small packet. And the way I see it, it's the egg part that's for Easter, right? So that's okay, isn't it?But I digress! Moving swiftly on, I have to tell you about some changes I'm making to the show. Nothing massive, but I would love your feedback anyway. Now, over time, I've got into the habit of feeling compelled to draft a short story or scene based on pretty much every single Exquisite Corpse result that comes up. This is quite an intense challenge – I think I've just been like, “I've got to prove that it can be done! Even with the really crazy ones.” And if you're a regular listener, you'll know I love surprises in fiction. I love to be surprised, and I love to write in surprises to my stories. And this is a great way to find those surprises – to go looking under every rock. So that might be why I got a little bit obsessive over this, trying to write every story– and it's also why the show's become just that little bit longer than I'd like, and I haven't been able to bring it down closer to half an hour.And while this has been going on...

Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a journey into the writer's imagination – at once profound, surprising, funny, and extraordinary. Anna uses the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse to generate short story ideas by mixing listener's word suggestions into weird sentences. The results are imagination-bending, and a real workout for your creative writing.Listen to brand new short stories and scenes as Anna drafts them (she uses the “pause” button to compose them) and learn from tips, techniques and tools she shares along the way: practical ideas that you can use to write suspenseful fiction, especially fantasy.It's the ultimate writing prompt challenge. Your weekend is not weird enough (or creative enough) without Brainstoryum!Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and receive an e-book to begin your journey into The Book of Exquisite Corpse (includes exclusive material not published anywhere else). Go to annatizard.com.INTRO:Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 78 of Brainstoryum. It's finally a really gorgeous summery day in the UK. I hope you're getting a bit of sunshine wherever you are, if that's feasible, but if not, don't worry because the same sun is shining down on us from whatever part of the world you're in. It might be just be covered by clouds for now, but it's still there, the way that ideas can sometimes hide behind other thoughts, or other necessities of your day. They're still there. That creative potential awaits just beyond the reach of your senses; or, it might be time for that inspiration to shine is here.I thought I'd share some writing news with you this time, because I almost never do that (why do I never do that?), but instead of saying, “Here's some writing news”, I want to say, “And now for some dragon-related news” (because how often in life do you get to say that sentence?): I've been drafting a short story based on an Exquisite Corpse from the last show and which I nearly – well, not nearly… I felt like dismantling the words and putting them back into the socks of destiny, I was so stumped when the sentence was first formed. Sacrilege! (I hear you cry.)But I never actually do that, because each time I even think about doing it, I know how haunted I would be by those unexplored possibilities… (What if it turned out to be the most amazing story in the history of stories?) And then, even if it might not turn out to be the best story in the world –the power of randomness steps in, or the power of imagination, or something – something magical – “proves” to me that putting the words back into the socks would have been a big mistake.The Exquisite Corpse in question was “The duplicate pet dragon struck a bargain with the porcelain dinosaur” which, being kind of inexplicable (it still hurts my brain just to re-read that sentence – hence my original temptation to just give up), but after enough pondering, it turned into: “The owner of the duplicate pet dragon store struck a bargain with the porcelain dinosaur” (which I took to mean another breed of the same general species of dragon, with pale skin). And so, after a bit of scene drafting which I shared in the episode (number 77, if you haven't heard it), I rolled up my sleeves and got writing, because the idea began to expand. Set in a world only slightly different to ours, Tam, a long-time owner of a pet store which sells genetically modified dragons, perfectly legally and above board (they're all the rage these days), meets the mysterious Bill, who likes to keep to the shadows; likes to keep the lighting low in his shop – which is really Tam's shop; it's a “duplicate”, or a second shop in the beginning of a chain for her. A new business venture. But Bill reveals himself to be part-dragon; the result of some terrible, cruel experimentation; and his sister, who is a full-blown dragon, except for her flightless wings, is still trapped in the lab where they were both made...

Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a journey into the writer's imagination – at once, profound and hilarious, existential and quite silly. Annauses the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse to generate short story ideas by mixing listener's word suggestions into weird sentences. The results are imagination-bending, and a real workout for your creative writing.Listen to brand new short stories and scenes as Anna drafts them (she uses the “pause” button to compose them) and learn from tips, techniques and tools she shares along the way: practical ideas that you can use to write suspenseful fiction, especially fantasy.It's the ultimate writing prompt challenge. Your weekend is not weird enough (or creative enough) without Brainstoryum!Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and receive an e-book to begin your journey into The Book of Exquisite Corpse (includes exclusive material notpublished anywhere else). Go to annatizard.com. INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 77 of Brainstoryum. When I look backover the some of these more recent shows where I've been exploring my new theme of weird creatures, I recognise an underlying theme cropping up, as it's come up in my writing before, just in different form: loss of control. I've often thought that the hardest stresses to bear in life are usually the ones that seem to render you helpless. Whether that's illness, bereavement, or other practical limitations which a life situation presents you with, like not being able to earn enough: these make us feel out of control. And we might wonder then, if we ever had any control, if the feeling of control we usually think we haveis just an illusion. (Please get help, by the way, if you're suffering from any of these things – don't suffer alone.) Writing fiction is not therapy per se, although it can help you face your demons a little better. It's why I wrote TheEmpty Danger, my first book in my series, because in March 2020 I realised was facing the same fears that most people around the world were facing at the same, and while it was terrifying and made me helpless, I also saw an opportunity to explore this potentially unifying force. Could there be something positive in there, somewhere, if I searched hard enough? I hunted with my pen, and The Empty Danger is the result. But I digress. I think what I'm getting to is the idea that the element of lack of control is something we can explore through suspenseful creature fiction, perhaps fantasy that helps us imagine confronting monsters; and maybe this is why the plot structure is so satisfying, when the protagonist goes from being terrified and threatened by the unknown; gradually piecing together scraps of information about the monster, so that it becomes less unknown by degrees; and then, they have a go at fighting it, and even killing it. We get that vicarious joy and relief at being able to destroy something that has stressed us out.But as I've been reading about writing monsters, I've realised that a lot of this kind of stuff is very much applicable to longer stories – novellas, novels – where you have the space in which to take a protagonist through that journey, of coming to understand and in some way, hopefully, overcome a monster. Turn a feeling of lack of control into a sense of having some control. And I'm sure that I will be writing longer pieces that use these plot devices, because I love them – there's something in there that I just love. But that doesn't mean I can't still use the practice ground of short stories, in fact, you can still fit some of these elements in a shorter piece, it's just that they can't all be realised to their fullest extent. You can show a glimpse of some of these plot elements rather than necessarily have them play out completely, and dabble in different aspects. And I already know from experience...

Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a journey into the imagination with tips, techniques and tools you can use to write suspenseful creature fiction. Anna uses the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse to generate short story ideas. The results are imagination-bending and a real workout for your creative writing.It's the ultimate writing prompt challenge. Your weekend is not weird enough (or creative enough) without Brainstoryum!Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and receive an e-book to begin your journey into The Book of Exquisite Corpse (includes exclusive material not published anywhere else). Go to annatizard.com.INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 76 of Brainstoryum.Last time, I went quite in-depth in the introduction about a theory I came across as to why, psychologically and culturally, we might in these times find monster fiction a bit more satisfying. Sometimes I think about my own personal psychological reasons as to why I like monster fiction or want to write monster fiction, and I will probably talk about that in another show, but there's a time to get deep about these things, and there's a time to just appreciate things for what they are on the surface, and right now, with the sun out for the first time in ages, and I'm not quite in the zone for deep psychological digging, and in fact, that reminds me that creature fiction is not all about darkness. The darkness in fiction, unless it's the grisliest type of horror, is surely there to help illuminate, to show up the light more brightly. I know when I read a story, I want to find the protagonist not just relatable, but to find in him or her something hopeful, a light that stands out against the darkness.And in a more general way, on a more light-hearted note, I think I just like variety in fiction. The theme of weird creatures (not just monsters, but weird creatures) is so appetising to me because it's like a challenge: what new weird things can I create? How can I find unique ideas for stories that genuinely surprise me (and I've said it many times, I refuse to publish anything that doesn't surprise me at least twice).Well, the game of ExCo is a great start, and I've had some amazing words coming in, filling up the Socks of Destiny – thank you, people. Keep them coming!But on thinking about the psychology of writing, why we write what we write: there's a time for reflection on that, certainly, and that's a very useful tool. But equally, there is a time to play. And in fact, there is no better way, as a writer, to hunt down the themes that are to become ‘your' themes, the underlying ideologies or attitudes to life that emerge in the undertones of your fiction – than to set aside all the thinking, the reflection, and just write. Open your mind to new crafting techniques, suggestions, writing prompts, books about how to write, like this one I've reading about Writing Monsters. Learn all you can; but ultimately, the practice is the learning; and the discovery is in the doing.So let's do it.

Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a journey into the imagination with tips, techniques and tools you can use to write suspenseful creature fiction for the zeitgeist (including a juicy theory on what that means today). Anna uses the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse to generate short story ideas.Ignite your imagination with the ultimate writing promptchallenge. Your weekend is not weird enough (or creative enough) without Brainstoryum!INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 75 of Brainstoryum. I'm ready to learn more about writing suspenseful creature fiction – are you? (You can of course, just listen for fun and entertainment; you do not need to be a writer to enjoy the craziness and imagination-yoga of this show.)But before we get into all that, last time I promised to share with you a juicy theory I found in the wilds of the world wide web on why confronting monsters in fiction is a more pertinent theme than ever. Because fantasy isn't just escape, it's experiences that we want to have within the safe haven of our imagination, and that can be cathartic for things that are troubling us in reality.Now, this article I came across, in fact it was apodcast, I was just reading the transcription, on a website called...

Whether you like horror or not, fantasy is all about confrontation with the strange and the impossible.Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in an exploration of creature themes, with tips, tricks and tools you can use to develop your writing in new, exciting ways. Naturally, there's plenty of experimentation with ideas, as Anna uses the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse to generate short story ideas while applying new-found learning around the topic of writing monsters.A fascinating exploration of writing craft. Ignite yourimagination with these short story ideas for the ultimate writing prompt challenge. Your weekend is not weird enough (or creative enough) without Brainstoryum!Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list andreceive an e-book to begin your journey into The Book of Exquisite Corpse (includesexclusive material not published anywhere else). Go to www.annatizard.com.Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 74 of Brainstoryum.Now, in my last collection of short stories, the theme of Portals and Immortals (which became the title), seemed to emerge of its own accord, intuitively, as I began to recognise these ideas cropping up in my otherwise very different stories. And so it was almost in retrospect – or certainly after I'd got most of the first drafts written – that I made that firm decision to go with that theme. And really it influenced my final decisions on which stories to include in that collection, and not much else.But this time, I want to do more. Now that I'm trying to build towards a new collection (it's high time I put another one together), I feel like I want to be more proactive.I have observed a theme emerging. But I feel like I have lots to learn, and I'd like to use this show to share some of my learning process along the way; and that's good, because part of the pleasure and the excitement of being an author is to learn; you're always learning. And as this is a story brainstorming show, and my listeners send me words which then turn into writing prompts… Why not share more of my thoughts and my learning through my process of writing and experimenting with stories?The theme that I'm already slightly obsessed with, and if you glance back at some of the latest story brainstorms, you'll notice it's there: isweird creatures.Sometimes monsters but not always. Creatures can include ghosts, dragons, creatures from fairytales, mythology, we've had a few kelpies on the show; and characters who aren't completely human.I'm not a horror writer; sometimes I dip into horror themes or get a bit scary; but if you've listened to the last show, the Trope Special, you'll already understand that authors potentially borrow story elements from all different genres. I don't like gore. If I'm reading a book with a bit of gore in it I might grit my teeth and get through it IF I'm particularly enjoying that book for its story and characters. So ifyouare not a horror reader (or a horror writer), or even if you don't feel that drawn to the idea of monsters, I firmly believe there will be plenty going on in this show to entice and stir your imagination.

