With the year coming to a close, it’s time now to review how we changed and grew over 2018. Create a comic strip showing some of the high – or low – points of your life during the course of the year. What are some of the amazing things that happened to you? What was the most important thing you learned about life? The biggest surprise or accomplishment? Your best adventure?

Choose a comic character at MakeBeliefsComix.com to represent you as you review 2018. You can also post a written response to this idea prompt directly on our writing blog at Somethingtowriteabout.com.

You are welcome to send your own comic strip writing prompt to [email protected]; please include your name so that we can credit you if we use it. Thank you.

Maybe it was a heated conversation you overheard on the school bus. Maybe it was something funny – or angry — two kids in the schoolyard shouted to each other. Maybe it was something you heard in class that surprised you. Maybe it was something the disc jockey said on the radio in introducing a song.

Choose a comic character at MakeBeliefsComix.com to recall this conversation and capture the dialogue that you heard.

You are welcome to send your own comic strip writing prompt to [email protected]; please include your name so that we can credit you if we use it. Thank you. You can also post a written response to the idea prompt directly on our writing blog at Somethingtowriteabout.com.

The greatest question you can ask someone if you really want to get to know them: Tell me about yourself!

You can choose a comic character at MakeBeliefsComix.com to represent you and talk about the things that make you special and interesting. So many responses you can give — what you like to do, your favorite books, the music that makes you happy, your personal interests, what you may want to accomplish in life, your family, your best friend, your favorite sport or athlete. Share yourself with others in your comic strip.

Three people in three different parts of the world wake up one morning, each expecting the day to be like all the others.

But for one, in Mexico, this will turn into the most important day of her life.

For another, in China, the day will be the happiest she will ever experience.

And for the third, in Chicago, this will become his saddest day.

Write each of these people’s diaries for the day

Think about an early memory in your life that you always come back to. Maybe it’s a memory of a very happy time or day that you spent with others. Maybe it’s a memory of something that frightened you and still gives you the chills when you think about it. Maybe it’s a memory of some kind, loving words that were said to you, or, then again, maybe it’s a memory of harsh words that you heard or spoke which changed things for you. Maybe, even, it’s the earliest memory you have when, say, you were still in the crib or carriage — what is it you saw or heard or smelled or touched?

Take some time to write about this memory and why it is important to you. Share your memory. You can write it in the form of a dream or poem or short essay, or even as a play to be performed by others. Our memories are very important to us; they feed us throughout our lives, so honor your memory.

Here are five words — blood, sunshine, help, rope, stranger.

Try to create something using these words — perhaps a short adventure story, or a poem, or horror, or ghost story for Halloween.

See what you can do — have fun with your imagination and try something you haven’t done before. It’ll get your creative juices going.