You are ‘forced’ to attend an elementary school performance in which your cousin’s son is preforming. It’s an all-school affair, in which every class comes on stage to sing or dance or perform a little skit.

            Some of the kids are cute, especially the Kindergartners who sing a patriotic song off-key.

A few of the older classes show some talent, singing in four-part harmony.

            Your nephew has a solo. He steps up to the mic and promptly sings the refrain, hitting some notes, missing most. When his time is up, your cousin gives a hearty round of applause.

            Your task is to write a thank you note for that evening’s entertainment. You must show gratitude despite how poorly the child performed.

            Have fun with this one.

We interact with many people that we don’t care about. One might be a braggart, full of herself. Another might be a miser, spending little of his money while expecting others to pay his way. Some might just be objectionable, perhaps with a body odor or seriously outdated clothes. What about the one who always has food stuck in his teeth?

   Your task is to write a story in which your character complains loudly about a colleague, so loudly that the words seem to echo around the room. Your character didn’t perform careful surveillance, because when she turns around, the person was standing behind her.

   Have fun with this one.

            Imagine entering a museum and seeing a strange object. You try to determine its purpose, based upon its shape and size. You discover and plaque that explains it’s a comb made of ivory or a device to separate twigs out of wool.

            Your mind accepts the description.

            But what if the explanation does not help?

            Your task is to write a scene in which your character comes across what some might see as an ordinary, everyday object, but she can’t process its function or puupose.

            Have fun with this one.

            Superman leaps into the air and soars across the sky, looking for the burning building with hundreds trapped inside.

            Cat Woman jumps from roof to roof, chasing burglars down below.

            The Blob slides across a major intersection, sucking up busses and cars alike.

            All of these have superpowers, some to be used for good, others to create chaos.

            Your task is to write a story in which your character utilizes his or her superpower to overcome….what?

            Have fun with this one.

            Imagine reading a historical document and getting an idea to try to repeat what happened all those years ago. A revolution? An uprising? Establishing a new city with new rules for governing?

            Or perhaps thinking that he might change the past by creating a new future?

            Your task is to write a story in which your character reads something from the past and takes action.

            Have fun with this one.