Can tropes – story ideas which have been churned around and repeated for centuries, if not millennia – actually improve your stories and make them more original? Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in an exploration of story tropes, with tips, tricks and tools you can use to develop your writing in new, exciting ways. Naturally, there's plenty of experimentation with ideas, as Anna uses the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse to generate short story ideas before testing out different tropes and seeing what happens next. A fascinating exploration of writing craft. Ignite your imagination with these short story ideas for the ultimate writing prompt challenge. Your weekend is not weird enough (or creative enough) without Brainstoryum! Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and receive an e-book to begin your journey into The Book of Exquisite Corpse (includes exclusive material not published anywhere else). Go to www.annatizard.com. INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 73 of Brainstoryum. Now, in the last couple of weeks, it seems I've become a little bit obsessed with tropes – or re-obsessed with tropes, as this is an aspect of my writing journey that I've explored before, but I just haven't yet shared it on Brainstoryum. (Or experimented with them on here – as this podcast isn't just about sharing my writing process and story ideas, it's also my imaginative playground for experimenting and, well, learning.) It's funny, because every introduction I've come across, either in a book or a podcast or a blog on tropes, begins by acknowledging that a lot of writers think tropes are a dirty word and that they seem to represent the exact opposite of what we are gunning for as creative writers of fiction. We want new ideas, and as authors we want to be original and to stand out from the crowd, not churn out the same old storylines that have been written or filmed a thousand times before. And yes, at first glance, for me as a writer who especially loves the unexpected, who complains about struggling to find stories that satisfy this desire for something “with a special different something” in it, tropes do seem like the very antithesis of what I'm interested in. But that's where my younger writing self was wrong. Tropes are part of the language of story. They embody concepts, themes and situations or character types which we as readers and audiences expect to read or watch, though sometimes only instinctively, without realising it. A lot of these expectations are bound up in certain genres, for example, in fantasy, common tropes include the "journey" and the "quest". Part of the reason why we as fantasy lovers read fantasy is to experience the vicarious excitement of the protagonist going on a journey into the unknown, having to face strange and dangerous obstacles, possibly creatures, and having a sense of a purpose or mission; it's all part of the escape that fantasy promises for us. So how do we as writers fulfill these expectations (or even “needs”, you might say) of our audience, while producing something that feels fresh and original, and not cliched? The key to wielding the power of tropes is through unusual and unexpected combinations: switching and splicing tropes from across different genres has become a very popular, and this is what a lot of the big blockbuster movies manage to do. I could wax lyrical on this for a while, but the point of this podcast is to share with you the process of my experimental methods of generating story ideas, and what better way is there to really explore an idea than to actually test it out. So today's show is going to involve a bit more experimentation, and as I'm brainstorming a story, I'm going to identify the tropes that are appearing, and also try drawing in different tropes to see what new directions these suggest. It's my hope that this will not only be entertaining, but it may help you make up your mind what you think about tropes, how you might use them, and whether you might apply the same kind of experimental thinking in your own writing when you're approaching a new story idea. Sparked off by this show, I have just created a free resource on this topic online, so keep listening to find out more, because I think this will be a very handy tool, especially if you are new to messing around with tropes; because of course, all creativity begins with rolling up your sleeves and messing around; a playful attitude is what inspiration responds to.

Your weekend is not weird enough without Brainstoryum! Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a journey into creative writing and short stories using the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse. Listeners' words are drawn from the legendary Socks of Destiny and mixed into writing prompts which lead to the most unexpected story ideas – and a fascinating exploration of writing craft. This show includes 3 new story ideas plus plenty of “how to” tips on writing craft. Ignite your imagination with these short stories and ideas for the ultimate writing prompt challenge. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and receive an e-book to begin your journey into The Book of Exquisite Corpse (includes exclusive material not published anywhere else). Go to www.annatizard.com. INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 72 of Brainstoryum. Now January can be a difficult month – we may be expected to express enthusiasm which we might not feel. I'm hoping that I can provide some well-earned escapism today in the form of adventures into the imagination; but first, also because it's a difficult month, I want to talk a little bit about doubt. Doubt is one of those things that never quite goes away. That niggling feeling that what you're writing might not be good enough; that no-one will want to read it. But doubt and I have spent many years in each other's company, and this much I can share from long-term experience: Doubt doesn't have to be your enemy.

Your weekend is not weird enough without Brainstoryum! Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a journey into short story writing using the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse. Listeners' words are drawn from the legendary Socks of Destiny and mixed into writing prompts which lead to the most unexpected story ideas – and a fascinating exploration of writing craft. This new year show includes stories around circuses, gargoyles, hunters and a mysterious stone. Ignite your imagination with these stories and ideas for the ultimate writing prompt challenge. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! All at www.annatizard.com. INTRO: Happy new year to you, imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 71 of Brainstoryum. It's 2025. It really is. Actually, it's the first of January as I record this and in the UK it is ridiculously windy. Anyway: happy new year to you; I hope you've had a wonderful and restful break over Christmas. Have you made any new year's resolutions? Have I? I tend to avoid making heavy-going decisions in the middle of winter when my natural inclination is to hide under a duvet with a torch and a good book. But it's a difficult idea to resist, because it seems to positive, plus everything seems to scream at you, “new year, new you”, when really, your personal new year is your birthday; although I'd say springtime is the natural new year, if anything. If the trees and the plants can be bothered to wake up and do something, well, maybe I can make the same effort. I'd say, don't make resolutions because the adverts say you should (or if other people say you should); do it if it helps you gain clarity on what you'd like to achieve. For my part, it's difficult to set goals beyond my regular goal of producing this show. I don't talk about it much, but...

