Tag: Using a trope in your writing

Childhood Meal

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

            Kids are often picky eaters. They might love mac and cheese one day, then claim that they never liked it the next. They dislike certain textures that only they can see, before putting the food in their mouths. Smells, appearance and even parental pressure affect how children react to food.

            Because of this, meal time can often turn into an all-out war. Parents insist the child try one bite of everything, the kid refusing to eat anything.

            But, there are happy memories of meals shared as well. Try to recall your favorite childhood foods. Were they connected to a grandparent, perhaps the way Grandpa trimmed the crusts off your bread? Were they family affairs where a variety of foods were put out on a long table?

            Your task is to write a story about eating a meal, making sure that the protagonist is a child. To make things interesting, include in the meal foods the child likes, but also those which she detests. Use sensory details to make the story pop.

            Was anything mushy? Burned? Undercooked? Who was sitting at the table and how did that affect the experience of the meal?

            Were there rules in place, such as eating everything off the plate before having desert? Carrying dishes into the kitchen when finished? Remaining at the table until being excused?

            Have fun with this one.

Pizza Time

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            Lots of kids like pizza. Some want only cheese on theirs, while others want as much meat as possible. Some like pineapple while others want only black olives.

            No matter the differences, saying “Let’s order pizza,” generally is greeted by Hurrahs and cheers.

            Nowadays there are many options in terms of preparation. Do you want thick crust, pan pizza or gluten free? Sauce or no sauce? Or maybe a pesto sauce. How about cheese buried inside the outer edge of the crust or extra cheese on top? Chicken or pepperoni?

            When did you first eat pizza? How old were you and where was it? Did your parent make the pizza or did you go to a restaurant? Did you get an individual pizza or one for the family to share?

            Were there fights over what kind of pizza to order or who got the last piece?

            Your task is to write a story in which pizza plays an important role. It can be a sweet remembrance or a story fraught with tension and loud arguing.

            Your protagonist can be a child or an adult. She can like or hate pizza. She can throw temper tantrums if she doesn’t get her way or feel heard.

            Have fun with this one.

The Book Club

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            Many people belong to book clubs. Some are formed when a group of friends decide to meet regularly to discuss a book they’ve chosen.

            Some clubs are organized by librarians and some by organizations looking for activities for their members.

            Books are often chosen by members, but not necessarily. For example, the leader might pick out a book he/she liked then put that on the list. No discussion or chosing required.

            Meetings can go smoothly with all participants following established guidelines. Others have a harder time, especially when one member decides to hijack the discussion and turn it into their own topic, such as scams or relatives.

            Your task is to write a story in which a book club plays a prominent role. If you write mystery, a death might occur that the members, along with the police, investigate. Or perhaps a fight breaks out, either verbal or physical. Not all members will like the book, and to develop tension, a heated discussion might ensue.

            This calls for lots of dialogue. Description is important as well so that readers understand the scene, the participants and the relationships.

            Have fun with this one.

Early Morning Walk

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Imagine getting up before dawn, eating a quick breakfast, slipping into a warm jacket and heading out for a walk. You might hear the morning birds begin their calls, spot a cat slinking under a car, and pass neighbor’s heading to work. Day after day you walk, sometimes heading north, others south.

There are stories to tell. Why did the old couple move out? What happened to the two-story house that’s now surrounded by yellow tape? How did the single woman afford a high-end electric vehicle?

Your task is to write the story of your neighborhood. Choose one house to focus one, or several. Using your imagination, place a family inside. Give that family jobs, kids, friends, wishes.

You can write a rosy-story in which all things are wonderful, but a little tension is preferred. Perhaps a tree drops a limb, crushing that new EV. The tree sits on the neighbor’s property, and the car owner had been begging to get the tree trimmed before it caused damage.

Or maybe small children live in both homes, children who don’t always play nice.

There are tons of stories waiting to be told.

Have fun with this one.

Unusual Meal

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

            Think of a meal you planned for a group. Most likely there were appetizers, a main course that consisted of a variety of dishes, followed by dessert.

            The quantity depends upon how many invited. If it’s a meal for two, you didn’t need large dishes. But, if you invited ten, then you need casseroles, cakes, and bowls of fruits and salads.

            Your task is to write a story in which your character prepares a most unusual meal, one that consists only of desserts.

            Perhaps there are cupcakes in the shapes of stuffed mushrooms and cookies that look like crackers layered with slices of cheese. The entrees are pies that resemble different types of pizza and cheesecakes molded into meatloafs.

            Imagine what the guests will say! In your story, show your character cooking the items as he talks to someone. Through dialogue we see into the protagonist’s mind as she explains what she’s doing and why.

