The Candy Shop

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            How many times has a candy shop been a setting in a movie or novel? Most likely, quite a few.

            Imagine being that pioneer child, riding into town on the back of the family wagon, going into the store and finding jars of hard candies right before your eyes. If you could only have just one, which would it be and why?

            What if the temptation was so great, the saliva pooling in your mouth, and you know there’s no money for just one piece? Would you reach into a jar when the owner was busy?

            When did the tradition of buying popcorn and candy to take into a movie begin? For some of us, it’s ingrained in our routines: it wouldn’t feel right to be without the buttery goodness or sticky licorice.

            Your task is to write a story in which candy plays an important role.

            Have fun with this one.

Lost Luggage

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            Every traveler’s biggest fear is arriving at a destination and not being able to claim your luggage. Imagine standing around the revolving kiosk as suitcase spill out of the ramp. People around you grab their bags and head toward their destination, while you wait and wait and wait.

            Eventually nothing comes out of the ramp and the kiosk stops moving.

            You pull out the tag that proves you checked a bag and head over to Customer Service. They look around wherever bags are stockpiled, but yours is not there.

            They record your contact information and pledge to call when your bags are located.

            The problem is that you are boarding a cruise ship that same day. Once the ship sets sail, you have no way to get your luggage. It means two or more weeks with only the clothes on your back.

            Of course you will have to purchase everything that is in the missing bag. But, your ports of call might not be close to shopping, you might not find shopkeepers who speak English, and since you can’t read the labels, you’re not sure if your buying shampoo or hair dye.

            Your task is to write a story in which someone’s luggage goes missing.

            Have fun with this one.

Awards Won

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            I was not one of those kids who won things. I never received a perfect attendance certificate or one for being on the honor roll (because I never had either!).

In the 1960s girls didn’t participate in sports, so I there were no participation ribbons for me. I didn’t play an instrument and wasn’t artistically gifted.

            I do remember the first time I did win something. I was ten. My family had gone to my father’s union picnic at which a BINGO game was held for kids.  I lost the first few games, which didn’t surprise me. I wanted to quit, but my parents made me keep playing.

An announcement was made that there would only be one last game. Numbers were called and very quickly my blocks filled up. Imagine the look on my face when I had a BINGO. I hesitantly raised my hand, convinced that I’d screwed up, but when an adult checked my game board, I had won. I was escorted to the front and was presented with a tiny piece of candy. It didn’t matter the prize. What stood out was that I had been declared a winner.

            Your character might have had a similar experience. Ribbons were earned, certificates were given, and promotions handed out. Or not.

            Your task is to write a story that involves some type of competition in which your character loses over and over. In time, though, what does she do? Keep playing or walk away.

            Setting is important so that the reader can “see” where the story takes place and enough dialogue that it’s apparent how the character feels about what’s happening.

            Have fun with this one.

Pursing One’s Dreams

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            When you ask a little kid what they want to be when they grow up, they might say fireman, policeman or teacher. Those are the most visible careers in a child’s eyes. As their world view expands, they will dream of being a professional athlete, actor, singer, musician, and in some cases, scientist.

            Many times something happens that interferes with those dreams and the child has to put them aside to work to support self and family.  The astronaut becomes a mechanic, the athlete a coach of her child’s soccer team, and the fireman becomes a sous chef.

            Society needs all those jobs, but the individual might still harbor dreams of creating a new vaccine, curing a specific type of cancer or designing a more powerful wind turbine.

            It’s important to hold onto dreams, to cherish the reasons that the job appealed to you, to still maybe want to do something in the field.

            Your task is to write a story in which pursuing a dream career plays a major role. Any genre is possible, ranging from Speculative Fiction, to memoir, to Romantic Comedy, to thriller.

            Have fun with this one.

Power Corrupts

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            Politics can be a dirty business. Those with money can “buy” lowered taxes and rulings that favor their business. Those without power are often either ignored or disregarded, their needs not important to those seeking influence. A politician will appeal to those without, promising all kinds a magical thinking, but once elected, serve only those with money.

            Lawyers are often demeaned for being “criminals” themselves, especially when they take on clients who consistently violate the laws. All this is done thanks to hefty payouts and the notoriety that defending such clients falls upon the law firm.

