Tag: Scene writing

The Virtues of Hard Work

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            Most of us were told as children that hard work pays off. That when you “put your back into” a task, that you will be rewarded at the end.

            Slackers are made fun of, ridiculed, set up as examples of who not to be.

            Even so, we all probably know someone who didn’t put in the hard work during their school years, but ended up with a good paying job as an adult. They most likely started cleaning floors or washing dishes, then received promotion after promotion until they were the store manager or the sous chef in a fancy restaurant.

            Students are told that the path to success is through a college education, but the above scenarios show the opposite. A poor student can become a revered chef, while an excellent student might turn down lower-level jobs, waiting for the “perfect” one to appear.

            Your task is tow write a story in which hard work, or the lack thereof, plays an important role.

            Have fun with this one.

Feeling Ashamed

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            Imagine standing at the front of your church to lead the congregation in song. You begin off-key, get a few notes right, then go off-key again. You feel your cheeks getting hot. Respiration increases. Your pulse quickens as time seems to stand still. When you reach the last word, you make a fast exit.

            Perhaps you stole something from a friend’s bedroom. She owned a porcelain statue of a horse, when you know she hates horses. Is terrified of horses. She slips it in your pocket while she’s rifling through her closet.  A few days later she asks if you saw it, perhaps even took it, but you deny, deny, deny.

            Shame hits everyone at some time in their life. It can range from a deep reaction to a slight embarrassment.

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

            First decide your audience. Children react differently than adults. Children’s offenses are generally smaller in significance than something an adult might do.

            Setting is crucial, so establish it right at the beginning.

            Have fun with this one.

Revenge

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            Little kids are excellent at exacting revenge. You touch my truck/doll and I’ll smack your face. You steal my comic book, I’ll shred your favorite t-shirt.

            As we grow, we’re taught that revenge is bad: that we are to forgive and forget. But do we really?

            What do we do about the guest who breaks your favorite goblet? Was it accidental or intentional? Does that determine how we react, how long we hold a grudge? If we believe it was intentional, what do we do to exact revenge? To even the scales?

            Your task is to write a story in which revenge is a central theme. Choose your characters wisely. They need to be able to do something devious, something that irks the other to the point of seeking revenge.

            You also need to decide what the offense is, what the act of revenge involves.

            Have fun with this one.

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.

Magical Shed

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            Imagine a world in which magic is accepted, not feared. Residents love dropping into magical situations, places, events. Celebrations feature magical acts with throngs of people gathered to witness the performance.

What if there are specific places imbued with magic? Anyone can go there. Anyone can walk through the doors and feel the hum of magical power.

Let’s take a backyard shed as an example. What happens when kids sneak in? Do they need to hold certain tools for the magic to work? Is it a simple walk through the door that sends them off to magical lands?

Your task is to write a story in which a specific place is imbued with accessible magic. After being there, are the people now endowed with certain magical powers? Does everyone get the same magic or does it change from person to person? Is all the magic good, or can it be used to cause harm?

Have fun  with this one.

Stolen Artifact

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            Recall a recent museum visit and all the artifacts you saw there. Which were the most valuable? The most appealing? The ones you wish you owned?

            Go online and search for images that represent things you might have seen. Print up one or two.

            Imagine those artifacts disappearing, without a trace.

            Your task is to write the story, beginning with your protagonist/antagonist strolling through the museum, taking careful looks at various items.

            Take time to describe each, the character’s reaction to them, and let readers get into her internal thoughts. (This is tricky, but you can do it!)

            Write what she does as closing time looms ever closer. Does she saunter out, to return another day? Does she hide somewhere so as to steal the items once the building is cleared?

            How does she steal them, especially if they are under or behind glass?

            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.

Marking Time

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We often keep track of time through events in our lives. There are things that came before, the event, and what happens next. Sometimes the event is so significant that it changes lives.

For example, consider a young boy who broke his arm when he fell out of a tree. He was only eight at the time, but will always remember the incident as a changing point in his life, before the fall and after the fall.

Imagine being hospitalized for such a severe asthma attack that you thought you were going to die. While you were in the hospital, you prayed just to be able to draw a breath. When the tightness finally relaxed, you knew that you were going to live. There is before the asthma attack and after the attack.

Sometimes these events cause significant change in our lives. For example, before a serious illness cleaning house might not have been a priority. But when the doctor tells you that dust is a trigger, you hire a housekeeper.

Your characters keep track of time in the same way. There is before the robbery and then the capture, trial and jail. There is before the monsters come and then the destruction and the deaths of hundreds of people. There is before the military coup and then the restrictions put into place after the general took charge.

Your task is to write a story in which something happens that changes your character’s life. It must be large enough to impact life afterwards. Choose something that’s large enough to have an impact, but unless you’re writing an epic novel, keep it small.

Have fun with this one.

The Storm

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Imagine that it is raining. Not a soft, gentle rain, but a downpour that pounds against the windows and rivers and streams overflow their banks, flooding streets.

Many of us like to stay indoors on rainy days, perhaps sitting by the window, watching it happen. We might see leaves torn from trees due to high winds, branches that bend, almost touching the ground.

If we’re sitting inside a warm café, we might see people dashing about with newspapers over their heads as they scurry from the shelter of one building to the next.

All these sights can lead to an interesting story.

Your task is to write the story in which terrible things happen. Think of the news that you’ve seen on television. The devastation, the destroyed homes. Cars carried downstream or stranded in feet of water. Lives lost.

Write from your character’s point of view. Readers will want to experience the storm through your character’s eyes, seeing everything she sees, knowing what goes through her mind, especially when she is forced to evacuate. Have us walk with her as she decides what to save and what to leave behind.

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.