On Thursdays I normally share random thoughts I plan to use as writing inspiration or prompts.
Stockholm is still freezing, though today it’s a mild -10 degrees. I’ve perfected the art of wearing two pairs of pants at the same time and I can now do at least thirty different tasks while wearing my gloves. If I can’t do the task, it isn’t worth doing. The good news is I haven’t lost any body parts to frostbite yet. We also celebrated a birthday party this weekend, and at the beginning of the week we had our first administration/planning meeting for my writing group. Busy, but fun week so far. And now I get to write about ideas or objects that inspire me to write a story.
So what am I thinking about today?
Graffiti – Stockholm has an anti-graffiti policy. They claim to remove the graffiti as soon as someone reports it. And most of the time, they act quickly. I’ve often run across the cleanup crews spraying down walls. But sometimes it takes them a while to get around to it. Either that, or no one has reported it. Such as when the killer Disney princesses stayed up long enough to gain some international attention. You know, I don’t know what happened to Herr Nillson. The princesses have gone underground perhaps. But I did run across some graffiti on the way to the school this morning and stopped to take a photo. I think graffiti can add such a vibrant element to any story. And set a variety of tones.
Bicycle wheels — I keep running across abandoned metal bicycle frames. Mostly buried in the snow, but clearly missing wheels. During the spring and fall I see these a lot. Bikes discarded by the side of the road. Tossed aside once they’ve been stripped of their wheels. I always think about those wheels. The general consensus is the bike thieves are the guilty party. The wheels end up on other bikes, or sold to used bike stores. But do they really? How do we know something crazy isn’t going on? I’m telling you there’s more to this mass wheel abduction than meets the eye.
Light — This year I’m doing the One Little Word program. I’ve picked a word and I’m going to let it enter my life in a profound way this year. I’m going to focus on it, and breathe this word every moment. I’m going to eat, sleep, and cry this word. Okay, maybe that’s taking it a bit too far. But yeah, one word for the year. I like the idea. And I think it will help me focus more. Last year was a really tough year for us. Our whole world flipped upside down when the clues snapped into place and we realized our daughter had autism. While things are better now, I want to focus on the positive this year. I want to remember even in the unknown there is a light that shines. So I chose the word ‘light’ as my word. It’s a good word. It’s also a good writing prompt and since this is my word for the year, it’s fitting I find some way to work it into my writing.
Moss — the soft green stuff that grows on rocks and trees in a forest. I’m not sure where this thought came from. I think because I want to see green again. I’m tired of the ice and snow already. Swedes have a saying, ‘det räker.’ It means ‘that’s enough.’ You mostly say it to children when they keep on and on and on about the Star Wars Lego set they didn’t get. That’s how I feel about the winter. That’s enough freezing temps. That’s enough white stuff. Time for the green to come back.
You know, I’m getting some type of urban vibe from these prompts. I’ve even got a character starting to take shape. Okay, I’m off to write. See you next week!
Cas Blomberg Communications 
Good luck!