Tag: Relationships

Coming of Age

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            Growing up is filled with bumps and bruises, both physically and emotionally. We learn to negotiate friendships, dealing with adults in power (bosses, teachers), as well as trying to figure out who we are and who we want to be.

            Most YA (Young Adult) books, whether fiction or fantasy, feature protagonists who are doing just that. There is generally a good deal of angst, tears, temper tantrums, sulking, falling in and out of romance and conflict with friends.

            Your task is to write a story in which coming of age is the central theme. Focus on the protagonist, the sidekicks, and the internal and external conflicts. Begin with an inciting incident such as the announcement of an upcoming school dance. Somewhere along the way include a surprise twist that readers will not see coming, but that impacts the story ending.

            Have fun with this one.

Awards Ceremony

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            Who doesn’t love an awards ceremony? Think of the drinks, the food, the comradery. The banners hanging from the ceiling, the cheerful atmosphere, the tension due to anticipation.

            The fancy clothes, the milling about, interacting with a variety of people, some known, some soon to become new friends.

            Your task is to write a story in which your character is invited to go to an awards ceremony as the guest of someone who may or may not get an award, thanks to the support of your character.

            Set the scene, filling it with anticipation, excitement, glory. Assuming that the characters are friends, what happens once they walk through the doors? Do they stay together? Does the potential recipient abandon his friend? When the awards are announced, what happens if he wins? Or doesn’t win?

            Have fun with this one.

Conflict at Home

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            Your character shares an apartment with at least two other people. Those two went off somewhere: a shopping trip, a vacation, a return home.

When they walk through the doors of the apartment, it’s obvious that something’s happened and they are no longer speaking to each other.

How does this affect your protagonist? What is the argument about and can it be fixed?

What does your character do? Run away for a few hours? Look for a new place to live? Try to make peace?

Your task is to write such a story. Make sure to emphasize the emotional turmoil swirling about the apartment and how it affects the different characters.

Have fun with this one.

Autobiographical Fiction

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When I was young my father worked at a union-based factory in Dayton, Ohio. Every winter there was a Christmas party in which a jolly Santa distributed gifts while some type of performer kept the kids entertained. I was most amazed when the famous Sherry Lewis walked out on stage with her sock puppets. After all, I’d seen her on our small black and white television. Another Christmas it was a TV cowboy, and sometimes, near Easter, there’d be others whose names I don’t recall.

While the memories are fuzzy, I could use these stories as a springboard in the creation of   original characters and situations.

You can do the same.

Your task is to begin with something that occurred when you were young. If possible, look at photos from albums, or go online, in order to return to that time and place. Adding in sensory details, fill out the scene so that your readers will be there with you.

You could write a serious piece of one with a comedic element.

Have fun with this one.

Cheapskate Travelers

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Imagine that your character goes out to eat with friends.  He orders a number of drinks, a serving of appetizers, an entree and, finally, a desert. The food is delicious and so he eats every single thing…all by himself.

The other members in the group are more conservative. One has coffee, another a soda, the third just water. None of them order an appetizer. One chooses a small salad as an entrée, another the special of the day, and the third has an American Burger. One orders ice cream for dessert, but the rest have nothing.

It’s obvious that each person in the group owes a different amount on money.

Normally, when the four eat out, the understanding is that they pay for what they order. But this time, the glutton, announces that they should split the bill evenly.

They all agree that the service has been excellent and that the waiter deserves a large tip.

Problems ensue when the bill is delivered. The glutton’s share of the bill would be close to one-third, if not a little bit more. But he still insists they split if equally.

What happens?

Your task is to write the story that shows how everyone reacts. Emotions are key here. Most likely there’s an argument, but does it stay low-key or become heated?

Have fun with this one.

Body Switch

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Sports fans are often in awe of the superstars of their favorite teams. They’d love to meet them, get their signatures, and if they are athletes themselves have half of their talent. Imagine being able to switch bodies, as in many movies, and be a superstar one for just one game?

Some of us are too old for such things, but might like a healthier body, one without excess weight and creaky joints. What if the change could be permanent? I’m not sure I’d like that: after all, I already know all the flaws of my body. All the previously broken bones and knee problems. My wrinkled face no longer terrifies me and I am now longer embarrassed by the ray hair and slightly stooped shoulders.

