Tag: true story prompt

The Big Decision

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            You’re most of the way through the novel. The protagonist has struggled over many obstacles and seems to be on the road to success. Suddenly a chasm-sized barrier is in the way. She has two possible choices to make. She can turn around and retrace her steps or find a way across. A decision has to be made that could potentially alter her life.

            What she chooses is determined by the characteristics readers have seen in the individual. A timid person or one with low self-esteem will turn around while the character with tons of self-confidence will plow ahead.

            Your task is to write a scene in which your protagonist is confronted with a choice that would make a huge difference in his life.

            Begin by making a list of possible obstacles. They can be realistic or fantastical, depending upon the type of story that you are writing. Once you have chosen the primary obstacle, add possible solutions. Once again, solutions depend upon the genre you have chosen.

            Your character is proceeding along, the obstacle arises. A choice is made. Make sure that readers will believe the outcomes and that the emotions that your character experiences come through.

            Have fun with this one.

Complete and Utter Chaos

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            There are times when anything that could possibly go wrong, does. It feels like the game when you stack dominoes with the intent of controlling their fall. But then your hand wiggles or someone’s knee jiggles the table or an earthquake hits and down they go, not when you intended, but do to some type of chaotic movement.

            Perhaps your car is due to a check-up. You make an appointment with the mechanic, but before you can get there, something horrible happens. Maybe your car breaks down in the middle of a busy major thoroughfare. Perhaps you get hit by a driver who wasn’t paying attention. Or it could be roadwork that causes a huge delay making you miss your time.

            Things happen, often in a bunch, that derail our activities. Some we can laugh off, but others cause a huge inconvenience.

            Your task is to write a story in which a series of unexpected things happen. How your character reacts will tell readers quite a bit about her personality. Make the events large or small, or a combination of both. Most importantly, allow readers to be there with the character.

            Include sensory details and emotional reactions.

            Have fun with this one.

Dear Diary

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            Journal writing has been popular for many, many years. Young girls were often given a diary in order to record their thoughts. They were encouraged to write every day, even if they had little of interest to report.

            Diaries were often padlocked with a tiny key. The girl would hide both the diary and the key in order to prevent parents and siblings from reading their thoughts.

            Diaries became important as a tool for historical research. By reading such records, historians are able to deduce what life was like during times of peace and war, during turbulent and peaceful times.

            Your task is to imagine the diary entries that your protagonist would write. These do not have to be complete stories, but rather figments of time capturing the emotions that the individual experienced. Later on these thoughts might inspire a story, but for now the task is to simply write what the person most likely worried about, dreamt of, feared and yearned for.

            Have fun with this one.

Following Directions

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            From an early age we learn the rules, what to do, when to do it and when to stop. We are taught where to do something and for how long. Lining up begins when we are young and continues throughout the rest of our lives.

            What we are seldom taught, however, is how not following directions impacts others.

            For example, imagine you’re on a trip with forty other people. The tour director tells you to be on the bus before eight in the morning. You figure the bus won’t leave until 8:10, so you don’t bother to appear until 8:11. Your inability to follow directions impacts the rest of the group.

            All games have directions. Children are taught to follow them in order to make the game fair. What happens when someone feels above the “law”? They are called cheaters.

            The same term can be applied to adults as well.

            Your task is to write a scene in which following directions plays an important role. It might be interesting to have some characters who always comply, some who sometimes comply and some who seldom, if ever, comply. The combination builds tension, something needed to make a story interesting.

            Have fun with this one.

Searching for Treasure

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            Did you ever create a buried treasure map and then lead your friends on a hunt through the neighborhood? What, if anything, did you find?

            Thinking back to ancient times, explorers went all over the world looking for elusive treasures to bring back to their countries, for glory for themselves as well as for their kings/queens. Nothing stopped them, not inhabitants of the land nor weather.

            They killed with no mercy, took what they wanted, then moved on to begin another quest.

            Fantasy stories often revolve around the search for treasure, be it precious stones, mighty gods or hidden castles.

            But is there treasure in your house? Imagine digging through a closet and finding something you’d thought lost. Perhaps it reminds you of grandma or a favorite uncle. Maybe it’s an article of clothing that you thought you’d given away. Try to recall how you felt.

            Your task is to write a story in which treasure is sought and perhaps found. Capture the emotions as the explorer sets off, the travails of the journey, the conquests made and lost. Use both narrative and dialogue to develop the scene. Take your readers on the search by using sensory details.

            Have fun with this one.

Shopping Extravaganza

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            There’s nothing more exciting than heading off to the mall for a morning of shopping. Even if you have little money to spend, there are windows to peruse, clothing to inspect, dreams to build.

            You might begin by simply strolling up and down the mall, stopping to see what wonders are on display. On the next go-round you enter only those stores that intrigued you. Up and down aisles you go, occasionally holding up an item for inspection. You check the make, the style, the price, the quality, all the while imagining yourself wearing it.

