Category: Writing prompt

The Element of Change

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

In our everyday lives, things happen. Life is not static, unless you are dead, so when you write, your characters must be doing things.

There are two types of change: external and internal.

In external change, the character moves, either by choice or by necessity. For example, she walks down the hall to change into something more comfortable, or he opens the refrigerator and takes out hamburger he’s going to turn into a meatloaf. She drives down the street, heading to work, keeping an eye out for random dogs, cats or kids that might step into danger. He climbs up four flights of stairs to get to his apartment, carrying a basket of clean laundry.

External change is important as it allows us to see characters in motion, doing things that ordinary, or not so ordinary people do. At the end of a scene involving external change, we expect the character to be in a new, different place.

Internal change is the stuff of emotions. Something happens and your character reacts by getting angry, crying, withdrawing. For example, the teenager wants to go to a school dance, but the parents say no. The teen stomps off, shouting obscenities and slamming doors. She hides in her room crying and pouting, but as time passes, she realizes that she had forgotten that today was her grandmother’s 90th birthday and the family was going to see her. The teen calms down, returns to the family room, and apologizes.

During the course of this scene we have seen anger, rebellion, meditation, thoughtful remorse and apologetic behavior. The teen is a different person than she was at the beginning.

Internal change is the most powerful form of change, for it allows the reader to feel the emotions that the character is experiencing. We see into the character’s mind and heart, feel along with him, and then root for change, which may or may not be the change we would like to see.

External change is the easiest to write, while internal the more challenging.

Your task is to write a scene in which the character experiences both types of change. Don’t worry about the significance of the change. It doesn’t have to be mind-altering or permanent. It needs to be important and we must feel, at the conclusion, that something of significance has occurred.

Have fun with this one!

Sounds Around Us

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This afternoon I went swimming. As I was changing in the locker room, a couple of women were talking a few bays over. I couldn’t hear what they said, but the rhythm of their speech showed excitement.

When I walked out on the pool deck, there was no sound even though there were two men swimming. They were both doing the breast stroke, the quietest stroke of them all. But then I got in the pool, and despite the cap pulled over my ears, I heard the swoosh, swoosh sound of my hands pulling.

A really fast swimmer got in the middle lane. Now there was a pounding as his mighty kick thrust him forward through the water.

Right now I am sitting by my front window. The dog across the street is barking incessantly, an annoying whoop, whoop that does not change in intensity.

Some kids just came home from school. With the beautiful sunshine all around them, they are full of energy. Their high-pitched voices echo through the courtyard.

And now the ice cream truck comes, its annoying repetitive jingle playing over and over in an endless loop.

Your task is to close your eyes and listen. Write about what you hear, as descriptively as possible. Keep at it for at least an hour. Pay attention to the tiniest details. There is no sound too small, too high pitched, too filled with layers upon layers for you to notice.

Do this on a different day, at a different time. Record what you hear. Don’t worry about sight, taste, smell, feel. Only sound.

Return to your journal on a weekend, at night, one week later, a month later, during a different season. Fill your folder with as many distinct sounds as possible.

Why? When you write your next story, you will have an index of sounds for the varied places that you have visited. These sounds are your library.

Have fun with this one!

Ulterior Motives

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I enjoy the reality show Survivor because the players are constantly working towards goals. From the beginning, they try to form alliances that they feel will benefit them as they play the game. The motive is to create a voting block that will keep them on day after day.

They also have to build shelter and fire in order to survive the elements and to eat. On many days they compete in games that test physical stamina as well as the ability to outwit a mental challenge. The motive to win is huge. Not just for the glory of winning, but to get the prize, which can be in the form of food, means of survival, as well as not being forced to vote someone off of the team.

Ulterior motives are not just the thing of games, but of real life. We perform for a variety of reasons. Sometimes we do things just because we want to, but many times it’s because we yearn for something in return.

For example, a person runs for elected office in order to win, not just to see their name in the news and on the ballot.

The dating game is all about ulterior motives. Two strangers meet, size each other up, talk a bit to establish if there are any common grounds, all with the motive of going out on a date. The eventual outcome could be falling in love and getting married.

Our characters must also have ulterior motives or they are not fully developed. Three-dimensional people make decisions based on perceived outcomes. So must your characters.

Let’s say you’re writing a thriller in which someone dies. Why? What was the purpose of the death? Is your character the murderer or the one who will solve the crime? In order to find out who did it, the detective must be able to analyze the motive for the crime.

Your task is to take something that you’ve written and reread, looking for places where ulterior motive drives the action. If you cannot find any, then you must rewrite.

Start with the first page. Somewhere within those words the reader needs to understand what drives the main character to action. If that information is missing, put it in.

But don’t stop there. Throughout the piece we need to see the motives change as the situation changes. Don’t barrage us with motives, but find a way to keep us informed.

Seeing motive unfold drives the story forward and keeps the reader entranced.

Have fun with this one!

 

 

The Happy Zone

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It isn’t natural to be happy all the time. We prefer being happy, but there are people and issues that bring us down. Hurt or embarrass.

