Legend has it that all vampires drink human blood. But what if they didn’t? What would the alternative be?
Could a vampire be converted to some other form of nourishment? If so, would it be solid or liquid?
What if there are researchers out there experimenting with a solution? What kind of lab would they work in? Where would they get the “victims”?
Your task is to write a story in which a vampire is trying to find an alternative that works.
Let your imagination run wild!
Have fun with this one.
Recall a recent museum visit and all the artifacts you saw there. Which were the most valuable? The most appealing? The ones you wish you owned?
Go online and search for images that represent things you might have seen. Print up one or two.
Imagine those artifacts disappearing, without a trace.
Your task is to write the story, beginning with your protagonist/antagonist strolling through the museum, taking careful looks at various items.
Take time to describe each, the character’s reaction to them, and let readers get into her internal thoughts. (This is tricky, but you can do it!)
Write what she does as closing time looms ever closer. Does she saunter out, to return another day? Does she hide somewhere so as to steal the items once the building is cleared?
How does she steal them, especially if they are under or behind glass?
Have fun with this one.
When I was young my father worked at a union-based factory in Dayton, Ohio. Every winter there was a Christmas party in which a jolly Santa distributed gifts while some type of performer kept the kids entertained. I was most amazed when the famous Sherry Lewis walked out on stage with her sock puppets. After all, I’d seen her on our small black and white television. Another Christmas it was a TV cowboy, and sometimes, near Easter, there’d be others whose names I don’t recall.
While the memories are fuzzy, I could use these stories as a springboard in the creation of original characters and situations.
You can do the same.
Your task is to begin with something that occurred when you were young. If possible, look at photos from albums, or go online, in order to return to that time and place. Adding in sensory details, fill out the scene so that your readers will be there with you.
You could write a serious piece of one with a comedic element.
Have fun with this one.
Pet stores flourish because they often offer sad-looking dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and various amphibians enclosed in tiny spaces. Is this done so that potential buyers will feel sympathy and so buy one as a rescue?
Are the displays set up so that the most desirable choice is at eye-level?
What about pet rescue societies? When they bring pets up for adoption, do they showcase the fluffiest, the cutest, the one with the most outgoing personality?
Or, do we choose our pets as a spur-of-the-moment decision, enticed by the large brown eyes and drooping ears?
Or do we select based or prior experience? What if a child was scratched by a cat? Well, that person is most likely to never choose a cat as a pet.
There’s also some degree of owner-neediness. Cats are notoriously independent, while dogs seek the approval of the leader.
Some pets are unappealing. A tarantula is not cuddly. Neither is a snake or lizard. Guinea pigs squeal loudly and might not be litter-box trained.
Your task is to write a story in which a pet plays a major role. Your character might have a preference, or might be open to just about anything alive.
Have fun with this one.
Imagine that your character goes out to eat with friends. He orders a number of drinks, a serving of appetizers, an entree and, finally, a desert. The food is delicious and so he eats every single thing…all by himself.
The other members in the group are more conservative. One has coffee, another a soda, the third just water. None of them order an appetizer. One chooses a small salad as an entrée, another the special of the day, and the third has an American Burger. One orders ice cream for dessert, but the rest have nothing.
It’s obvious that each person in the group owes a different amount on money.
Normally, when the four eat out, the understanding is that they pay for what they order. But this time, the glutton, announces that they should split the bill evenly.
They all agree that the service has been excellent and that the waiter deserves a large tip.
Problems ensue when the bill is delivered. The glutton’s share of the bill would be close to one-third, if not a little bit more. But he still insists they split if equally.
What happens?
Your task is to write the story that shows how everyone reacts. Emotions are key here. Most likely there’s an argument, but does it stay low-key or become heated?
Have fun with this one.
We often keep track of time through events in our lives. There are things that came before, the event, and what happens next. Sometimes the event is so significant that it changes lives.