*This episode is available as a mini ebook! Go to www.annatizard.com/brainstoryum for details* Your weekend is not weird enough without Brainstoryum! Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a journey into short story writing using the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse. Listeners' words are drawn from the legendary Socks of Destiny and mixed into writing prompts which lead to the most unexpected story ideas – and a fascinating exploration of writing craft. In this slightly longer show, Anna delves into storytelling techniques to hook your reader from the very first line, plus how to get un-stuck when you're writing a new story. Ignite your imagination with these stories and ideas for the ultimate writing prompt challenge. INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 70 of Brainstoryum. It's actually the winter solstice today, as this releases, which means that no matter how cold and icy and horrible it might get in the coming weeks and months, from now on we are moving towards the light. Inching towards the light. Keep that knowledge with you – no matter how grey and miserable it gets, you know we're heading in the right direction. (Those not living in the northern hemisphere will be like, “What the problem?” Well, we're all jealous of you, that's the problem!)   Now today's show is indeed the Christmas special! And I've been wondering how I can make this Christmassy without being cheesy or chintzy. Spooky toyshops? Rebel elves? Or can I just throw in a sprinkling of snow? Hopefully we won't get any “picturesque executioners”, that unbelievable word combination that came up in the last show – although I found a way, a non-horror way, to develop that one. (Thank goodness.) But, as ever, how can I plan? How can I anticipate? The game of Exquisite Corpse is my doorway into the unknown and the strange magic of the imagination, making connections, hunting stories in the most unlikely places. Stepping out on this path, all I can do is hold up my mental torch and see where it takes me by being attentive to the whispers of my subconscious mind; although, I could be holding a Christmassy lantern instead of a torch, that casts a holly and berry pattern on the ground… Of course, the shadows may always lengthen and twist into something else. (This is probably as far as this metaphor will stretch, so I'll stop there!) But will there be Christmas cheer, or Christmas chills, in the stories that emerge today? Who knows? Because the building blocks of these stories will come from your words, your suggestions, and the whims and wild winds of randomness that blow from the Socks of Destiny...

Your weekend is not exciting enough without Brainstoryum! Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a journey into short story writing using the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse. Listeners' words are drawn from the legendary Socks of Destiny and mixed into writing prompts which lead to the most unexpected story ideas – and a fascinating exploration of writing craft. In this slightly longer show, Anna delves into storytelling techniques to hook your reader from the very first line, plus how to get un-stuck when you're writing a new story. Grab a blanket – grab a pen! – and switch your imagination on with these stories and ideas for the ultimate writing prompt challenge. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! All at www.annatizard.com. INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 69 of Brainstoryum. I cannot believe it's December already, and this is the last show before the Christmas show (whatever that will be. I haven't really thought about that.) Well, today's show is a real mix of writing experiences. Once again, words pulled at random from the socks of destiny will generate writing prompts like you've never heard before (like I've never heard before). And while, as usual, it's the third and last round which leads to the longer, more complete story that I read out on the show (using the pause button to draft it, of course), this time, the third story turns out to be the most difficult – and the most revealing. I've been thinking about sharing more on process and writing techniques in this show; not quite going back to the earlier format where I talked at length at the beginning, but sort of sneaking in observations and helpful tips in between the story brainstorms, and in a way, it's very handy that this time, on story no. 3, I got stuck for a while. Because it's the tricky stories, the ones that make you work the hardest, in a way, that can reveal the most about technique, and process. There is nothing quite like getting stumped by a story, to reveal process, and make you stop and think, and consider what works. When a story just flows intuitively, without much difficulty, that demonstrates that you've learned and absorbed techniques so well they've become subconscious. But then that makes it much harder to describe what you've just done. But getting stuck – as I do today, for a little while: that pushed me to experiment and to share different methods that I was trying, and which I know from experience work for me – so I hope that will be interesting and maybe even useful for your own writing. So on with the show.

Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a journey into unexpected stories using the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse. Listeners' words are drawn from the legendary Socks of Destiny and mixed into weird writing prompts which end up making more sense than they should! This time, nature spirits are the emerging theme, for three chilling story ideas. Grab a blanket – grab a pen! – and switch your imagination on with these stories and ideas for the ultimate writing prompt challenge. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! All at www.annatizard.com. INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 68 of Brainstoryum. Once again, I will be pulling words at random from the socks of destiny to create writing prompts like you've never heard before. It's occurred to me that the best of the three always comes last in the show but that new listeners might not know this as you begin listening. Well, as usual, the fullest story, and perhaps the best one of the bunch, unfolds last, almost as if the tensions and half-glimpsed mysteries of the first two story ideas, with all their brewing potential, gather like a story-force finally breaking through; the early meanderings of the curious imagination, after a little time – a bit of warming up – are ready by writing prompt no. 3 to sharpen their focus and find a clearer beginning, middle and an end. Maybe as writers and storytellers we are all bound to dabble, and daydream about many possibilities, some of which are always going to be left half-explored – until we reach (or come across) an idea that's really worth grabbing with both hands and turning it into something fuller. So listen on to the end, my friend, for as usual, I leave the best to last.

What does a dragon's dream look like? Is there a ghost inside your clock? And how could a ceramic urn be venomous? All these ideas and more will be dug into, with the dual power of pen and imagination… Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a journey into unexpected stories using the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse. Listeners' words are drawn from the legendary Socks of Destiny and mixed into weird writing prompts which end up making more sense than they should! Post-Halloween, the spooky themes are still cropping up in these inspired short stories. Grab a blanket – grab a pen! – and switch your imagination on with these stories and ideas for the ultimate writing prompt challenge. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! All at www.annatizard.com. INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 67 of Brainstoryum. Now if you're still in the Halloween mood I'll be sure to have some stories for you, as I'm still in a bit of a spooky mood and, well, the socks of destiny seem to respond to that. The writing prompts might be randomised but there's often a little extra something that I suspect is going on – serendipity, or possibly just the power of the imagination, although we all know there's no “just” about that. Before we get started on the new story brainstorms, I'll share with you my listeners' ideas on the “crystalline zombie” which was the prompt from the last show, so there's a ghoulish flavour before we've even started – but before that, I have some very exciting news...

