Author: Terry Connelly

Terry Connelly is a retired high school English teacher. She earned her BA and Single Subject Teaching credential from California State University of the East Bay, in Hayward, California. Her short story "The Visitor" was published in the Noyo River Review after winning first place at the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference in 2019. Another short story, "Swept Sway" is in the CWC Literary Review. She taught for 18 years at Newark Memorial High School in Newark, California. She was gifted to work with both College Prep students and those with learning disabilities.

Small Delights

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            Sometimes the smallest thing can bring great joy.

            Imagine being a child, someone who loves butterscotch candies. A visiting adult hands that child two pieces, to enjoy right now! The delight will be visible and a pleasure to behold.

            Or, consider an adult who is feeling down and out. Piles of clean laundry await, to be sorted, folded and put away. Meanwhile there’s dinner to prepare and the dog needs a walk. Someone rings the doorbell. There stands the next-door neighbor, offering help.

            Small delights can bring great joy to both giver and receiver.

            Your task is to write a story in which something quite small is given, bringing smiles all around.

            Have fun with this one.

Dear Diary

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            There was a time when keeping a diary was an every-day occurrence. Young girls, yes, it was always girls, were given journals in which to record personal thoughts, wishes and dreams. They were encouraged to write anything that came to mind, even the most personal thoughts.

Then, years later, many of these diaries were discovered, some by famous individuals.

Imagine reading the thoughts of Marie Antoinette or Madame Curie! What might they have been thinking as they went about their normal day?

Your task is to write a story in which a diary plays a key role. It could involve a character writing her thoughts, or a letter from your character’s POV.

Have fun with this one.

From an Animal’s Perspective

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            Our cat makes a lot of noise. In the early morning, when she’s decided it’s time for breakfast, she sits outside our bedroom and meows, loudly and pathetically. She keeps it up until I finally get up, walk into the kitchen, and feed her.

            Around noon she wants her snacks, so tells us in her most pathetic-sounding voice. Of course, then sometime after four, she repeats the performance, this time demanding dinner, which won’t be served until five.

            She burbles walking down the hall, screeches when a foreign cat crosses our back deck, and makes a sad sound when she feels the need for loving.

            If I wrote a story from her perspective, she’d paint us as being terrible owners, neglectful owners, but at the same time, loving owners.

            Your task is to write a story from an animal’s POV.

            Have fun with this one.

Vacation Far From Home

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            Many people seldom travel far from home. They stick to what they know: the roads and intersections most familiar. They don’t envy friends who do travel, but don’t always enjoy hearing the stories of others’ journeys.

            Then there are those who relish going overseas, or traveling across America, or taking cruises to far off places.

            They love seeing castles and monuments, standing along the banks of rivers, lakes and even streams. What’s important is “being there” rather than watching documentaries on television or looking through someone’s photo albums.

            Your task is to write a story that involves travel, specifically to somewhere far from the protagonist’s home.

            Have fun with this one.

Through a Child’s Eyes

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            Children often see the world very differently than adults. Fairies and make-believe are real. Monsters hide under the bed and magic can be both mystical and frightening.

            Animals talk, birds sing in the vernacular and even houses are imbued with spiritual factors.

            The reason so many children’s books feature the unknown is because authors tap into the child’s vision of the world, even though it often doesn’t reflect reality.

            Your task is to write a story in which the protagonist is a child. It might be easier to select a child who is old enough to verbalize those beliefs.

            Have fun with this one.

Maybe in This Time

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            There are several companies selling rides into space. The cost: $600,000! The spaceship goes way up high, high enough to allow the passengers to experience weightlessness, then it returns them to earth with a mighty splashdown.

            It isn’t exactly time travel, but if gives the illusion of traveling through space and time.

            Many novels have been published and movies produced that feature time travel. In most, the travelers meet people from other dimensions, usually in a somewhat peaceful manner.

As a teen, I enjoyed one such television show. Most interactions weren’t peaceful, and rightly so. Who wants invaders to fly in and take over their planet? Wouldn’t you fight back to restrict the plundering and destruction?

Your task is to write a story that involves some form of time travel. It can be kids using their imaginations, or pilots touching down in a different era.

Have fun with this one.

Utter Chaos

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            Imagine a chaotic event. Storm, revolution, economic disaster. How does it impact a given city? What happens to the people? How do the banks respond? Are there protests? Do organizers help rebuild? Search?

            There are so many possibilities, especially when you factor in the bizarre or weird. Consider zombies, vampires, vultures.

            Your task is to write a story in which the world dissolves into utter chaos.

            Have fun with this one.

Thankfulness

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Being thankful isn’t always easy. It requires a genuine awareness of the gifts in one’s life, of being capable of thinking about those gifts in an honest, open manner.

Imagine a character receiving an unusual gift, such as a wilted potted plant or an album recorded by the giver (who has a terrible singing voice). The character must feign thankfulness so as to not hurt the other’s feelings.

Your task is to write a story in which the protagonist exhibits thankfulness after receiving an unexpected gift.

Have fun with this one.

The Storyteller

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Everyone loves a good story. There’s something compelling about sitting in a circle, gathered around an energized speaker as she relates something that just happened, in a dramatic tone of voice. Better yet if she can give each character a unique voice, personality, and demeanor.

Children beg for scary ghost stories, then can’t sleep in the dark.

Movies hold viewers entranced as an axe-wielding overall-wearing murderer chases the protagonist through a graveyard.

Throughout time, storytellers have been cherished.

Your task is to write a story in which the protagonist is one of those great storytellers.

Have fun with this one.

Superpowers!

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            Everyone loves a superhero. She might fly over a dessert to save someone in distress, without being impacted by the severe heat. Perhaps he’ll dive deep into the ocean to rescue passengers from a capsized ship. The two of them, combined, can leap into a fiery building while, at the same time, calling up river water to douse the flames.

            Now imagine what will happen when each of them discovers a new power! What if she can make desert plants bloom, creating a source of food? What if he can soar under storm clouds to control the funnel clouds, moving them into empty spaces?

            Your task is to write a story in which your protagonist, a superhero, discovers a new talent. Make it something impactful, something that can be used to save lives.

            Have fun with this one.