Tag: Relationships

Exhaustion

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

When we’re tired, we are often cranky and unpleasant to be around. It’s not that we don’t get enough sleep on purpose, sometimes it just happens.

Imagine your character out-of-sorts. What does she say and do? How does she treat others? React to what others say?

Picture him at work or at a bar. What happens when someone criticizes something he just completed or bumps into him in the crowd? Does he hurl insults? Come up fighting? Or does he simmer and walk away?

Your task is to write a scene in which your exhausted protagonist mingles with others. First, think of the scene. Then people it with at least two others, possibly co-workers or maybe random strangers. Lastly put things in motion.

Be true to your character’s personality. A shy person most likely will not explode in a loud tirade, but a boisterous individual might.

When you are finished, reread and edit. Add details, dialogue, action.

Have fun with this one.

 

The Doorbell Rings

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Imagine that your character is alone in her family room, settled in for the evening. She’s reading a favorite book while watching a game show on television. Suddenly the doorbell rings.

What goes through her mind? Does she panic or react calmly? Was she expecting someone or is this a surprise?

Does she simply open the door or peek through a window?

What she does tells us a lot about her as a person. Some are brash and react without thinking. Some go cautiously throughout life, checking and rechecking every step along the way.

Your task is to write a scene in which the bell rings. Remember that however your character acts must be true to his or her personality.

Keep in mind that many times whoever is standing on the outside is a mystery person. That person could have benign interests or could be malevolent. You have to decide.

Have fun with this one.

The Intruder

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Imagine.

There is a party. Tons of people are there, clustered in groups in the backyard, around the pool, in the pool, spread out throughout the house.

An argument ensues between two. Maybe a man and woman. Maybe two boys/girls.

Things get pretty heated verbally.

A person comes over to break things up. What does this person say/do?

Your task is to write the scene before the intruder gets involved. Include tons of dialogue. Details, such as facial expressions, body movements.

Then make the intruder notice what’s happening and walk over.

What happens next?

Have fun with this one.

Cheapskate Travelers

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Imagine that your character goes out to eat with friends.  He orders a number of drinks, appetizers, an entree and a desert. The food is delicious. The service excellent.

The bill comes. Each person has to contribute their fare share, with tax and tip.

What does he do? You have to decide whether or not he contributes his fair share.

What happens if he tips amply but the others don’t? Does he say something?

What happens when all but one friend pays with cash but the remaining one pulls out a charge card? Does he say something to make sure his ample tip is paid?

On the other hand, what if your character doesn’t pay for all he ordered? How do the others feel? What do they say and do?

Your task is to write the story.

Have fun with this one.

 

Skipping Ahead

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

You’re on about page twenty in a story that you imagine becoming a full-length novel. You’ve introduced the protagonist and placed her in a sticky situation.

You feel as if the beginning is solid, but a scene comes to mind that you see happening much further ahead. It’s a compelling story, with lots of tension and drama.

You’ve framed it in your notes, but you want to write it now, not wait until you’ve written another one hundred pages.

What do you do?

Write it! Include all the details that have been haunting your thoughts.

Is there a reunion between former friends who parted ways when they went off to college? What do they say or do?

Maybe there’s an accident and the other driver is a former boyfriend who broke her heart when he declared that he loved another. Is he single? Divorced? Just recently out of a serious relationship? Are there sparks between him and the protagonist?

Or perhaps your character is the victim of a crime. He’s lying bloody and beaten on the sidewalk after a group of men stole his wallet.

Your task is to write that scene including as much detail as possible. Include realist dialogue and actions. Develop the scene as fully as possible.

When you are finished, reread it to see if there is drama, tension, intriguing pacing.

Have fun with this one.

The Unexpected Adventure

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

It’s often fun to go places we’ve never been and do things we’ve never done, but not always.

Imagine what would happen, how you’d feel, if your plans fell apart and suddenly, without warning, you find yourself in the midst of an unexpected adventure.

What would you do? How would you feel? What things might you say? Who would you contact?

Your task is to either choose a character that you have already written or create a new character. Place the character in scene. At first everything goes smoothly, but then something happens that changes everything. Your character finds himself in a new situation, one not of his choosing.

As you write, remember to include sights, sounds, reactions. Does he go along with the change or fight against it? Does he enjoy the new experience or lament that he is not where he intended to be?