Taking it a million steps further, what if you resembled someone so closely that you could walk in the same shoes, wear the same clothes, speak the same language and assume the same roles? Would you do it?

Your task is to write a story in which two people switch places. It can be an accidental switch, such as one person stepping through a closing door as the other is stepping out. Or it can be an intentional switch in which one person searches for a look-alike, contacts that individual, and then the two of them agree to change places for a set period of time.

Have fun with this!

A Thoughtful Gift

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            Choosing the right gift for someone can be nerve-wracking. You wonder if they will like something you do.

            You try to recall what kinds of things the person already owns and if you can add to the collection. Or, do you try to come up with something she’s never owned, to the best of your knowledge?

            What do you look for? Food? Clothes? Doodads? Tickets to the theater, concerts or sports events?

            Or are you one of those last-minute shoppers who rushes into a store and picks up the first thing you see, especially if it’s on sale, telling yourself that she’ll probably return it anyway?

            Your task is to tell the story of someone who needs a gift. First establish who is to receive the gift. What is he like? Picky or openminded? Grateful or greedy? Does the character have varied tastes or only likes certain items? When he’s received gifts before, has he been gracious or rude?

            Next create the situation in which gifts are to be given. Wedding? Birthday? Anniversary? Promotion? Open house?

            come up with at least one gift giver. Establish the relationship to the recipient through storytelling.

            Have fun with this one.

Free the Monstrous Enemies

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            A spell has held the monsters inside their personal prisons. The world has been safe and at peace for as long as anyone can remember. But underneath, behind the scenes, so to speak, the evil lord has been plotting and planning.

            Nothing makes a story more interesting than a monster or two set free. Think how mesmerized the world has been with the concept of King Kong, the giant gorilla who terrorized New York City and appeared to kidnap a beautiful woman.

            Or the evil shark in the movie Jaws who indiscriminately attacked and ate a how variety to humans. Even the music, that steady beat, beat, beat, told viewers that Jaws was coming, putting them on the edges of their seats.

            Your task is to write a story in which at least one monster is set free or escapes its bonds. Depending upon the length, you might want to have only one monster, but make it evil enough for an entire army.

            Create an interesting setting, a place where the monster can cause the most terror. Decide upon the protagonist. The young, the olders, and those with disabilities are the most vulnerable, the ones most likely to win sympathy. Decide how the monster gets free. It can be by accident or by intent, but make sure that it causes plenty of fear and havoc.

            Have fun with this one.

Unexpected Action

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            You’ve been reading a book long enough that you know exactly how a character is going to behave in just about any situation. Then she does something so off base that it surprises you. In a good way.

            Change can add not just tension, but also renewed interest. Change keeps a story from getting stale, keeps the reader involved, and can add twists and turns that take the story off in unexpected, while surprising, ways.

            Your task is to write a scene in which your character, who’s beloved by readers, does something so out of character that the element of surprise comes into play.

            A good way to do this is by establishing who the character is, what he likes to do, how he behaves in a variety of situations and how he treats others. A combination of dialogue and setting is important.

            Once it’s pretty clear who he is, then through in a twist. Instead of ordering vanilla, he goes for Rocky Road. He goes out to eat rather than cooking at home. He robs a bank even though it will get him disbarred when he’s caught.

            Have fun with this one.

A Careful Look into the Past

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Storytellers must keep in mind that events from the past can affect how a person looks at the present. Traumatic experiences, long buried, might appear worse when brought into new light. Angry words, a spanking, being accosted, hurt back then, but can still cause pain today.

Even so, the writer might find a sense of catharsis through the writing, and so telling those stories becomes a valuable experience.

Your task is to write a story in which your main character revisits past occurrences that caused some degree of emotional distress, whether the offenses were committed against her or if they were directed toward others.

You might consider looking at family dynamics. For example, in many families, the older brother who is worshiped by the mother and a younger sister can do no wrong. The middle child, no matter how hard she tried, you could never garner the mother’s attention.

In your story, show what the character did that got him in trouble, as well as those things that he could not control but that shaped who he became.

Include dialogue to touch on emotional issues and to build tension.

Have fun with this one!