Writing Prompts for July Stories

Every month I do a think/write/submit writing exercise. I usually 'think' around 6 months ahead, but I'm STILL catching up. So while in March (well, hello March!) I'd normally be 'thinking' September, 'writing' August and 'submitting' July, I'm still only on 'thinking' July.

Once I've done the exercise, I put the file away for a few days and come back to it fresh. Then I choose around 5 ideas to pursue for myself, and I discard the others. I hate for those ideas to go to waste, though, so I 'throw' them out there for others to take up if they wish.

Here, then, are my 'throwaway' writing suggestions for July. I don't think I'll have time to do much with any of these, and those I think I might be able to rustle up have already been put to one side. (Remember to double-check the dates yourself as the source I used may have made a mistake.)

• 27 June - 2 July it's the Henley Royal Regatta
• 1 July every year is apparently Tartan Day (evergreen)
• 1 July every year is Canada Day or the National Day of Canada (evergreen)
• 2 July this year is the Midsummer Bonfire in Whalton, Northumberland (also known as the Whalton Bale)
• 3–16 July this year it's Wimbledon
• 4 July every year is American Independence Day (evergreen)
• 4–9 July this year it's the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival
• 5 July every year is Old Midsummer's Day (evergreen)
• on 5 July 1948, 50 years ago, the National Health Service came into force in Britain
• 7–9 July this year it's the Formula 1 (F1) Aramco British Grand Prix at Silverstone
• 7 July every year is apparently World Chocolate Day (evergreen)
• 8 July this year is the Durham Miners' Gala
• 11–14 July this year it's the Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate
• 14–16 July this year it's the Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival
• 12 July every year is Orangemen's Day in Northern Ireland (evergreen)
• 14 July every year is Bastille Day or the National Day of France (evergreen)
• 14 July every year is apparently Shark Awareness Day (evergreen)
• 15 July every year is St Swithun's Day (evergreen)
• 16 July every year is apparently World Snake Day (evergreen)
• on 21 July 1873, 150 years ago, the James-Younger gang carried out the first ever train robbery in the Amercian West, near Adair, Iowa
• on 23 July 1973, 50 years ago, Eddie Rickenbacker, the WW1 US air ace, died aged 82
• on 24 July 1898, 125 years ago, US aviator Amelia Earhart was born in Atchison, Kansas
• 29 July every year is apparently International Tiger Day or Global Tiger Day
• on 30 July 1948, 75 years ago, the world's first radar station was opened in Liverpool
• on 31 July every year, Osyter Season begins (evergreen)
• on 31 July every year, it's Harry Potter's birthday (evergreen)

There you go, 26 ideas to get you writing.

Take one idea

Still stuck for something to write? Even with all of those ideas? Okay then, let's take just one of those ideas…

• 4–9 July this year it's the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival

What can you write about the Hampton Court Garden Festival? Well, include where it is, and you can write quite a lot. Here are some suggestions.

• a potted history of Hampton Court Palace
• the gardens at Hampton Court Palace
• an overview of the Royal Horticultural Society, including interviews with members and organisers
• a potted history of the RHS
• a history of flowers
• a history of gardens
• ghosts of Hampton Court Palace
• Henry VIII and Hampton Court Palace
• the Tudors and Hampton Court Palace
• the Stuarts and Hampton Court Palace
• the last monarch to reside at Hampton Court Palace
• parks of Richmond upon Thames
• a potted history of Richmond Upon Thames
• where to go in Richmond Upon Thames
• things to see in Richmond Upon Thames
• bird life of the River Thames
• walking around Richmond Upon Thames
• where to eat in Richmond Upon Thames
• where to drink in Richmond Upon Thames
• where to stay in Richmond Upon Thames
• birdwatching in and around Hampton Court Palace
• what to do with the kids in Richmond Upon Thames
• the best places to live in Richmond Upon Thames
• the most expensive places to live in Richmond Upon Thames
• improvements and additions to Hampton Court Palace over the years
• historic royal palaces in the UK
• a history of the Historic Royal Palaces organisation
• an overview of the Historic Royal Palaces organisation, including interviews with organisers and/or volunteers
• architecture of Hampton Court Palace
• five hundred years of history at Hampton Court Palace
• statues of Hampton Court Palace
• On Location at Hampton Court Palace (films and television shows that have been filmed at Hampton Court Palace)
• museums in Richmond Upon Thames
• galleries in Richmond Upon Thames
• Twickenham

And right there are 35 more ideas from just one.

The ideas are endless. I could have gone on and on, but I had other work to do. Have a go at brainstorming further and see if there's something you can do for the garden show at Hampton this year. But if you sell anything, remember to hold onto your copyright so that you can sell reprints next year as well.

Over to you

If you use any of these ideas, then do let me know and tell me how they fared. And if you'd like to say thanks, you can support me on Ko-fi.

- - - - - - - - - -

More from me on Vocal

- - - - - - - - - -

Sign up for my newsletter

If you would like to sign up to my regular newsletter, please follow this link. There's a free short story with every issue.

Don't forget, you can unsubscribe at any time.

- - - - - - - - - -

If you find this piece interesting, please consider leaving a ❤️, or even a tip.

Your support means a lot to me as a writer! You can also read more of my stories here.

Thank you!

- - - - - - - - - -

This story is © Diane Wordsworth. A version also appears on my website and on Medium.