School administrators who are supposed to be there for students and staff, can fire teachers with very little cause, as long as it takes place before the teacher earns tenure. It doesn’t take much to rid oneself of staff who ask questions, challenge decisions, and speak up against what they believe are injustices. A few negative evaluations can destroy a teachers career, if the charges are serious enough.

Your task is to write a story in which power corrupts. The wanting of power, or seeking power, or utilizing power to get what your character wants must play a major role.

Have fun with this one.

Quirky Therapist

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Therapists are supposed to provide help. If a person is grieving a loved one, they might need suggestions for moving on. If she’s faced person loss, such as a job or housing, then the therapist might listen and provide contacts for assistance.

Perhaps he’s so terrified of the dark that he can’t turn off the lights, which then means he can’t sleep. Or maybe she’s broken up with a long-time love and feels unloved and unlovable.

There are countless situations in which someone might seek professional help.

Before making the appointment, the image that most likely comes to mind is a well-dressed professional, sitting behind a mahogany desk with diplomas, certificates and professional memberships tacked to the wall.

He might smile encouragingly, lean forward, nod. And take notes. Or maybe ask permission to record the session.

But what if that’s not the type of therapist that your character sees? What might he/she look like? How might he/she act? Would useful advice be given or would the suggestions be weird, such as joining a clown school?

Your task is to write a story in which your protagonist needs therapy. First, decided the reason. Next, write a brief description of this quirky therapist.

This should be an interesting story!

Have fun with this one.

Forgiveness

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            It’s not easy to forgive someone when they hurt you in some way. There are any number of potential offenses, such as stealing a boy/girlfriend, getting the promotion you felt was yours, wooing away what you thought were your friends.

            Family relationships fall into that category as well. The mom who seems to hate you, the sibling who physically hurts you, the aunt who gives your sister gifts but never a single thing to you.

            Your task is to write a story in which the act of forgiveness (or not) plays an important role.

            Depending upon the age of your protagonist, the act might be rather insignificant or life-altering. What hurts a child is vastly different than what pains an adult. In most cases.

Dialogue will be crucial in showing the reactions of the characters. Narrative helps to set the scene as well as increases the causes of tension.

Have fun with this one.

The Virtues of Hard Work

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            Most of us were told as children that hard work pays off. That when you “put your back into” a task, that you will be rewarded at the end.

            Slackers are made fun of, ridiculed, set up as examples of who not to be.

            Even so, we all probably know someone who didn’t put in the hard work during their school years, but ended up with a good paying job as an adult. They most likely started cleaning floors or washing dishes, then received promotion after promotion until they were the store manager or the sous chef in a fancy restaurant.

            Students are told that the path to success is through a college education, but the above scenarios show the opposite. A poor student can become a revered chef, while an excellent student might turn down lower-level jobs, waiting for the “perfect” one to appear.

            Your task is tow write a story in which hard work, or the lack thereof, plays an important role.

            Have fun with this one.

The Good Father

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A good parent is patient, loving, supportive, consistent, and fair.

They are involved, as much as they can be, in their child’s life. They might not be able to coach the baseball team, but they can keep score at the games, help transport equipment, or work in the snack bar on assigned dates.

They are also good role models, showing their children how best to react in each situation. Yelling at the soccer referee so loudly and with cuss words in every comment is the opposite of being a good role model. Kindness toward others, generosity in terms of mind, spirit, and when possible, with money, is likewise being a good role model.

Good parents prepare their children for school and the greater world.

Writing stories about good parents might be cathartic, especially if you were so blessed.

But, stories in which the parent isn’t always “good” bring tension and excitement to the tale. Some readers prefer the love connection, while many like the drama when things aren’t going so well.

Your task is to write a story about a parent’s relationship with his child. Make it interesting, something a wide range of readers would enjoy.

Have fun with this one.

Self-Sacrifice

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How many times have we done something for someone else, putting aside our own wishes and desires? Normally it’s done in the name of love: we care about the person so much that we willingly put their desires first.

Sometimes we sacrifice ourselves for our jobs. The boss needs a lower-level job done. It shouldn’t be assigned to the office manager, but there’s a hint of a promotion or, most likely, a demotion if the person refuses.

There are many times a parent pushes aside their own wishes in order to assist a child. Perhaps the daughter’s baseball team needs snacks for the upcoming game: the parents either bakes or buys, taking time they wanted to do some gardening.

Your task is to write a story in which self-sacrifice plays an important role.

Have fun with this one.