The Storm

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Imagine that it is raining. Not a soft, gentle rain, but a downpour that pounds against the windows and rivers and streams overflow their banks, flooding streets.

Many of us like to stay indoors on rainy days, perhaps sitting by the window, watching it happen. We might see leaves torn from trees due to high winds, branches that bend, almost touching the ground.

If we’re sitting inside a warm café, we might see people dashing about with newspapers over their heads as they scurry from the shelter of one building to the next.

All these sights can lead to an interesting story.

Your task is to write the story in which terrible things happen. Think of the news that you’ve seen on television. The devastation, the destroyed homes. Cars carried downstream or stranded in feet of water. Lives lost.

Write from your character’s point of view. Readers will want to experience the storm through your character’s eyes, seeing everything she sees, knowing what goes through her mind, especially when she is forced to evacuate. Have us walk with her as she decides what to save and what to leave behind.

Have fun  with this one.

The Ending

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Your reader wants to feel something at the conclusion of the story. They can feel happy because the characters fell in love, or they might be sad because someone died in a terrible car accident. If the story was a thriller, they might carry a fear with them for a few days, concerned that something similar might happen to them.

A good ending gives food for thought. The reader needs to process the journey that the character just traveled. The reader might think back over all the events that affected the main character, sometimes wishing that something different had happened.

Imagine how your reader would feel if your character checks into a rehab center to due to a drug addiction. He gets cured, but when he leaves, returns to those same drugs.

Perhaps your character receives an award for bravery or she is promoted to CEO or makes a major scientific discovery that cures cancer.

These are the stories that make the reader sigh.

Your task is to write a solid story with a beginning, middle and end. Challenge the character in ways that cause her to falter, and then recover. When you get to the ending, ask yourself how the story made you feel.

Rewrite the ending, adding clarification or details to give depth, something that will cause a reader to pause.

Have fun with this one.

Facing A Personal Dilemma

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            In life, when someone has to make a difficult decision, it’s portrayed as a multifaceted dilemma. One option might have less risk in terms of possible negative outcomes, but it might not be what the person wants to do.

            On the other hand, a second choice might seem preferable, but without proper foresight, unforeseen harmful consequences might result. Things might be so dangerous, that the person’s might life might be in jeopardy.

            Your task is to write a story in which your protagonist must make a choice between at least two very different options. Make sure that both pose potential threats. To increase tension, give the character limited time in which to make the decision.

Readers must second-guess the character’s eventual decision, questioning that person’s ability to make the right choices.

Give the character limited time in which to choose, so that there’s no time to research or deliberate. Then make the story happen, with elements of threat causing dangerous roadblocks along the way.

            Have fun with this one.

Free the Monstrous Enemies

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            A spell has held the monsters inside their personal prisons. The world has been safe and at peace for as long as anyone can remember. But underneath, behind the scenes, so to speak, the evil lord has been plotting and planning.

            Nothing makes a story more interesting than a monster or two set free. Think how mesmerized the world has been with the concept of King Kong, the giant gorilla who terrorized New York City and appeared to kidnap a beautiful woman.

            Or the evil shark in the movie Jaws who indiscriminately attacked and ate a how variety to humans. Even the music, that steady beat, beat, beat, told viewers that Jaws was coming, putting them on the edges of their seats.

            Your task is to write a story in which at least one monster is set free or escapes its bonds. Depending upon the length, you might want to have only one monster, but make it evil enough for an entire army.

            Create an interesting setting, a place where the monster can cause the most terror. Decide upon the protagonist. The young, the olders, and those with disabilities are the most vulnerable, the ones most likely to win sympathy. Decide how the monster gets free. It can be by accident or by intent, but make sure that it causes plenty of fear and havoc.

            Have fun with this one.

Unexpected Action

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            You’ve been reading a book long enough that you know exactly how a character is going to behave in just about any situation. Then she does something so off base that it surprises you. In a good way.

            Change can add not just tension, but also renewed interest. Change keeps a story from getting stale, keeps the reader involved, and can add twists and turns that take the story off in unexpected, while surprising, ways.

            Your task is to write a scene in which your character, who’s beloved by readers, does something so out of character that the element of surprise comes into play.

            A good way to do this is by establishing who the character is, what he likes to do, how he behaves in a variety of situations and how he treats others. A combination of dialogue and setting is important.

            Once it’s pretty clear who he is, then through in a twist. Instead of ordering vanilla, he goes for Rocky Road. He goes out to eat rather than cooking at home. He robs a bank even though it will get him disbarred when he’s caught.

            Have fun with this one.

A Careful Look into the Past

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Storytellers must keep in mind that events from the past can affect how a person looks at the present. Traumatic experiences, long buried, might appear worse when brought into new light. Angry words, a spanking, being accosted, hurt back then, but can still cause pain today.