How we react to the hurtful depends upon how we feel about being happy. For example, an ex-boyfriend spreads embarrassing information about your character. What does she do? Does she counter with hurtful information about the ex or does she allow it to pass, put on her happy face and go out into the world?

Some of us are happier than others. We love a good joke, we laugh at ourselves, we smile when we hear an interesting story. We prefer feeling pleasant and will work hard to maintain that equilibrium.

What about your character? Where is her happy zone and how hard does she work to maintain it? What makes him feel good inside and how often does he shrug off miserable thoughts just to return to the zone?

Your task is to write a scene in which your character’s happy zone is threatened. It could be due to a piece of bad news, something happening in the world, or a sad movie. Whatever the cause, in your scene it brings your character down.

Then something happens to return your character to the zone. It could be a phone call, a letter, a promotion, a chat with a neighbor.

So, the pattern is this: happy character is saddened for a bit, then gains equilibrium and ends up happy once again. Easy, right?

Have fun with this one.

The Mentor

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Everyone needs someone to look up to, the mentor who provides guidance in an increasingly difficult world.

For some of us it’s a relative. Maybe Mom, who teaches love, kindness and caring toward others. Maybe it’s Grandpa who shows us how to work with our hands, takes us camping and teaches us how to barbecue. Perhaps it’s an aunt who struggled hard to be an auto mechanic in what has traditionally been seen as a man’s job.

For those of us who lack a strong family member to emulate, our mentors come from the outside world. How many of you fell in love with a teacher? This teacher offered praise and encouragement and made us feel smart and worthy.

Maybe it was at college at school or at work, who came to us offering advice on projects. This individual never made us feel inferior, but rather kindly took us under her wings.

Many kids worship athletes and want to be just like them. I once worked with a student who sought to be an astronaut shortly after the launching of a space probe, and at another time with one who wanted to be a famous skateboarded.

Your character needs a mento9r in his life. Someone to whom she can turn when stuck or feeling out of sorts.

As you develop your list of characters, write down several who could serve as mentors, and in what ways. Match up one from this list with your character’s interests or skills. Then enhance your list, writing down several possible scenes in which the two might interact, as well as the possible outcome of the interaction.

Your job is then to put the story in motion. Your character comes in contact with her mentor. A problem is discussed. A solution found.

Make sure that everything is logical. Dialogue should not sound forced, but rather flow naturally.

When finished, reread and edit. Add in details that flesh out the story.

How did it work for you? Does your character feel more three-dimensional?

Have fun with this one.

Searching the News

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Politics makes good fodder for storytelling. Think about what’s happening in the news right now.  All over the world you can find stories that need telling.

For example, if writing about war and conflict is your thing, choose any of the war-torn countries as the beginnings of your story. You most likely will have to do some research first to sort out the issues and sides, but as soon as you have a basic understanding of what’s going on, create some characters and put them in action.

If famine or flood or other natural disasters interest you, then seek out reports that cover those topics. Find one that interests you. For example, right now California is being pounded by a series of storms that are causing flooding, road collapse and fallen trees. Think about the stories you can tell with just that information!

Meanwhile southern California is experiencing continued drought. Think of water wars, hoarding of water, stealing water, transporting water and so on. Fodder for stories!

Within the political world, you just have to check Twitter to find quips that can be turned into stories. Take one or two, change the wording and reformulate the writers, and you’ve got a story that needs to be told!

Your task is to search the news and find something that peaks your interest. Do some basic research, if needed. Then write a short story that has your characters responding to or causing whatever storm you have brewing!

Have fun with this one.

 

Family Story

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How many times have you heard that you should write about what you know? And what do we know most about? Family, of course.

We’ve got quirky aunts and uncles, feisty grandparents, argumentative siblings and overly protective mothers. Maybe. In your family it could be that mom was standoffish, dad was aloof and unconcerned, and that your older sister ran the household.

No matter the formation of our family, it is something that we share in common. Even if we don’t have an uncle who sat a little too close or an aunt who baked the most delicious apple cake, our family is unique and therefor interesting.

It is through our family unit that we figure out where and how we fit in and who we are as a person. This is something that all of us can identify with, and so it becomes fodder for our writing.

If you are intimidated by the prospect of writing about family, then construct memories  that are similar but not identical. Change names and appearances. Make someone older while another is younger. The clingy one becomes strong and dominant while the dominant one becomes shy.

Your task is to take a family story and write it. At first keep the details as is. Even the names. The setting is your hometown, the house the one you lived in. The bedroom you shared with a sibling. The fights you had when someone took your toy. Your joys and sadness.

After you have written this story, then sit back and reflect. First of all, what are the easiest things to change? Names, personalities, appearance. Start there.

Next alter the setting so that it takes place in a completely different time and place. When you think of the house, make it an apartment in a high-rise building. Instead of an inner city bungalow with a tiny yard, move it to a sprawling ranch house in the heart of farmland.

If you wrote about your school, change it in physical appearance as well as in perception. If the school was small, make it huge. If the teacher was warm and welcoming, make him a bit of a grouch. Change your best friend to someone with darker/lighter skin, longer/shorter hair, taller/shorter than you.

