Tag: affect of environment in story

Magical Shed

On By Terry ConnellyIn prompt, Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

            Imagine a world in which magic is accepted, not feared. Residents love dropping into magical situations, places, events. Celebrations feature magical acts with throngs of people gathered to witness the performance.

What if there are specific places imbued with magic? Anyone can go there. Anyone can walk through the doors and feel the hum of magical power.

Let’s take a backyard shed as an example. What happens when kids sneak in? Do they need to hold certain tools for the magic to work? Is it a simple walk through the door that sends them off to magical lands?

Your task is to write a story in which a specific place is imbued with accessible magic. After being there, are the people now endowed with certain magical powers? Does everyone get the same magic or does it change from person to person? Is all the magic good, or can it be used to cause harm?

Have fun  with this one.

Using Terrain Features in Story

On By Terry ConnellyIn prompt, Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Terrain refers to the horizontal and vertical surfaces of the land. It is often spoken of in terms of elevation, slope and the orientation of particular land features. Depending upon certain circumstances, terrain can affect the flow of water, where bodies of water are located and in what quantity. It can even affect weather and climate.

Suitability for human life is determined by terrain. Picture a large swath of desert and a high rocky crag. How difficult would it be for people to sustain life in such terrains? What people wear, eat and how they construct dwellings is determined by terrain.

Your task is to write a story in a challenging terrain. You might have to do some research first to get ideas about how difficult it would be to live there. Your story can be science fiction or contemporary. It can take place in the past or in the future.

The important thing is to choose a terrain that may not be the most hospitable. Don’t rely on exposition to tell the story: have characters interacting with each other as they navigate survival.

Have fun with this one.

Geographical Features

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

            Geography is the study of places and the relationships with the people who live there. It looks at the physical properties of the Earth’s surface and how those elements affect impact life. It concerns itself with the how and why things are distributed or arranged in particular ways on Earth’s surface and it seeks to understand how things that are located in the same or distant places influence one another over time and why the people who live in them develop and change in particular, and sometimes unique ways.

Geographical features are naturally occurring such as the composition of soil, the height, width and breadth of mountains, the types of clouds that typically form over a given area, and the presence of natural bodies of water regardless of size or shape.

The geography of an area doesn’t just determine whether humans can live there, it also determines their lifestyles in terms of available food and the types of shelter needed to survive the climate patterns throughout seasons.

Because of the impact of geography, it can play a major role in story. A scene set in the mountains of Appalachia will be completely different than one the takes place on a southern California beach.

Your task is to write a scene in which geography affects how your character lives and the choices he makes. Sensory details will be key in establishing atmosphere. Remember to include dialogue, action and narrative.

Have fun with this one.