My youngest daughter has always loved words. As a tiny toddler, I would find her lying in her bed, tucked up, turning the pages of novels plucked from our bookshelf, books without pictures, books not for tiny toddlers.

Something different for this week's writing prompt — a video! I know you're excited. When I watch this soft, lazy steam climbing through the morning air, I think of many things:

Dolly was my best friend. She had long brown hair tied into two plaits, wide eyes and a big smile. She often wore a blue dress, a simple A-line shape with a round neck and long sleeves.

Somebody once told me that the people who make the best classical guitars in the world, leave a small imperfection somewhere in their masterpiece, unseen unless you look closely.

Have you ever been in an environment that is unfamiliar to you, almost alien? A desert, a rainforest, open plains, a lake, the ocean, a mountain, a cliff-top.

Jellyfish are strange, alien-looking creatures, ethereal as they swim in the water, their tentacles possibly dangerous depending on the species. They have no brain, no blood, no heart.

Looking out of the kitchen window from the house where we used to live, we enjoyed a breathtaking view across the bay towards Vancouver. Some days, clouds would billow and puff across the skyline, covering the sun, stealing its warmth and casting a chill over the landscape.

Welcome to my latest curated selection of writing prompts. Inspired by the timeless theme of 'still-life', I've gathered a variety of thought-provoking prompts, already published here at tanyajclarke.com, for your creative exploration.

Last week's writing prompt features a photograph of dappled sunlight shining through open foliage, a wide aperture defocusing all but the sharpest branches in the middle of the hedge.

Last Tuesday morning I woke up scratching at my hands. Thinking nothing of it, I drank some water, went to the loo and suddenly became aware of strange lumps on the backs of my thighs. I ran upstairs to show my husband — I needed further diagnosis. The lumps itched like nothing else. I scratched at my hands again.

Many years ago, back before time began, at least back before smartphones and the internet, I shared a flat with a friend from art school where we were both studying Fine Art Photography.

The other night as we sat watching some boring show on the telly, a young man wandered into our back garden. I pulled back the blind to see him walk across our patio, squinting in the bright outside light, looking a bit lost. He did not look like someone trying to find a way into our house.

One of my favourite 'I need to get my writing unstuck' exercises is by Lynda Barry in her wonderful book for the imagination What It Is. Bursting with her unique illustrative style and poignant, often funny stories, Barry shares with a generous heart the exercises and processes she teaches in her classroom. 

Last night, my husband told me a 'fact' he'd found on TikTok from an account called - Things I Wish I Didn't Know About - or something like that. Apparently, if an octopus were to climb into your mouth, it would be able to make its way through your body and out via 'your butthole' with no trouble at all.

It’s been a strange week of weather here. A few days ago the most incredible double rainbow formed over the neighbourhood where I live, the sunlight fighting for space through cloud and drizzle.

Apologies. I'm a couple of days late with this week's prompt. Do you ever have moments where you're not quite sure why you're doing something? I've been feeling that way about A Picture, A Story. Should I continue with posting writing prompts? Should I be writing more posts? Should I be taking more photographs?

Happy New Year everyone! I'm finding it hard to believe it's now 2024. If you currently have your head under a pillow due to a spectacular hangover from a spectacular party from the night before - I say, "Good for you!" That party could be fuel for your creative writing.

I do love a fairy tale. The ones I find most interesting are the ones that weave a world of magic and horror, where the princes and princesses aren't always who they first appear to be.

Yesterday, the sun shone in a sky awash with blue and everyone talked about what an unexpectedly beautiful day it had turned out to be - that soon it'll be cold enough for snow.

It's strange thinking about the month of December 2019 and then thinking about what happened in the world a couple of months later. I remember having various conversations with different people that ran along the lines of, it's just a type of flu, isn't it? Until it wasn't.