Tag: prompt about an event

Winter Storms

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

            Some winters are rather mild: little precipitation and temperatures not too extreme.  When it’s like this, we can walk outdoors, work in the garden, go hiking in a nearby park.

            Then there are winters in which there’s nonstop rain, tornadoes, hail and snow that grows deeper by the day.

            It’s frigid indoors and out. Even when bundled up from the tops of our heads to the tips of our toes, we freeze. We put electric blankets on our bed of layer so many blankets that the weight presses down on our stomachs.

            Some days we don’t leave the house. The roads are slick with ice or flooded with still falling rain. Snow is piled up over the tops of cars and streets are impassable. Trees whose roots are loosened by rain, topple over. Winds blow and howl like a banshee.

            Winter storms impact what we can do and how we go about doing it.

            Your task is to write a story in which a storm plays a major role.

            A good place to begin is by narrowing down what type of storm happens. Choose something familiar. If you live in tornado alley, then a tornado might be the first choice. If you are plagued by downed power lines whenever a stiff wind blows, then include that in your story.

            Make the effects extreme in order to build tension.

            Have fun with this one.

Press Release

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

            Something interesting happened just as your character walked in the door. Perhaps a move star tripped over a wrinkled edge of a rug. Maybe a politician kissed a woman, not his wife, in an extremely romantic way. It could be a car accident outside the doors that nearly killed a popular older woman or the elevator that got stuck between floors trapping inside a small boy who’d accidentally strolled inside.

            Because your character is a budding journalist, she seizes the opportunity to write up a press release and deliver it to the local paper’s office. On top of that, she’d had her phone out and managed a few good shots, plus a short video, which she takes to the small TV station in the next town.

            Your task is to write a story in which your protagonist is the one who caught the story. Write up the press release and have her try to get it published somewhere, anywhere.

            As writers, we understand rejection. Perhaps your character doesn’t because everything she wrote for her high school paper got printed.

            You might include her interviews of witnesses, showing the give-and-take as she struggles to get valuable information.

            Have fun with this one.

Camera Shoot

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

            Imagine a time when you toted a camera along on a trip. Did anything exciting happen? Did you catch a hawk mid-flight with a mouse in its talons? Did a bear rise up on its back legs or a buffalo wander into the scene? Perhaps a group of tourists balanced precariously on a wall or ledge, trying to get the perfect background shot?

            Think of all the things that could have happened, things that were potentially perilous. There are all kinds of stories to be told, whether real or imagined.

            Your task is to write a scene in which someone is taking pictures and then an accident occurs. The photographer doesn’t have to be the victim, but could be in the right place to capture what went wrong.

            Begin with setting the scene. Does your character go out alone or is he part of a group? Is it a photography club or a bunch of friends?

            Next consider the possible things that could happen. Which one would make for the most interesting story?

            Narration is obviously critical. Dialogue, if your character is not alone, would add depth of detail.

            Have fun with this one.