Tag: entertainment

Reality Show Mishap

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

If you’ve ever watched one of the many reality shows on television, you know that despite careful planning not everything runs smoothly. Participants might use words that have to be deleted. They might remove sufficient articles of clothing that the censors would shut down the show.

While you might not have ever appeared as a contestant on a reality show, events in your life might have emitted the same feelings that contestants experience. When you were in elementary school did your teacher hold spelling bees? Did you audition for a play or for a chair in an orchestra? Was there a time when you submitted an application for a competitive position in a company?

All of these scenarios could become fodder for a story.

Your task is to write a story in which your character participates in some type of reality show type of competition. Begin by setting the scene. Does your character apply through a written format or by submitting a video? How does she react when she is accepted?

Does the show take place in a studio or on a remote island? Does it involve stunts that could cause harm or is it an intellectual pursuit?

As the story develops some type of tragedy takes place. It could be a broken hell or a shattered bone, but the most important thing is that it alters, in some profound way, the subsequent events in the story.

Have fun  with this one.

 

Rewrite a Known Fairy Tale

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Children love hearing fairy tales. The stories take kids to places dark and scary, filled with villains and heroes. Add in an element of magic and the scenes brim with mystery.

Many of the protagonists are male who rescue the maiden from evil forces. However, in modern retellings the roles are often switched. What if it had been Maid Marion who stole from the rich? What changes would there be to the story?

Imagine Prince Charming having lost a boot and Cinderella searches far and wide for the foot that fits. The Prince might have been the one abused by evil cousins while Cinderella lived in a luxurious palace.

Your task is to rethink a fairy tale that you loved as a child. Where will it take place? Who are the characters and what things do they do?

Hang on to enough of the essence of the original story so that your readers will recognize it. Give readers drama through danger and resolution from chance or magic.

Have fun with this one.

Arts and Entertainment

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

What we do in our leisure time depends upon where we live, what skills we have, and what options are available. In early societies not all people were literate so reading books would have been limited to scholars and the educated wealthy. Many artists lived in monasteries so as to escape the tedious tasks of daily life.

Music has been around for a long time. What we sing, what instruments we play depends upon socioeconomic status, preferences, popularity and access. Wandering minstrels brought music to isolated villages, often relating tales of great deeds. Talented musicians entertained royalty in drawing rooms and during grand balls.

Painting, pottery making, games, fairs, shows allowed the average person to express themselves while creating useful gadgets and also provided forms of relaxation.

When building your world, take into consideration what talents your characters have, how they appreciate the skills of others, and how art and entertainment affects daily life.

Your task is to write a scene in which your character either learns a new skill or displays a skill he is already proficient in. It can be humorous, especially if he performs in an inn before inebriated crowds, or it can be solemn if he plays for a special ceremony.

Details are important. We need to see, hear, taste, and touch the things that your characters experience. Reread. Does the scene work? Are there sufficient sensory details so that the world comes alive?

Have fun with this one.