Even so, the writer might find a sense of catharsis through the writing, and so telling those stories becomes a valuable experience.

Your task is to write a story in which your main character revisits past occurrences that caused some degree of emotional distress, whether the offenses were committed against her or if they were directed toward others.

You might consider looking at family dynamics. For example, in many families, the older brother who is worshiped by the mother and a younger sister can do no wrong. The middle child, no matter how hard she tried, you could never garner the mother’s attention.

In your story, show what the character did that got him in trouble, as well as those things that he could not control but that shaped who he became.

Include dialogue to touch on emotional issues and to build tension.

Have fun with this one!

Thanksgiving

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            There are times to celebrate all the good things that have come our way. Times to rejoice, to laugh, to pray, to give thanks. To remind ourselves That we might have more than others, and to be grateful for what we do have.

            Thanksgiving Day has become a huge commercial enterprise. There are gift cards, decorations, themed toys and gifts, cookies in the shape of turkeys and pilgrims. Schools have Thanksgiving celebrations where students make pilgrim costumes and share themed candies.

Commercials show happy families welcoming guests. For many, television mirrors their family life. But, for others, family gatherings are times of extreme stress and so they choose to eat alone.

            Your task is to write a story in which Thanksgiving plays a major part. Your character might be the type who celebrates alone, in which case you need to show how this is handled. For example, does she cook a turkey breast for herself? Volunteer at a local food bank? Go to a restaurant that serves a typical dinner?

Or does your character celebrate with others? That time doesn’t have to be free from stress. In fact, to make the story more interesting, a bit of high drama might be fun.

Remember to include emotional details so that readers walk in the minds and hearts of the characters.

            Have fun with this one.

Comfort Zone

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The vast majority of the time we stay within our comfort zone. At our jobs, we feel comfortable when we understand our job duties. After work, we have safe places to go where we feel respected.

When we venture away from home on a vacation, many of us return again and again to the same place because we find comfort there. Sometimes opportunities arise to go somewhere new, and we might, at first, want to go, but as the departure time approaches, we get nervous.

Stepping outside our comfort zone can cause a great deal of anxiety. We check maps over and over, wanting to make sure that we know the way. If we venture overseas, we might choose trusted tour company so as to ensure a clean and safe place to spend the night.

Your task is to take a character outside of his comfort zone. Send him to places unknown, have him try out new restaurants, or visit countries he’s never seen. Along the way have him encounter strangers, deciding in each instance how he will react.

What impact does journeying have on your character’s personality? Does he feel emboldened? Frightened to the point of desiring only isolation? Proud or timid?

Write a scene that challenges your character to step outside of the norm.

Have fun with this one.

Halloween Prank

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            Many comedy shows have kids running up to houses, ringing the bell, then when no one answers, throwing eggs at the door or tossing rolls of toiler paper over tree limbs.

            Or there’s a home invasion, where a scary somebody, like an evil clown or a deranged murdered, sneaks up on a group watching a scary movie on television.

            Some pranks are downright funny, causing no permanent harm. Eggs can be washed away, the friend who dressed up as a criminal will be forgiven, and many laughs about it will be shared for years to come.

            But what it the prank turns out not to be funny or to have lasting impact? What if it causes poor old Mrs. Hubert to have a heart attack or breaks a bunch of windows that the home owner can’t afford to repair?

            Your task is to write a story that features a potentially dangerous prank, that can cause harm to either the doers or the receivers.

            Begin by making a list of things that can logically be done. For example, climbing on the roof might not be possible to seven year olds, but teens could certainly do so.

            Create at least two characters. One might be the instigator, the other hesitant, but goes along with the prank anyway.

            Think of things that can go wrong. Narrow it down to no more than three.

            Write your story, incorporating the fear of Halloween, the mystery of the night, the costumes and the adventure.

            Have fun with this one.

Fantasy Worlds

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Some writers find it easy to create worlds from the ground up. They design mountains, valleys, forest, rivers and lakes, cities and villages. They populate their worlds with people who are like us, as well as with those having superpowers.

There are languages and clothing and foods that suite that world, perhaps even as identifiers of their position in society.

Just like in our world, some in the new world will be peaceful, others warlike. Some meek, while others aggressive. Some are masters of yoga, while fight with weapons.

Your task is to design a new world. Draw the outer borders. The seas and mountains. Inlets and ports. Where resources are found. Where are the farms and ranches?

What type of government is there? How do individuals get in power? Are they compassionate rulers or despots? What are the main rules that impact ordinary citizens?

How do the different peoples get along? With understanding or with conflict?

When you are finished, look back at your design, paying attention to what should be added as well as what won’t work or those things that need to be change.

If you have a storyline, start writing!

Have fun with this one.