I like these photographs because you can use images to tell a story. Do we have before us, the story of an argument? A falling out? (photograph one) Loneliness? Regret (photograph two)? If I am doing some creative writing and happen to be stuck for a story, I turn to photographs to give me a story prompt, which is an idea that gets your creative juices flowing. A good story starts in the middle of the action.

When you write a story, starting in the middle of the action quickens the pace of the story. Everything is easier to unfold--the plot, the narrative and dialogue fall into place quite nicely, and you should have your story. It will give you something to work on.

If I were given the opportunity to write the story, I think I would like to write it in the first person because the significant character seems to be the bird on the left. In photograph one, the bird looks down into the ground. Is this unhappiness or the beginning of something that made him unhappy? You can gather a lot of material from negative feelings. Much more than you would if there were positive feelings.

These negative feelings create good drama. We like to see an antagonist at odds with himself. We like to see someone having a worse day than we are--this reminds us that our lives are not so bad, after all. Then again, perhaps we can empathise with the bird that has been wronged. Let's suppose both birds fell out over a woman or over an extra-marital affair. Maybe the story begins like this...

"I'm leaving you, Jonathan and I'm taking the worms with me..."

This is your story prompt. Bird number one leaves Bird number two....

Maybe I've lost the plot altogether? Obviously, you can always replace the birds with human beings.