The Firefly Party
Somebody Write This Picture Book
Hi! Hello! I’m Kirk Reedstrom and this is the Somebody Write This Book newsletter where I send monthly, occasionally (okay, okay—often) absurd creative prompts to your inbox. You probably signed up for this on my website or on Twitter. If you’d like to unsubscribe, just click that link at the bottom of the newsletter. One click, all done, goodbye and sayonara.
A Prompt:
First, the video of those fireflies is mesmerizing. Second, I love fireflies. We get a few at our house and it’s such a delight to see those whimsical flashes flicker around during summer evenings. Third, shout out to my favorite firefly of all time, although the firefly from Sam & The Firefly has a special place in my heart. Anyway, I love fireflies, and it’s party season, so let’s make a squiggle character of a fancy bug ready to party it up.
Here’s my squiggle:
Here’s my character:
What a dapper fellow! If you all watch the video of this squiggle character, you might notice that I struggled with this one (note: I did speed up the video even more at points where I paused for long periods of time). I felt a little rusty, and nothing seemed to pop into my mind. I even had to get up from my desk to grab supplies a few times! You might also have noticed that this month’s newsletter is a little late. October’s been a hectic month, and I know that when I push myself, I’m not as creative and prone to burning out. You can see that in my work, and I can even feel it in my writing. My preferred pace is slow and steady for a reason. So, if you need permission to give yourself a break, let this be it!
If you’d like to take this story further, here are a few questions to ask yourself:
What was the biggest party you hosted?
What was the biggest party you attended?
How far have the guests travelled to attend this lightning bug shindig?
What kind of food & drink do they have at this firefly soiree?
What would happen if a different kind of bug or animal tried to crash the party?
Try setting a timer for 23 minutes and free write a little story that’s about 100-200 words from the perspective of the one of the fireflies or the party crasher. You can go over or under that word count. You can write for a longer or shorter amount of time. If a story’s not your cup of tea, try a poem or four panel comic. Again, there are no rules!
Three Neat Things:
Shameless Self Promotion:
I have an art piece up in Shreveport’s Norton Art Gallery for their Sketchy Business/Inktober show. If you’re in the area, stop by and see it! I got to visit the exhibit in person last week, and it was a treat to see my work along side friends, former classmates, local internet buds, and other talented artists. My word to interpret was “trip,” and you all might recognize the inspiration.
Here’s the piece:
A Book:
I turned 34 earlier this month, and went on a little book buying spree to celebrate. My current favorite of the shiny new reading pile is How To Read Nancy. Each page has an insightful lesson on comics and storytelling. I had read the essay the book is based on in college, but the book delved deeper into Ernie Bushmiller’s life and work/comics theory. I can’t recommend it highly enough to anyone interested in illustration, and writing.
Sea Monster Pulpits:
How cool are these?!
Thanks for reading. If you’re hankering for more prompts, you can read the archives here. If you really enjoyed it, forward this email to a friend or arch nemesis.
If you’re seeing this newsletter for the first time (Hello friend or nemesis!), you can subscribe here.
-Kirk
www.kirkreedstrom.com