After you’ve rewritten your story, does it still reflect what actually happened and how it impacted you? Hopefully it does. If not, then what needs to be changed?

Do this over and over until you have a story that resonates.

Have fun with this one.

Love in the Story

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Love manifests itself in many forms.

We understand like from a very young age. We like ice cream, listening to stories, running around the yard. We like school, the playground, learning new things. We like boys if we’re male and girls if we’re female until we become adolescents and then it’s no longer the “in” thing to like only same-sex friends.

We also learn love. Love of family. Love of our dog or cat. Even love of turtles, elephants, unicorns. We love specific foods and colors. We love styles of clothing. We love our electronics devices and spend countless hours before them.

At some point in time we feel love of the other for the first time. A true, heartfelt desire to be with the other forever and ever. Because of this love we are willing to make sacrifices, to change our lives, to try new things, all to be with this love.

Whoever your character is, then, he must have loves in his life. He probably has a gazillion likes, but he should have one true love. If not, then it’s time to give him one.

Think about your character’s personality and what types of people she feels a kinship to. Does she like tall, muscular body builders? Thin, reedy intellectuals? Those with blue eyes and blond hair or dark brown eyes and tight curls that encircle the head.

Once you’ve discovered the type, then create the person that she will fall in love with. Figure out how they meet. Is it at work or in a coffee shop? At a ballgame or in line to buy the latest Apple product?

Your task is to write the falling in love scene. Remember that even the most villainous of us love something or someone, so don’t be afraid to have your evil character find love.

Put them in the place of meeting. Have them exchange glances, smiles, shrugs. Let us see inside one of their heads so that we know what he is thinking. Is it love at first sight or simply intrigue? What things do they say, do? How do they find out each other’s name and contact information?

Take us to the point where one of them knows it is love.

Have fun with this one.

 

Hero’s Journey, Revisited

On By Terry ConnellyIn Writing promptLeave a comment

Once before we thought about the Hero’s Journey and how to put it into play in our writing.

If you still have questions, pick up a copy of Nevada Barr’s Destroyer Angel.

The heroine, Anna Pigeon, is a park ranger on vacation with friends in the woods of Minnesota. Anna floats down river, relaxing as she looks about her. Suddenly she hears a sound that is unexpected.

In just a few pages, we have established the heroine’s natural world, the forest and camping with friends, and then given her the call to act.

If she chooses to answer the call, she’ll beach her canoe and investigate. If she decides to ignore the call, she’ll continue floating about.

The hero’s journey is not an even uphill path. So it is for Anna, who must time and time again face challenges, come up with plans, and then execute.

Because I don’t want to give away the story, that’s as much as you’re going to get.

The important concepts are the first two steps: establishing the natural world, be it in a different world, in the past or contemporary, and people it with friends and coworkers. Secondly there must be some sort of impetus, something that wakes up the hero and challenges the hero to choose between two different paths.

For an exciting story, our hero chooses to come to the rescue. To seek the golden chalice, rescue kidnapped friends, destroy an enemy battleship.

Your task is to write the first two stages of the hero’s journey.

Create a character or choose one that you would like to develop further. Make a list of those things that are in that character’s world. You might not use them all, but it gives you a variety of choices from which to pick.

Now make a list of potential challenges or risks that the character might face. Choose only one or two, but make sure that one of them is compelling enough to spur the character to action.

Begin writing. Allow the reader to step into your character’s world. Let us hear the birds singing, the wind whispering in the trees, the children’s voices in the playground. Fill our nostrils with scents of cooking, broken branches, the damp of rotting leaves.

Keep in mind that it does not have to be an idyllic world. In fact, it can’t be if our hero is going to have to stand up and get going.

And that’s what comes next. The call. Somehow the character must become aware of a challenge, such as a home invasion, missing person, stolen item. Like a detective, then the character is spurred on to action.

When you finish, go back and reread. Look for places where you can strengthen the demand.

Have fun with this one.

 

The Comfort Zone

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I am terrified of heights, so you’d never find me zip lining over the rainforest canopy, standing on the precipice of a canyon or climbing the side of a mountain.

But what if my life was threatened by rapidly rising waters? Would I climb a tree to save my life? Most likely I would, but not without first trying to come up with other less risky options.

What are the parameters of your character’s comfort zone? Is she so terrified of spiders that she freezes when one lands on her? If a snake slithers across the trail, will he turn around and go back to the car?

You need to think about this. Begin by making a list of possible scares that fit within the parameters of your character’s personality. For example, someone who loves flying might be willing to bungee jump off a bridge, but would never swim in the ocean.

Try to come up with at least five things that fit within the comfort zone and at least five that do not.

Now, write a scene in which your character must face her fears. Make the stakes high enough that the story is intriguing. No if I do this I win a candy bar stuff, but rather if I don’t do this my friends will tell everyone that I’m a wuss, further damaging my already fragile relationships.

Or even make it life threatening. If I don’t jump out this window, I’m likely to die in the fire or be shot by the robbers or be bitten by the frothing-at-the-mouth dog.

When you are finished, reread, adding tension whenever it is appropriate.

Have fun with this one.