As the story proceeds, what happens? Does the character embark on this journey or fight her way back to the original plans?

You’ve got a lot to think about here.

Have fun with this one.

Shake Things Up

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

You’ve written your story. The protagonist is complete. She faces her fears and wins. Love conquers all. Business is good. The house is purchased and the yards tended.

What more does your story need?

How about bringing in a new character? If your character is a happy-go-lucky fellow, then make the new character a dour, oft-depressed individual.

Say your protagonist is a moody teen, then give him an optimistic classmate who just moved into the school.

Putting together diametrically opposed characters adds tension. They won’t always agree and so will sometimes argue…or ignore each other. Such conflict forces the protagonist to face her innermost fears. It creates turmoil and upsets the story details, often adding interest for the reader.

Your task is to take a piece that you’ve completed. Develop a character that is opposite to your protagonist in at least one major way. Insert that new character into the story in a time and place that surprises the reader. Finish the story, making sure that the new character maintains a place of importance.

At the end the new character can walk away…or the two characters can become lifelong friends. It’s up to what helps the tension in the story.

Have fun with this one.

Escape Plans

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

We’ve all found ourselves in uncomfortable situations. When we do, we have to find a way to extricate ourselves and get away, far away, as fast as possible.

For example, networking in a bar. A young man approaches. He wears jerk across his forehead. He oozes a feeling of superiority. He smirks, winks, opens with a stupid pick-up line. How do you get away?

What if you’re stuck in traffic with only fifteen minutes to go before an important meeting begins? How do you avoid the congestion?

When you are young, being in a classroom can be stifling. You are stuck in a desk for at least an hour, no escape possible until the bell rings. You hate the subject but know you have to do well enough to graduate. How do you stay focused without dreaming about what you’re going to do during break?

Your task is to make a list of possible situations for your character. Each must be appropriate for the character’s age and personality. Try to come up with at least three different ones.

Choose the one that you think you can incorporate into a story. Next make a list of things that your character can do to escape. Again, each must be a viable option.

Once you have narrowed the escape options down to one, then begin writing. When you are finished, reread to make sure that both the situation and the escape plan are realistic.

Have fun with this one.

 

The Dating Ritual

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Do you remember your first date? How old were you? Where did you go?

What was your reaction when you were asked out? Did your heart palpitate? Your breathing increase? Your cheeks flush?

Think about the process of dating. First looks. First impressions. Making contact. Deciding whether or not there is potential for a relationship. Repeated dates and encounters. Still deciding.

Just as real people go through the ritual, so must your character, especially if he is single. He searches for a possible mate. He finds one, woos her, asks her out.

In today’s world, women can also be the pursuers. She can make contact, initiate communication, make decisions. Make the first moves.

Your task is actually quite simple. Write a scene in which your protagonist is searching for love. First of all, decide where this search will take place. In a bar? Nightclub? Office?

Then decide what the person looks like, acts like, sounds like. What is the attraction? Be clear about that. The other cannot be dressed like a slob, stagger around drunk and burp loudly sending alcoholic fumes everywhere. Instead, what characteristics appeal to the seeker?

In your scene they will make contact, which means writing dialogue. Make it realistic. What would two strangers say to each other in order to sound appealing?

As the dialogue develops, allow the two to find interest in each other. How is that displayed? How does that alter dialogue?

Finally, write the end of the scene, when they part. What happens? Is there a hug or handshake? An exchanging of contact information? A kiss? A slow dance before the night ends?

Have fun with this one.

The Unlikely Protagonist

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

We like happy people. We love a satisfying ending to an intriguing story. We like to follow the lives of ordinary folks who face struggles, but in the end, come out feeling good about themselves.

What happens when the protagonist is none of those? What if she is a miserable drunk? Drug addict? Sex slave?

What if he is an abuser, a bully, a swaggert?

These are not your typical protagonists, but think of the stories they can tell.

Imagine the drug addict confronted by the abuser. Think of the potential conflicts. Think of the drama.

Change things around. What if the bully is also a miserable drunk who takes advantage of sex slaves?

Your task is to create the unlikely protagonist. Begin by making a list of all the character flaws that make the person unlikable. Narrow it down to the most alarming of them all.

Think of the story that this character tells.

Your task is to write the story, staying as true to the nature of your character as you can.

Have fun with this one.