Everyone has secrets, right? Perhaps she jumped, naked, into a river while friends were watching. Maybe he stole a packet of pens back in fifth grade, when there wasn’t money to buy them. A group of friends might have banded together to cheat fellow classmates in a game of whack-a-mole.

Some secrets are never meant to be shared. Imagine telling your future partner about your naked stunt? What if the boy applies for a government job and the theft comes up during vetting? Or if the group is found out, but only one or two are charged?

Our task is to write a story in which a secret plays an important role.

Have fun with this one.

            Something has happened. Your character is in an unfamiliar room or situation. We need to know her mood. How do you show that?

            First place her in a specific room, such as a bedroom, office, study or classroom. Establish mood through description of where it is happening or has happened. Use props such as items of furniture, clothes, weather, climate or a period of history.

            Have the camera pan in on the scene. What do you want the readers to see? To understand? What props are important to establish mood?

            Remember that everything is important in story.

Set events in motion.

Have fun with this one.

If you’re stuck and can’t think of a way to begin, choose one of these:

1. Describe a scene using the colors of the walls.
2. Begin with a sound such as the coffee grinder or the ticking of a clock
3. Have your character frustrated with a stovetop burner that suddenly quits working.
4. Not everyone likes pets, but describing the nose prints a dog has left on the sliding glass door might be entertaining.
5. Perhaps your character is fascinated by a scratch running down the wood paneling in a fancy business office.
6. Or the crooked pictures hanging on a wall.

After you’ve chosen your beginning, write!

Have fun with this one.