As the holidays come to a close, it is appropriate to think about how gatherings affect our characters.

In every group, there are those who are arrogant and annoying. Whose views are outlandish or selfish or ill-formed. Who criticize everyone and everything that does not match their personal views. When such people are present, tension consumes the very air, making it nearly impossible to breathe.

Fortunately, the majority of those who come to celebrate with us are like-minded. They arrive, hoping for a good time. For warmth and shared stories. Good food and drink. Hugs and kisses and welcoming words.
For this task, you must create a gathering and people it with real-life characters. It cannot be a completely harmonious group, as then there would be no conflict.

Write a scene in which someone creates a bit of a stir. Either he drinks too much or bad-mouths a missing relative or starts an argument. Or perhaps she refuses to acknowledge someone who speaks or brings a dish that no one is able to eat or has wrapped gifts for everyone but one.

First, think of the setting. Then the conflict and the characters. After that the story will fall into place.

Good Luck!

Our lives are full of people without names. They enter our lives for a few minutes and then are gone, yet they often play important roles. For example, when going to a fancy restaurant, you may ask the valet to park your car. You hand him your keys and trust that your car will be well taken care of, returned to you in its original condition. Yet you never know the man’s name.

Likewise the countless people that work in offices. You check in to see your doctor and the receptionist does an excellent job processing your information. What is her name? You might have read her nametag, but after walking away from the counter, you do not remember. She plays an important role because, without her assistance, your doctor would not know that you are there.

When writing a story, you have to decide which characters need to be named. If they are only passing through the story and contribute a small bit of information, then it might be best to keep them nameless. The reader does not need to know the name of every clerk at the store or every student in the class. Naming too many secondary characters pulls the reader away from the story.

If, on the other hand, the character will play an important role later on, then give her a name. Let’s say your main character is a spy in search of an elusive piece of data. He has to infiltrate a clandestine organization in order to gain access to the computer files. He cannot get past the locked door without the handprint of an employee, so he recruits someone to get him in. That character needs a name.

Your job is to write a scene in which your character interacts with a variety of people Say somewhere between five and seven. At least one of them plays a vital role that contributes to the plot of the story. The others come and go, perhaps sharing some tidbit of information that helps your character, but not in a way that alters the plot.

This will not be an easy task. Our inclination is to give everyone a name because we enjoy the recognition ourselves. Hold back, though, remembering that not all characters contribute equally to the story.

Get writing!

Humans keep track of time through recalling important events in their lives. For example, the young boy who fell out of a tree and broke his arm at the age of eight will always remember that incident as a changing point in his life. There is before the fall and after the fall.

Imagine being hospitalized for an asthma attack. During those days you thought you were not going to live. You prayed for release, to be able to draw a breath without pain, day after day. When the tightness in your chest relaxed, you knew then that you were going to live. So there is before the attack and after the attack.

Before the attack you might not have kept your house as clean as the doctor wanted. After the attack you hired a housekeeper who comes in and removes the dust. Before the attack you thought you were allergic to live fir trees, but had one anyway for Christmas. After the attack you bought a fake tree.

Your characters keep track of time in the same way. There is before the robbery and then the capture, trial and jail. There is before the monsters came and then the destruction caused as they swooped over the village and killed hundreds of people. There is before the military coup and then the restrictions that are put into place after the general took charge.

This prompt asks you to write a section of a story in which something happens to your character that changes her life. Something that is large enough to be remembered years after it took place. Nothing is too small or too big. It can be before asking the girl for a date or after the divorce. Before the car accident in which a loved one died or after the prolonged illness of a relative.

So, write down several different life-changing events. Think of as many as possible and save the list for future reference. Choose the one that you think will tell the most compelling story. Then write.

The vast majority of the time we stay within our comfort zone. We leave our house or apartment to go to work, trading one place we know well for another that we accept. We understand our job duties and how to complete tasks either independently or with coworkers. When the work day ends, we go to the theater we most enjoy, to the restaurants we like, to the stores that we respect and feel respected.

Even when we travel, we tend to return to those places that we have found the most enjoyable. For example, I love going to New York City and seeing plays on Broadway. While I don’t know all the ins and outs of the city, I am comfortable enough to ride the subway, walk the streets, find places to go and things to do.

Rarely do we step outside of our comfort zone, and when we do, we often feel a degree of anxiety. We check and recheck maps, go online to find out the ratings of restaurants and stay on major highways. I have been lucky enough to go overseas several times, but only by utilizing the services of a trusted tour company that makes all the arrangements, ensuring that I have a clean and safe place to spend the night.