            Does it go with anything you currently own? Is it too similar to things you’ve got at home? Is it worth the price or should you wait for a sale?

            All these thoughts go through your mind as you meander about.

            Imagine your character going on a shopping spree. What kinds of things hold his interest? Which stores invite him in? What items does she choose to inspect up close? Does she make immediate decisions or mull things over? Does he leave to see what comparable things other stores offer or make the purchase right then and there?

            Your task is to send your character on a nice, long shopping trip. He can go alone or bring a friend. She can try on things in her own dressing room or share with a friend. Lunch might be included as well as dinner after.

            Will the day go smoothly with lots of laughter and pleasant conversation or will arguments ensue? At the end, will he have purchased anything? If so, what? If not, why not? Dialogue might be the stronger as it allows for the give-and-take between characters as they discuss the merits of each item.

            Have fun with this one.

Lies and Cover-ups

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            No one likes a liar; or do they? People lie when a woman asks how they look in a hideous skin-tight bold floral print dress because if they told the truth, the woman would become angry. They lie when a coworker proposes an insane idea for a project, saying conciliatory phrases such as, “Interesting idea,” and then moving on to whatever is submitted next.

            Lies similar to the ones above save feelings, but not all lies do. When a competitor calls the opponent a wimp, freak or loser, that’s done intentionally to ire the opponent as well as influence viewers. If when filling out legal forms the writer lies about wealth or financial status in order to qualify for a loan or political office, that could be a criminal act.

            Participating in a cover-up can likewise have serious consequences, depending upon what’s being hidden. If when selling a house the owner doesn’t disclose that the septic system is failing, that has repercussions that could cost the seller quite a bit of money. What if a murderer buries the body in the backyard and then pretends that he has no idea where the deceased is? That’s another type of cover-up.

            Your task is to write a story in which lies and cover-ups drive the plot. Twists and turns are critical to the story arc, with each action leading to more and more serious consequences. At the end, does the perpetrator get away with it or is she caught and punished?

            Have fun with this one.

Random Acts of Kindness

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            You’re in line at a store, mentally counting your money to see if you have enough to buy the bread and cheese in your arms. You step up to the register, and when the tally comes up, the clerk tells you that the person before you had paid your bill. You burst into a huge smile and feel like dancing all the way home.

            You’re sitting in your car waiting for your turn to come at the toll booth. Behind you is an older car being driven by a little old man. You reach into your purse and pull out an extra five dollars. As you drive away, you’re smiling and nodding.

            Your task is to write a story in which someone executes a random act of kindness. Your character can be the one who reaches out or she can be the recipient. The emotional reactions are most important. Readers are going to want to see the scene through the eyes, heart and mind of the giver and receiver.

            Your recipient does not have to be grateful. In fact, he might consider it an insult. If this happens, then who will he verbally attack? The clerk or the giver?

            Have fun with this one.

Crime and Punishment

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            Back in the Middle Ages there were beheadings and amputations for what today would be considered minor crimes. People would be whipped so badly that little skin remained on their backs. Others would be locked into stocks and left to die.

Torture and imprisonment was sued to exact confessions. People were beaten burned alive, covered with boiling water, or worse, tar, and fingers cut off. Branding was also used to identify criminals.

Outlaw bands roamed about, robbing villagers and city-dwellers alike. The harsher the crimes they committed, the worse the punishment. What’s more important is that the punishments were public affairs, much like going on a picnic or seeing a play.

Your task is to establish the role that crime and punishment takes in your world. You can borrow from earlier times or create your own system, but whichever you choose, it needs to make sense in terms of the society you have built. Medieval torture might not fit in a contemporary society, but maybe it does!

Write a story in which a crime is committed and punishment is doled out. Readers will want to be there from the beginning, to walk with the criminal throughout it all. Or if you write from the perspective of the officials who hunt down, catch and then punish, make sure that the details are intriguing enough to entice readers.

Have fun with this one.

Physical Fitness

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           Some of us are specimens of incredible fitness while others are morbidly obese. Most of us fall somewhere in between. How we feel about being fit says a lot about our character. Is exercising an obsession or a supplement to good health? Does limiting the size of meals mean you are a picky eater or trying to keep off the pounds? On the same note, gorging to excess is also an influential factor in overall fitness.

            Your character’s attitude toward physical fitness might not play a key part in the story, but it does tell a reader something about who he is. Imagine him walking through a door into a crowded lob filled with strangers. What do the people see and think when they see him? How do they react? How does he present himself in terms of clothing, ability to walk and overall demeanor?

            First appearances often affect future relationships. You need to take this into account in the story. When a dazzling blond model struts into the scene, she receives a different reaction than when a morbidly obese man waddles into the room.

            Fill your scene with dialogue, perhaps between casual observers. Narrative is required.

            Have fun with this one.