Tag: prompt about a dilemma

A Time When You got Lost

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            Imagine that you are driving to an unfamiliar place. So far, everything has gone according to plan. The exit appeared when you expected it to, the street on which to turn showed up just as the directions said. But as soon as you made the turn, you realize this was not where you were supposed to be.

            You expected an office complex, but instead find yourself in an old part of town, where junk litters every yard and groups of young men laze about porch steps. A drunk stumbles down the street, weaving in and out of a row of old cars parked along the curb.

            You don’t know what went wrong.

            Your task is to write that story. Your readers will want to be with you, from when you happily left home until that feeling of being lost washes over you.

            Have fun with this one.

True Feelings

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            Many times, people keep their true feelings hidden. It could be because the work environment isn’t conducive to sharing, or it might be that the individual has a difficult time opening up, especially if the relationship is a bit testy.

            Sometimes a person will ask what someone’s feelings are about a given matter. When this happens, the response depends upon the fabric of the relationship, the look in the asker’s eyes, the body position, and even the status of the relationship.

            For example, a boss might not really want to know how an employee feels, while a beloved friend is depending upon an honest response.

            Your task is to write a story in which the protagonist is placed in a situation in which they are asked to express their feelings.

            Have fun with this one.

Release the Monster!

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            Imagine a scene in which a frightening monster arises, eating, mauling, destroying, everything and everyone in sight. Who comes to the rescue? Does it depend upon what kind of beast? For example, if it crawls up from underground, are there special forces that arrive? But what if it’s from outer space? Who then?

            Perhaps it’s not a fantastical monster but rather a tyrannical teenager? The boy who rules the house, or the girl who demands all the attention? What if the teen behaves perfectly at school, but runs roughshod at home? Who, then, tames the beast?

            We’ve all seen toddlers in action. Stomping feet, pounding fists, tossing things about, screaming a the top of their lungs: who brings the kid under control?

            Your task is to write a story in which a monster is the antagonist, a pretty scary one at that.

            Have fun with this one.

Hurdles

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Life is a series of hurdles that we have to jump. Or at least attempt to jump.

The problem is that some hurdles are more challenging than others, some more pleasant than others to achieve.

In track, of course, there is an event involving hurdles. Athletes run at incredibly fast speeds, clearing a series of metal hurdles along the way. That’s something I could never have done for two reasons: my short legs and my terror at jumping.

For most of us, hurdles are more mundane. It could be a death in the family, rent to pay, a search for a new job, trying to find a mate in the dating pool.

Your task is to write a story in which your protagonist is faced with a substantial hurdle that, in some way, is blocking her way forward.

Make the hurdle realistic, but challenging. Doable, but not without great difficulty.

Have fun with this one.

Without a Trace

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            Imagine making a phone call one afternoon to a best-friend cousin. Since you were small, you’ve shared everything: food, stories, adventures, dreams. One day, you call him: the next, he calls you. And it’s been this way for over thirty years.

            But this day, even though you’ve called at four-thirty, the designated time when both of you are generally free, he doesn’t answer. You are frustrated, but decide to leave a voice message. Except that his box is full.

            That’s never, ever happened before.

            You can’t just hop in your car and drive to his apartment because you live in California and he lives in West Virginia.

            You don’t have numbers for any of his friends: in fact, you’ve never met them since you’ve never had the time to fly there.

            Your cousin seems to have disappeared, something completely unheard of.

            Your task is to write a story in which a character disappears. Begin by establishing the character’s normal day. What she does, where she goes, who her friends are.

            Readers need this so that the fact of the disappearance is shocking.

            Have fun with this one.

An Old Acquaintance

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            Every now and then someone from our long-forgotten past reappears. It can be a pleasant surprise or one fraught with fear. In the first case, the two of you might go to a café, take a walk around a park, and then exchange contact information.

            In the second case, you might search for a way to disengage and escape.

            The stories about those events will be completely different: one filled with joy, the other with fright.

            Your task is to write a story in which someone from the past shows up, unexpectedly. Your character needs to show emotions appropriate to the scene you’ve chosen.

            Pepper the story with interesting dialogue, narrative and scene description.

Have fun with this one.

That Was Embarrassing

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            Some people embarrass easily. When someone compliments them, their cheeks redden. If someone likes their outfit, they blush. If they bring a well-liked dish to a potluck, they lower their head when everyone offers praise.

            Your task is to write a story in which your protagonist finds himself in an incredibly embarrassing moment.

            Come up with a list of potential causes, then narrow it down to the one that you would find the most entertaining to write.

            Your story can be humorous, serious, threatening, even humiliating.

            Have fun with this one.

Career Path

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Everyone wants a job so as to be productive, contributing members of society. Beginning when quite young, kids sell cookies and lemonade to be able to pay for band or a camping trip.

Teenagers have after-school jobs; perhaps in an office, at a boutique or in a shop. They might, if their family has the right connections, intern at a hospital, in a law firm or in a mechanic’s shop learning the trade.

Some of these jobs require a uniform. Some are quite ugly, loose-fitting A-line smocks in garish colors. Others might be too tight, especially for young women with large breasts. As they prepare for work, these teens must make sure they are dressed correctly or face being docked pay, and in the worst cases, being fired.

College students sometimes are employed on campus, doing a variety of jobs such as running workshops that support a particular class, correcting papers, and helping students study for tests. Some don’t need to work, and so have the time to join fraternities and sororities.

Their experiences affect how they look at life, what they do during their free time and who their friends are. They might even cause students to change their career path.

Your task is to create a scene in which your character either has a job or is searching for a job. Write about her feelings as she fills out applications and sits through interviews. Include how her emotions fluctuate as she waits for a response, and then when she gets the job.

Have fun with this one.

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.