Some might consider my life boring. Or understand that I am older and somewhat set in my ways.

Your task is to take one of your characters outside of his or her comfort zone. Have her strike out for places unknown, try out new restaurants, visit countries that she has never seen. Have him encounter strangers on these excursions. What happens? How does he react? In fear? With curiosity? Does she accept whatever advice the stranger gives? Go out for a drink together? Walk down the city streets at night under dim lamps?
What is the impact of this journey on your character’s personality? Does he feel emboldened? Frightened to the point of desiring only isolation? Proud or more timid than usual?

This is what you have to explore. Write a scene that challenges your character to step outside of the norm.

So many basketball fans are in awe of Stephen Curry and would give anything to have just half of his talent. But what if they could switch bodies and be him for just one game? Think how thrilling that would be.

If I could, I would love to switch with someone whose body was in better shape, who did not carry the excess weight that I have dealt with for most of my life. Would I like this to be a permanent switch? Maybe not. I already know all the flaws of my body. All the broken bones and knee problems. I have looked at this face as it aged and am not embarrassed by the changes that have taken place.

These are all superficial changes, however. What if you looked so much like someone else that you could walk in the same shoes, wear the same clothes, speak the same language and assume the same roles? Would you do it?

Many fantasy stories have dealt with this issue, but have you?
Your task is to write a story in which two people switch places. It can be an accidental switch, such as one person stepping through a closing door as the other is stepping out. Or it can be an intentional switch. One person deliberately searches for a look-alike, contacts that individual, and then the two of them agree to change places for a set period of time.

For some of you, this will be a real stretch, but that is what writing is all about. Exploring new topics in order to find our niche.

Have fun with this!

In the writing of thrillers, some believe that the adventure begins in the first paragraph. But is that an ironclad rule?

What if the story begins with a tension-filled moment, such as a near-miss on the highway or a look from an unsettling character? Is this enough to entice the reader to continue on? Or does there have to be a murder?

It depends upon the genre. In some cases, such as police procedurals, the death happens early, and in many cases, often. The original crime leads investigators on a hunt for the killer, which then turns into additional murders and so forth.

In psychological thrillers, the novel begins with an event that leaves the reader uncomfortable. From there more and more events unfold, each more tension-filled than the last, until the culminating event occurs.

Your task is to write one of the above scenarios. In your short story, you either begin with a murder or slowly build tension. To begin, you must first choose your characters. Are they thieves? Housewives? Families? Bankers?

Then choose the setting. A car ride to visit relatives? A forest at night? An art museum or brokerage firm?

The culminating event comes next. Murder? Kidnapping? Car chase? Shooting? Holdup?

Now, write the story. When you are finished, go back and look for the most tension-filled part. Does it occur soon enough to bring in the reader? Is there enough to hold the reader entranced? If so, then you have accomplished your task!

In real life, we don’t always speak in complete sentences, we often use contractions, and we drop letters at the end of words. We blend together two words, such as going to and should have. We don’t address the one being spoken to by name every time we say something to her. And we don’t always respond to the question or statement being posed.

In your stories, characters should speak the way the real people do, in fits and stutters, each having his/her own agenda in terms of what he/she wants to get out of the conversation.

For example, the girl wants the boy to ask her to the dance; the boy wants to get a kiss. The teacher is chastising a student for missed work; the student just wants to get out of the room.

Dialogue should not be used to lecture the reader on background information. For example, for a story set in San Francisco, the reader assumes that both speakers are familiar enough with the city that talking about its history would never come up in casual conversation. Unless one of the speakers is a professor taking his students out on a walking field trip.

The word said is good enough as an attribute. Don’t go searching for clever alternates such as guffawed, chortled, replied or exclaimed. In a back and forth conversation between two speakers, each line does not have to end with said.

For example:
“I’m going to New York for vacation,” Mary said.
“I’ve been thinking about going to Paris,” Bob said.
“I went there last summer.”
“Did you like it?”

Because of the nature of dialogue, combined with new lines for each speaker, the reader knows that Mary visited Paris and that Bob wants to know what she thought of the city.

Your task to find a piece of your writing and locate dialogue. Reread it. Is it natural? Is there a flow to the conversation? Can you imagine two people standing in line at a coffee shop saying the words? If not, then rewrite, aiming to make the language realistic sounding.

Does each character have an agenda? If not, give them one.

Look for attributes. Is there an over usage of alternates to said? If so, rewrite and eliminate all those that impede the flow of the dialogue.