Your weekend is not weird enough without Brainstoryum. Wine, poison, monsters, delirium and fights! Listen on to imagine these and more... Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a wild journey into the imagination using the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse. Listeners' words are drawn from the legendary Socks of Destiny and mixed into weird writing prompts which end up making more sense than they should! In this Halloween special show, Anna brainstorms stories from these game results, finding spooky themes emerging, wherever she turns. The last Exquisite Corpse result inspires a complete short story, perfectly ghoulish and in time for Halloween. Grab a blanket and a hot beverage and be prepared for some shivers.   Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! All at www.annatizard.com.   INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 66 of Brainstoryum. It is also the Halloween special. Listeners' words will be drawn from the legendary Socks of Destiny and mixed into weird writing prompts… which will end up making more sense than they have any right to! But being mindful of the spooky season, will I find ghoulish ideas creeping out from every crevice of the socks? Of course I will. Things seem to work out that way – ideas seem to fulfil a need when you play a surrealist word game. (I didn't invent it, I just follow the surrealists' lead and see what happens.) And yes, today, there will be another complete short story, perfectly ghoulish and just in time for Halloween. So grab a blanket – grab a pen! – and be prepared for some shivers.

Your weekend is not weird enough without Brainstoryum! Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a journey into the imagination with weird and wild Exquisite Corpse writing prompts resulting from a LIVE GAME SESSION! In this special show, Anna will brainstorm stories from several Exquisite Corpses and finish with a completed short story based on some of these results. It will be creepy and dark, so grab a blanket and a hot beverage and be prepared for some shivers. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! All at www.annatizard.com. INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 65 of Brainstoryum. I hope you're ready for some weird and wild story ideas because today's show is full of them in this special episode reflecting on a live game session I was lucky enough to be a part of. That's right – I mentioned last time that I was getting really excited about a live storytelling event in Brighton, where I live, where I was building up to hosting a round of Exquisite Corpse with that audience, some of whom are actual, professional storytellers. The logical part of my brain said I should be nervous. I only felt excited – until I got there. And when I walked in, when I stood up there on the little stage area, I knew anything could happen. When you're mixing other people's words, you really don't have any control over what is coming. I had no pause button, no pot of green tea… But it was enormous fun, everyone got into it, and the results were of course, completely bizarre – and got us all thinking about some story ideas. At the end of the session, I announced my challenge: to write a complete short story based on some of the results of that evening. (At this, there were some baffled and slightly disbelieving stares, as you might expect!) So today's show is going to be a bit different without the socks of destiny, but in fact, there will be more ExCos, more story brainstorms, and, as promised, one completed short story which I've written based the results – and it is almost startlingly creepy and very dark. So be warned. As ever, these weird word combinations prompted me to explore characters and situations that I would not otherwise dream up on my own. And I hope it does the same for you.

Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a wild journey into the imagination with this new episode packed with creative writing ideas, stories and insights. Listeners share short story ideas based on “the creepy writing desk”. Plus enjoy 3 new writing prompts generated by the mysterious word game of Exquisite Corpse. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! All at www.annatizard.com. INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 64 of Brainstoryum.   Today, as ever, I will be making excellent use of the “pause” button to brainstorm story ideas from the bizarre and always challenging game of ExCo. (I do like a good writing prompt challenge.) Please join in if you fancy giving it a go yourself: grab a pen and reach for your pause button if you feel the stirrings of a story idea you want to try. For writing is the practice of wonder… We never quite know what's going to happen next, and that's the real magic of the imagination.   First, I'll be sharing some story ideas from listeners who did just that: hit the pause button and wrote down what they thought might happen in a story about the “creepy writing desk”. Was it horror, fantasy, thriller writing, or a mix of all three? Stay tuned to find out, then afterwards, I'll be reaching into the socks of destiny for 3 new journeys into our imagination.

Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a wild journey into the imagination with this new episode of creative writing ideas, stories and insights. Listeners wax lyrical on “the howling chalice” and “the intrepid ferryman”. Plus enjoy 3 new writing prompts generated by the mysterious word game of Exquisite Corpse. The show also explores deep insights about the writing process and the psychology of discovery writing. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! All at www.annatizard.com. INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 63 of Brainstoryum. Before we begin with some new story brainstorms – some led by me and others led by my listeners – I have some news. I have discovered a storytelling group local to Brighton, where I live, in the South-east of England. I've been meaning to go for months, but I am still struggling a bit with the dregs of long covid, so I was ecstatic to finally make it; it's a small, welcoming group with a mix of professional live storytellers, writers and non-writers, and I found myself in awe of this unique art form, of telling folk tales, to a live audience. But thankfully, the group is very open to anyone getting up and having a go, and they don't all have to be folk tales. So I was right in there, clutching my copy of Portals and Immortals, and I read out the first 10 mins' worth of a short story in that collection, called Axolotl, about a freaky, evil popstar who tries to steal the youth from a younger wannabe. If you've read it, you'll know the story is quite humorous and there's lots of dialogue from the very start, so I felt it was a good choice for doing voices, and sort of acting out a part. I'm pleased to say, the audience cackled in all the right places – it was loads of fun to do. But what struck me as really odd, was: near the beginning, there's a mention of this popstar's song, called “Hump Me, Dump me”. And honestly, it had never occurred me until that very moment, reading it out to this group, that this sounds like “Humpty Dumpty.” And it hit me right then, as I read it out, and I just knew that's what people were laughing about. I spoke to them afterwards and they said that was part of why it was funny. But how strange. To have written something – that was meant to be funny, anyway – but I hadn't even got the whole joke. My own joke. Anyway! What's extra exciting is that, having introduced what I do on this podcast, how I get inspiration for my stories and try to inspire other people to write, the group has agreed in their next get-together (which is once a month), to let me lead them in a game of ExCo and I think I will encourage some story brainstorms in the same session. You can of course play the game without using the resulting sentences as writing prompts, but this is a storytelling group. These are my kind of people, they're imaginative and they're ready to hear stories – so maybe I can inspire them to come up with some ideas with me as we play the game. It's been so long since I've played ExCo in person, and I've never actually done this with a group of people who will be interested in using them as writing prompts: it's always been just for some laughs (of which there are always plenty, it is one of the funniest games you can play). This is the beginning of something I really want to try some day: playing it with a live audience and doing collaborative story brainstorming. Kind of like a workshop. So if you do happen to be in the south-east of the UK on 2nd October 2024, look up Brighton TellTales on Facebook and come and find us. But what I will do – I will find a way to share some of this wonderful craziness with you: in the show after next (because it's more than 2 weeks away), I will share some of the ExCos that come up, and also, if they're really good, or just really funny, I will type them up on a webpage...

Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a wild journey into the imagination with story brainstorms from listeners based on the “the ethereal rune”. Plus 3 new writing prompts generated by the mysterious word game of Exquisite Corpse. The show also explores deep insights about the writing process and the psychology of discovery writing. A creative writing podcast has never been so deep, wildly imaginative and playful all at once. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! All at www.annatizard.com. INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 62 of Brainstoryum. I hope you're ready for some thought-provoking story brainstorms, because today's Exquisite Corpse games will lead us into various alleyways of thought, particularly: knowing yourself as a writer; acknowledging what it is that sparks off your inspiration (and what doesn't), so you can bypass potential blocks; and the balance between exploring pre-existing associations you have with words and ideas, and just… letting go and diving in. All that's to come in the strange inner labyrinth that is story brainstorming with Exquisite Corpse. But first, I have some feedback from listeners to the show on a writing prompt I shared last time, so let's get into that...

Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a wild journey into the imagination with story brainstorms from listeners based on “the intoxicating box”. Plus 3 new writing prompts generated by the mysterious word game of Exquisite Corpse. The show also explores deep insights about the writing process and borrows some thoughts from 20th century psychologist, Carl Jung. No creative writing podcast has ever been so deep, wildly imaginative and playful all at once. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! All at www.annatizard.com. INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 61 of Brainstoryum.   Now, last time, I had so many responses to the writing prompt I invited feedback on, that this became the basis for my pre-word game ponderings on the process and experience of creative writing, and do you know what, it's happened again. Even more incredible ideas have poured in from my hugely imaginative listeners and each of these presents a whole new journey into a story idea – which again, could develop in countless different interpretations depending on the choices you make; consciously and unconsciously. More on that later as things emerge in the Exquisite Corpse games. So many rabbit holes to jump into – so pick up a pen and let's go.

Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in a wild journey into the imagination with story brainstorms from listeners based on the “brittle cartographer”. Plus 3 new writing prompts generated by the mysterious word game of Exquisite Corpse. Your creative writing adventure starts here!   Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! All at www.annatizard.com. INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 60 of Brainstoryum. 60? Really? It's hard to believe. So many journeys down the rabbit hole… and yet each one is different, unique. Well, I guess that's the magic of Exquisite Corpse; and there is a certain magic in dedicating a little bit of time to randomness and pure imagination on a regular basis. Long may it continue! In the last few episodes, I've been digging deep into the mysterious process of discovery writing, and the workings of the unconscious mind… Well, this time the whimsical meanderings will be down the pathways of ideas – the story ideas of my fantastic, imaginative listeners – because I had so many responses about the writing prompt I shared at the end of episode 59, that this is going to take up the first chunk of the show. And they're so good, I want to delve into each of them a little bit, and wonder “what's next”.  So let's do that, before we turn our attention to even more story ideas...

Just a quick preview of episode 60: hear me collapse in uncontrollable laughter as I try to make sense of a bizarre writing prompt. If I say something you don't understand, about "floating"... Well, you'll just have to listen to the whole episode when it comes out, won't you! :D

How often it feels like you're turning a wrong into a right, with stories. Turning a mistake or an injustice, into something that feels like it was meant to be. Turning a problem into a solution. This is ultimately what a story is made up of: conflict, tension – wrongness, things going wrong for the protagonist, and a struggle to make things right, or it may be something that doesn't quite make sense in the beginning, a mystery to be solved, and that's the form of “wrongness” that is to be righted.   Join award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, in journey into the imagination with story brainstorms from listeners on the “quivering silhouette” and 3 new writing prompts generated by the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse. Your creative writing journey starts here!   Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! All at www.annatizard.com.

Writing short stories, even just brainstorming them, can give you insights into the workings of your unconscious mind - which can help define your voice as a writer as well as revealing the preoccupations that feed into your story themes. Join Anna Tizard on a journey of discovery, and enjoy three new story brainstorms using the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse. It's profound, it's fascinating, and at times, hilarious! BEGIN INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 58 of Brainstoryum. Now, following the strange connections I discovered between the story ideas in the last show, which I only really picked up on at the end, I have some thoughts to share with you about the workings of the unconscious mind – and how writing can help you get in touch with the mysteries that lie just beneath the surface. For the art of writing is a discovery process, a journey which can reveal what might otherwise remain hidden from you. And I'll talk a little bit about why I think short story writing can help you develop your skills and voice as a writer much more quickly than you would if you spend all your writing time on just one longer piece like a novel. But it won't be long before I reach into the Socks of Destiny once more to explore three new story ideas for your inspiration. So let's get on with the show.

Join Anna Tizard on a journey down the rabbit hole where you'll discover the most unexpected story ideas - and the strange connections made by the unconscious mind. Listen as 3 new rounds of the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse generate 3 new stories. For fantasy lovers, Jungians, writers and imaginative folk everywhere.

Follow the white rabbit of your imagination with another crazy expedition into the story-generating game of Exquisite Corpse.   Today's show features story ideas and flash fiction written by listeners, plus new 3 fresh rounds of Exquisite Corpse, mixing your words into creative writing prompts.  Want more? Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get exclusive material from her series, The Book of Exquisite Corpse. All at www.annatizard.com.

