Tag: Emotional journey

The Hollow

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

            Do you ever feel an intense need to fill yourself? That there’s an emptiness inside? When this happens, what do you do to remedy the situation?

            Hollow spaces yearn to be filled. If it’s hunger, we want food. If it’s loneliness, we turn to family and friends. If it’s sadness, we search for things to make us smile. No matter the cause, we instinctively desire to put something in the hollow.

            Your characters also experience emptiness. Perhaps it’s not all-consuming, but it’s there nevertheless. Those intense feelings interfere with everyday life.   How does she focus on work when there’s a hole that needs filling? What does she think about when she’s standing in line at a store? When the phone hasn’t rung for days, how does that make her feel? And when the hollowness acts up, what are her go-to solutions?

            Your task is to write a story in which your character experiences the loss of something crucial. Think beyond a missing watch or a scarf that has disappeared into the depths of the closet. Make the “thing” significant enough that he cannot function normally until either the hole is filled or he forces himself to move on.

            Set the scene with description and narrative. Bring in other characters so that dialogue can reveal the emotions playing in his mind. Through that dialogue readers will learn how he reacts to suggestions. He might be pleased or he might become belligerent.

            Have fun with this one.

Thanskgivings

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

There are times to celebrate all the good things that have come our way. Times to rejoice, to laugh, to pray, to give thanks.

Some choose to spend their personal thanksgivings with others, while others prefer being alone in order to quietly contemplate the positive things in their lives.

What type is your character?

Your task is to create two lists: one to list the types of things to celebrate alone, the second those that are best shared in the company of others.

From the lists choose which is easiest for you to put into a scene. Remember that emotional details are important because readers want to walk in the mind and heart of the characters.

Write the story. Dialogue might be crucial here so as to best relay what the characters are thinking and feeling.

When you reread look for tells that allow you to see into your characters’’ emotions. If they are missing, add them in.

Have fun with this one.

Chasing Dreams

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

I used to tell my students that everyone has dreams unless they’re dead. I’m not sure they understood my meaning, but every now and then I’d get a chuckle.

There is truth to the statement, however. We dream about all kinds of things: the perfect car, making friends, winning a game, buying a house. Hopefully we accomplish some of our dreams for it would be sad if we didn’t.

Your task is to establish a series of dreams that your character holds dear. Winnow the list down to the one you feel most comfortable putting into a story. Remember that readers want to share the emotional journey that the protagonist experiences as she progresses from dreaming to accomplishment. Or failure.

Have fun with this one.