When you are finished, reread the new version. Is there a more natural flow? Does it seem more realistic?

Hopefully so.

The premise behind the musical If/Then is that along the way, we are offered many choices that impact the eventual outcome of our lives.

If you think about it, from the time we are old enough to reach for a toy, we are making choices. Granted, playing with the elephant instead of the giraffe is not going to change our lives that drastically, if at all.

Once we are in school, however, things we do or don’t do affect grades, which eventually determine whether or not we go to college, which college, which major, and whether or not we leave with a degree or certificate.

The same is true when we begin dating. The people that we choose, or in many cases, choose us, may lead to forever relationships. Once in those relationships, we might buy a house, move to a new state, have children or dogs or cats. The possibilities are endless.

In the play, the main character spends her life questioning her decisions. What if she did this, then that would have happened. Or not.

Your characters are faced with decisions as well. The question is, after they choose a path, do they spend the rest of their lives thinking it through? Or just go with whatever happens along the way.

Which path, in your case as author, creates a more interesting story? Which has drama? Cathartic moments? Conflict? Which causes your character to grow, to change?

Select one of your favorite characters. Think about the story you have written. Make a list of potential changes that could be made. Then rewrite, at least one small portion, incorporating those changes.

When you are finished, compare the two. Which version is the most compelling?

Some writers find it easy to create worlds from the ground up. They design mountains, valleys, forest, rivers and lakes. Build cities, villages and forest preserves. They populate their worlds with varieties of people. Some are like us, humanoids, while others are aliens with amazing superpowers.

Think Star Wars and Star Trek.

In both examples there are complete languages that suite the different beings. Different styles of dress. Different and unusual food choices.

These differences affect how the beings act and react. While some are peaceful, others are warlike. Some are meek, while others are aggressive. Some master yoga-like methods, while some respect and honor skills with weapons.

Your task is to design a world. Begin by drawing it. The outer borders. The seas and mountains. Inlets and ports. Think of where resources are found. Where are the farms and ranches? What types of animals and crops do they raise?

Think about the capital. What type of government and officials? How do they get in power? Are they just rulers or despots? What rules control lives?

Populate your world. Is there a mix of beings? How do they get along? With understanding or with conflict?

Do not worry about action or dialogue. At this point you are only designing.

When you are finished, look back at what you have created. What else needs to be added to the mix? What will not work and needs to be changed? What parts me you uncomfortable when you think about telling the story? Change them now, before you begin.

Good luck.

People have routines that they follow. During the week, those of us who work traditional jobs, get up, eat, go to work, come home, eat, relax, go to bed. We do this day in and day out, without fail, until we are lucky enough to retire.

On weekends, our routines vary. We might sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast, go for a run or work out in the gym, meet up with friends or family, travel to visit someone we care about, go to movies or plays and so on.

Your characters must have everyday lives as well.

Your task is to write the routine that your character follows on work days. Be specific. This will not be your best writing, but don’t worry about it. Think like a kid when asked by your mother, “What did you do today?” Begin with the alarm going off in the morning. Include the most mundane details, such as showering and brushing teeth. What does he eat for breakfast, if he eats at all. Coffee? At home or at a shop. What type of coffee? How does she get to work? What does she do on the way there?

If in a car, does he listen to sports channel or rap music? News or country? If commuting by train, bus or metro, does he text, email, work on reports or read a book? Does he get on board early enough to sit or does she have to stand the whole way? How long is the commute?

How does he check in at work? Punching a time card or is it an honor system? What is the first thing she does? Turn on computer or put lunch in the refrigerator? Does he have friends at work? If so, how do they greet each other in the morning? Do they eat lunch together? Go out for drinks after work?

What type of work does your character do? Be specific. She might work on an assembly line installing doors in cars, design apps for hand held devices, or be a CEO of a developing company. Are there meetings? Pep rallies? Reports? Research? Lectures?

What time does he leave work? How long does it take him to get home? Once she is home, what is the first thing she does? Pet the cat? Take the dog for a walk? Change clothes? Start dinner? Pour a drink?

Think of all the possible things that he might do before going to bed. The last two things might be turning on the alarm and turning off the lights.

Now that the work day is finished, write the details of the weekend. There are different types of weekends: traveling ones and routine ones. Go through the same steps that you did earlier, one list for each type of day that she might experience.

While this might seem like a colossal waste of time, it is not. It will give you details that you can plug into your story later on. Plus it gives you a better understanding of who your character is.

Good luck!