Enjoy more zany, imagination-bending journeys into short story ideas for fantasy fiction using writing prompts generated by the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse. It's deep, it's weird, it's the most creative writing you'll ever do. Today's show also features story ideas sent in by listeners based on “the myopic (short-sighted) gorgon”, plus 3 new writing prompts, impromptu storytelling and creative writing tips.   Check out Nick Vracar's Exquisite Corpse-inspired story entitled, “Claire and Bethany Go to the Theatre”. Read the story or have a listen at nvracar.wordpress.com. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get exclusive material from her series, The Book of Exquisite Corpse. All at www.annatizard.com.   INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 55 of Brainstoryum. Spring is here, you'd almost believe it's summer here in the UK, but I like to think that no matter where you are or what time it is, or time of year, there is always the opportunity for ideas to blossom. Think of your imagination as a garden. You could just leave it and let it fill up with weeds, or you can tend it, dig deep to turn over fresh soil, find things you didn't know were buried there, and plant the seeds of the most exciting ideas that could grow into the most spectacular stories.   So let's hold up our proverbial trowels (a pen will do) and get digging...

Enjoy more zany, imagination-bending journeys into fantasy fiction using writing prompts generated by the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse. Get writing!   Today's show features story ideas sent in by listeners based on “the foggy box”, plus new short story ideas, impromptu storytelling and creative writing tips from award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard.   Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get exclusive material from her series, The Book of Exquisite Corpse. All at www.annatizard.com. INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 54 of Brainstoryum. I hope you are ready for some wild new story ideas and writing prompts, because today's show is positively bulging like the 3 socks of destiny which contain words… Whose words? Your words? Maybe, if you've sent me some on the Play page at annatizard.com…   But before we begin new journeys into the weird depths of our imaginations, I have some brilliant ideas to share with you, sent in by listeners who responded to a writing prompt the last show. This is what I truly love: a bit of collaboration, sharing the wonder and weirdness of storytelling. So let's get on with the show...

More zany, imagination-bending journeys into fantasy fiction using writing prompts generated by the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse. Get writing!   Today's show features story ideas sent in by listeners based on “the boisterous rocking chair”, plus new short story ideas, impromptu storytelling and creative writing tips from award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard.   Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get exclusive material from her series, The Book of Exquisite Corpse. All at www.annatizard.com.

It's time once more to be inspired (and amused) by zany, imagination-bending writing prompts using the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse. Today's show features story ideas sent in by listeners based on “the susurrant plunder”, plus snippets of storytelling exploring a rich array of new short story ideas and writing tips from award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else. All at www.annatizard.com.   INTRO: Hello imaginative people! I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 52 of Brainstoryum. Well, my personal life has been a bit manic lately, with major roof works going on. The noise has been like 3 or 4 ogres trying to smash their way in through the ceiling with truncheons; I was quite surprised to look out the window and see humans, mere humans on the scaffolding. So today I'm grateful that I can bask in one of my favourite distractions: the delicious escape of storytelling, brainstorming ideas and sharing them with you. So whatever you've been up to this week, I'm glad you're able to enjoy this with me.   I have a packed show for you today with some new great story ideas suggested by listeners, plus there will of course be 3 new bizarre writing prompts today plucked from the depths of the socks of destiny.   First things first - let's hear the story ideas sent in by my highly imaginative listeners. The "susurrant plunder": a curious phrase indeed. It sounds like murmuring treasure; stolen goods that whisper? The rabbit hole I dived into when this phrase came up was one of treasure hunting and a secret history of pirates. But this is only one rabbit hole among countless possibilities, since everyone's imagination is unique...

Time to be inspired by zany, imagination-bending writing prompts using the word game of Exquisite Corpse. Includes story ideas sent in by listeners based on “the transdimensional witch”, plus storytelling with a rich array of new short story ideas and writing tips from award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! "Hello imaginative people. I'm Anna Tizard and this is episode 51 of Brainstoryum. I hope life is treating you well, but whatever your state of mind is, I feel certain that today's show can only improve your mood as I share the magic of storytelling – but not just mine.   In the last few episodes, I've been inviting you to share your story ideas based on writing prompts that have come up on the show, and today, there are some really good ones I can't wait to read out.   But before I do, and before I reach once more into the socks of destiny for 3 new writing prompts, someone has written a poem about me and the show...  

In this 50th episode and 2nd anniversary of Brainstoryum, Anna Tizard shares some of the best (and weirdest) Exquisite Corpse writing prompts that have come up in the show; plus, successes from other authors who've used inspiration from the show to write and publish stories; listeners' ideas based on the “pedantic staircase”; and 3 new rounds of the imagination-bending word game.   Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! https://annatizardsubscribe.ck.page/e631e9eb31

Time for some zany, imagination-bending writing prompts using the word game of Exquisite Corpse. Enjoy interactive storytelling and some great ideas for writing short stories, with writing tips from award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard.   In today's show, listeners and readers suggest their own story ideas based on a writing prompt from the last show: “the frozen chaise longue”. Next, Anna mixes listeners' word suggestions into bizarre sentences and brainstorms new story ideas from the results. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! annatizard.com

Time for some zany, imagination-bending writing prompts using the word game of Exquisite Corpse. Award-winning fantasy and dreampunk author, Anna Tizard, mixes listeners' word suggestions into bizarre sentences and brainstorms story ideas from the results. In today's show, listeners and readers of Anna's fiction suggest their own story ideas based on a weird word combination that cropped up in the last show: “the fastidious spectre”. Enjoy interactive storytelling and some great ideas for writing short stories, with some writing advice from an experienced fantasy author.   Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else!

Writing prompts have never been so intriguing, challenging and fun. Listen as Anna Tizard brainstorms story ideas from bizarre sentences generated from randomised words sent in by listeners. Today's show takes on the theme of the dreampunk genre, with an announcement of a new dreampunk anthology release and some dreampunk story ideas.  Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else!

Another 3 rounds of the magical word game of Exquisite Corpse to bring fantasy story ideas to life! Anna Tizard mixes YOUR words into writing prompts, brainstorming stories from the results. Listen and be inspired as ideas, plots and scenes unfold. A ton of short story ideas and fun for writers and imaginative folk. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else!