For example, consider a young boy who broke his arm when he fell out of a tree. He was only eight at the time, but will always remember the incident as a changing point in his life, before the fall and after the fall.
Imagine being hospitalized for such a severe asthma attack that you thought you were going to die. While you were in the hospital, you prayed just to be able to draw a breath. When the tightness finally relaxed, you knew that you were going to live. There is before the asthma attack and after the attack.
Sometimes these events cause significant change in our lives. For example, before a serious illness cleaning house might not have been a priority. But when the doctor tells you that dust is a trigger, you hire a housekeeper.
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 come and then the destruction and the deaths of hundreds of people. There is before the military coup and then the restrictions put into place after the general took charge.
Your task is to write a story in which something happens that changes your character’s life. It must be large enough to impact life afterwards. Choose something that’s large enough to have an impact, but unless you’re writing an epic novel, keep it small.
Have fun with this one.
There are individuals who enjoy creating games. All kinds of games: computer games, board games, card games and outdoors physical games. They have incredible imaginations. They can see the overall scope of a game, from the beginning to end, the obstacles that make the game interesting, the players’ skills and abilities, and the setting under which the game is played.
Many people prefer purchased games because all they have to do is spread out the pieces or long on to play.
Some families have official game days in which groups join together to play one game, then reform around another. Others prefer to play individually, on the computer or tablet.
Your task is to write a story in which the playing of games is a major part of the action. To add tension, include actions by players that lead to disagreements, perhaps even physical altercations.
Use dialogue to control the ebb and flow, ever increasing the agitation and anger of the players.
Have fun with this one.
Sports fans are often in awe of the superstars of their favorite teams. They’d love to meet them, get their signatures, and if they are athletes themselves have half of their talent. Imagine being able to switch bodies, as in many movies, and be a superstar one for just one game?
Some of us are too old for such things, but might like a healthier body, one without excess weight and creaky joints. What if the change could be permanent? I’m not sure I’d like that: after all, I already know all the flaws of my body. All the previously broken bones and knee problems. My wrinkled face no longer terrifies me and I am now longer embarrassed by the ray hair and slightly stooped shoulders.
Taking it a million steps further, what if you resembled someone so closely 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?
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 in which one person searches for a look-alike, contacts that individual, and then the two of them agree to change places for a set period of time.
Have fun with this!
Imagine a dense fog that obliterates your ability to see the house across the street. Or driving through the curtain of mist. How you’d need to use your windshield wipers to remove the moisture so you can see.
Keep in mind that many people live where it snows and have to shovel their driveways, brush snow off their windshields and drive on slippery roads.
Others live where there are tornadoes or hurricanes. Coming home from a shopping trip, their car might get swept away by roiling water or a limb might fall and crush the front end. A tornado might destroy houses and hurricanes might wash away miles of beach.
Your task is to reread a section of your story, looking for places where descriptions of weather could influence behavior, actions, and thoughts. Write in elements that show how your character reacts, what he thinks and how he feels.
Have fun with this one.
Choosing the right gift for someone can be nerve-wracking. You wonder if they will like something you do.
You try to recall what kinds of things the person already owns and if you can add to the collection. Or, do you try to come up with something she’s never owned, to the best of your knowledge?
What do you look for? Food? Clothes? Doodads? Tickets to the theater, concerts or sports events?
Or are you one of those last-minute shoppers who rushes into a store and picks up the first thing you see, especially if it’s on sale, telling yourself that she’ll probably return it anyway?
Your task is to tell the story of someone who needs a gift. First establish who is to receive the gift. What is he like? Picky or openminded? Grateful or greedy? Does the character have varied tastes or only likes certain items? When he’s received gifts before, has he been gracious or rude?
Next create the situation in which gifts are to be given. Wedding? Birthday? Anniversary? Promotion? Open house?
come up with at least one gift giver. Establish the relationship to the recipient through storytelling.
Have fun with this one.
Have Fun with This One 