            Descriptions will show the setting, which includes the table, decorations, and the overall depiction of the room.

            Have fun with this one.

Roadside Meal

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            How many times have you been away from home and stopped to eat? What types of places do you normally choose? Fast food chains? Sit-down restaurants? Or something in between?

            When you scan the menu, do you have go-to preferences? Some go for hamburgers, while others choose salads. Some like sweet potato fries, eggs over-easy, chocolate cream pie.

            Your task is to write a story in which your character is traveling and stops for a meal. Depending upon the restaurant, she either reads from a menu board or from a handheld menu.

What does she order? Is it served cold or hot? How does it taste? From her reactions, you tell if it’s as she expected and whether or not she’s satisfied.

If there’s waitstaff, when someone checks in, your character responds by saying what she likes or doesn’t like, whether she’s satisfied or might like to order additional items.

To make it interesting, have someone strike up a conversation with your character. A little tension builds because this person is annoying or clinging and doesn’t take the hint that she’d like to eat alone.

Have fun with this one.

A Day at the Beach

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            Let’s say you’ve been to the beach. It could be at the ocean, at a lake, or even at a large river. No matter where, but there’s some type of beach.

            If you’re lucky, it’s soft sand. If you’re not, it’s rocks that cut the bottoms of your feet.

            Perhaps the water’s warm, but there’s a good chance that it’s not.

            There might be waves, especially if a strong breeze arises or it a watercraft motors by.

            And there are creatures in the water.

            Your task is to write the story.

            Your character and friends go to a beach for the afternoon. Or the weekend if they rent a cabin or pitch tents.

            They’re excited, looking forward to a great time.

            In your story, we want to see what they see, feel what they feel, see and taste all the things they do.

            How does the beach feel on the feet? Describe the picture of them getting to the beach. They’ll talk and laugh and maybe cry out in pain.

How cold is the water? Show us the group as they enter the water. Does one of them run and dive? Do some stand in only ankle-deep water?

Make at least one character worry about whatever might be in the water. Perhaps someone freaks out when seagrasses brush their legs.

Have fun with this one.

Forms of Punishment

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            Every society, every home, has its own forms of punishment.

            In some homes, naughty kids are sent to timeout while others might be beaten until blood seeps from open wounds. Some kids might be denied privileges while others are locked away in the prison of their bedroom, or in worse case scenarios, in an actual prison somewhere in the home.

            Society might punish offenders with community service or therapy, while others are beheaded or hung to die. Some are tarred and feathered while others have to clean up garbage along interstate highways or on beaches.

            In a fair situation, the punishment fits the crime, but in far too many, prison sentences are too long or too harsh depending upon the color of one’s skin or how much money the family has.

            Your task is to write a story in which punishment takes on a crucial role. You decide if it’s the family that enforces the pain or society. Does the offender continue to live at home or is she detained in a cell? Is the cell in a clean facility, or in a dank dungeon?

            The protagonist can be the victim or the enforcer. What’s important is that your readers feel the suffering, the pain, the humiliation.

            Have fun with this one.

Poisoned Marshmallows

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            Imagine a story in which your protagonist is the victim of a poisoning. And the mode in which the poison was delivered was marshmallows! 

Does she die in the first scene? If so, how do you tell her story? The reasons that someone hated her enough to want her dead would be revealed as the story spins.

Or, perhaps your protagonist is the poisoner. Why would she choose marshmallows and not, say, a bottle of wine? Does the intended victim have a passion for the simple marshmallow?

How does the poisoner make sure the intended victim is the one who consumes the poison, and not some innocent child?

Your task is to tell the story in such a way that readers will be enthralled.

Narrative is important in setting the scene. Dialogue is needed to establish the tense relationship between the victim and the poisoner.

Rely on sensory details. Readers need to see, imagine the taste, smell and touch of the marshmallows. And to watch the suffering of the victim. Is it a quick or slow death?

Have fun with this one.

Uninvited Guest

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

            No one likes it when guests crash the party. Even if they are well-behaved, they might bring unwelcome baggage, causing conflict that will ruin the event.

            Try to recall a TV show with such a scenario. If it’s a comedy, then weird and hilarious things will happen, such as drinks being spilled or someone being pushed into the pool.

            If it’s a thriller or drama story, then there might be a murder, a theft, or threats to one and all.

            Your task is to write a story in which a guest(s) appears at an event without an invitation. Setting is important, but more so the emotions displayed by the host(s) are critical.

            The host might try to close the door, keeping that person out. Or she might let the person in, trying to avoid a scene.

            The guest should do something outrageous, like swill several bottles of beer or dump over the punch bowl. Maybe toss something on the BBQ that sets the canopy on fire.

            You want action followed by reaction.

            Have fun with this one.