Happy New Year! Another 3 rounds of the magical word game of Exquisite Corpse brings fantasy story ideas to life! Anna Tizard mixes YOUR words into writing prompts, brainstorming stories from the results. Listen and be inspired as ideas, plots and scenes unfold. A ton of short story ideas and fun for writers and imaginative folk. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! : https://annatizardsubscribe.ck.page/e631e9eb31

Today's show includes a Christmas gift: details of how you can download a free printable game sheet to play the hilarious and intriguing game of Exquisite Corpse at home with friends and family. Plus: news of a very special offer on Kindle that is happening on 1st January, if you want to gorge yourself on fantasy books! Enjoy another 3 rounds of the magical word game to bring fantasy story ideas to life! Anna Tizard mixes YOUR words into writing prompts, brainstorming stories from the results. Listen and be inspired as ideas, plots and scenes unfold. A ton of short story ideas and fun for writers and other imaginative folk. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else!

Another 3 rounds of the magical word game of Exquisite Corpse to bring fantasy story ideas to life! Anna Tizard mixes YOUR words into writing prompts, brainstorming stories from the results. Listen and be inspired as ideas, plots and scenes unfold. A ton of short story ideas and fun for writers and imaginative folk. Today's story ideas take some unexpected and creepy turns! Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else!

Another 3 rounds of the magical word game of Exquisite Corpse to bring fantasy story ideas to life! Anna Tizard mixes YOUR words into writing prompts, brainstorming stories from the results. Listen and be inspired as ideas, plots and scenes unfold. Full of short story ideas and tips for developing them into something longer. A ton of fun for writers, and imaginative people everywhere.  Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else!

Another round (or two) of weird, magical fantasy storytelling with a touch of the monstrous! Anna Tizard uses the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse to mix YOUR words into writing prompts, brainstorming stories from the results! Listen and be inspired as ideas, plots and scenes unfold. Great for short story ideas and a ton of fun for writers and imaginative people everywhere.   Today's show test-drives a new experiment in storytelling: using just one Exquisite Corpse to generate a story idea, and taking it as far as it can go.   Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else!

Enjoy weird, magical, fantasy story ideas with a touch of the monstrous! Anna Tizard uses the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse to mix YOUR words into writing prompts, brainstorming stories from the results! Listen and be inspired as ideas, plots and scenes unfold. Short story ideas galore. A ton of fun for writers, and imaginative people everywhere. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! Join in at www.annatizard.com.

**WARNING: CONTAINS SOME GHOULISH & GORY IMAGERY. Although treated in a light-hearted storytelling style, the 3rd story brainstorm may be a trigger for some. ** Anna Tizard delves deep into writing prompts produced by mixing YOUR words into Exquisite Corpses and brainstorming stories from the results! Listen and be inspired as ideas and scenes unfold. Also – find out how to get your limited edition copy of The Cat and the Shadows! (But be quick, because it really is limited!) Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else!

Once again, Anna Tizard takes the writing prompt game of Exquisite Corpse to extremes! Listen and wonder as she delves deep into short story ideas (and novel ideas) prompted by the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse – using writing prompts made up of words YOU have sent through www.annatizard.com/play. Listen and be inspired as ideas and glimpses of scenes unfold before you! And it's all getting a bit gothic today.   Also – special announcements today about upcoming releases! Have your pen and your imagination at the ready.   Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! : annatizard.com

Today's show is a bit different: Anna Tizard plays the writing prompt game of Exquisite Corpse, taking the “pause” button to extremes! Listen and wonder as she delves deep into her imagination, sharing snatches of scenes as potential new short stories (or future novels) emerge. The story brainstorms are packed with wild new story writing ideas today, so have your pen ready! Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! www.annatizard.com

Enjoy a new discussion on creative writing techniques with insightful ideas to inspire your writing – whether you're writing short stories or novels. Today's show explores story tropes drawn from superhero tales, which we can twist and use for our own stories even if they have nothing to do with superheroes! Then it's time for some new writing prompts using the surrealist word game of Exquisite Corpse. Listen, join in and be inspired. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else!

Dreampunk and literary fantasy author, Anna Tizard, explores creative writing techniques and profound, psychology-based ideas to inspire your writing! There are also lots of ideas for short stories in particular, as the quickest and easiest way to get your writing published. Today's show explores the use of first person narrative, with examples from Anna Tizard's upcoming collection of short stories. After some technical insights, have fun with some fresh rounds of Exquisite Corpse word play for some seriously weird story ideas! Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! annatizard.com

Dreampunk and literary fantasy author, Anna Tizard, explores creative writing techniques and profound, psychology-based ideas to inspire your writing! Today's show explores the use of intimate third person narrative, and how to wind in a mixture of mystery, distance and closeness to enrich your storytelling. After some deep insights, have fun with some fresh rounds of Exquisite Corpse word play for some seriously weird story ideas! Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else!

Dreampunk and literary fantasy author, Anna Tizard, explores creative writing techniques and profound ideas from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, to inspire your writing and your creative life! Today is all about daring to be different and going beyond readers' expectations. After some deep-thinking insights, have fun with some fresh rounds of Exquisite Corpse word play for some seriously weird story ideas! It is time to enter the Wonderland of your imagination. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! annatizard.com

Braced with a cup of tea and a pen It is time once again To enter Wonderland. Dreampunk and literary fantasy author, Anna Tizard, explores creative writing techniques and profound ideas from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, to inspire your writing and your creative life! Today I ask, what is Alice in Wonderland really about? Can it even show us how to be happy? After some deep insights, have fun with some fresh rounds of Exquisite Corpse word play for some seriously weird story ideas! Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else!

Dreampunk and literary fantasy author, Anna Tizard, explores creative writing techniques and profound ideas from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, to inspire your writing and your creative life! Today is all about the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, the pinnacle of nonsense and mayhem in Wonderland. After some deep-thinking insights, have fun with some fresh rounds of Exquisite Corpse word play for some seriously weird story ideas! It is time to enter the Wonderland of your imagination. Subscribe for free to Anna Tizard's private email list and get vol 1 in The Book of Exquisite Corpse plus exclusive material not published anywhere else! annatizard.com