Tag: Writer’s prompt

A Lost Object

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Think how many times you’ve lost something. Can you recall how you felt? Frustrated? Angry? Disappointed?

When you lose something, it tears you up inside. One time I’d purchased a nice watch as a gift for one of my sons. When it came time to wrap it up, I couldn’t find it. I searched through all of my normal places, but couldn’t locate it. In tears, I finally went outside and dug through the garbage! That’s where it was. It must have been carried out with the trash. Yes, I was relieved, but also incredibly disappointed in myself.

Call to mind one of your characters. Picture this individual. Think about how this person speaks, walks, behaves, treats others. Now imagine this person losing something. Will he behave in character or become a totally different person? Will she tear the house apart, looking high and low, or simply give up?

Your task is to make a list of objects important enough that your character will diligently search to find. Try to come up with at least five different ones. Then narrow the list to one, by choosing that which would drive her nuts if she can’t find it!

Write the story of the search. Remember to include feelings, for this is what is most crucial to the story. We need to understand how he is feeling, not just how he is acting.

This might be a challenge for you. It is easy to write about a character going through her day, but much harder to describe her feelings.

Have fun with this one!

Using Your Family Tree

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Last week your task was to create a family tree for one of your characters. If you didn’t complete the task, now might be a good time to read last week’s post.

Your task this week is to use that tree to write a multigenerational story in which your protagonist interacts with at least one member of the extended family.

A fun story might be a conversation between a grandparent and grandchild. Think of the questions the younger person might ask and the responses the older would give. This might lead to fantastic stories of what grandpa did during the war or why grandma chose to go to nursing school.

Your story does not have to be long, but it should contain hefty amounts of dialogue so we get a feel as to how each character speaks, thinks and listens. There should be enough depth that we understand the relationship between the two as well as the different experiences each has had.

Have fun with this one.

Campus Events

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Now that students are back at school, it’s time to start thinking about the stories that are dying to be told.

Think back to when you were in middle school…high school…college. Drama surrounded you on a daily basis. Some of it changed lives for the better. Some of it destroyed lives. Most had impact for a day, an hour, a minute or two, and then diminished.

Many of these events fall into coming-of-age stories for they feature characters who are learning who they are and how they fit into the world.

Consider one of your characters, or one you’d like to write about. Place them on a school campus. What kinds of things might she see, hear, feel or do? What might he witness happening in the halls?

How much a part of the drama is your character? Is she the recipient of teasing or the one who does the teasing? Is he the one dumping freshmen into garbage cans or the one being dumped?

What roles do the teachers play in all this? Are they observant and attempt to bring things to an end or oblivious with notes being passed under their noses?

Your task is to place one of your characters on a school campus and make things happen.

Have fun with this one.

Career Advancement

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Everyone who has a job, whether young or old, dreams of getting ahead. We want to move up the ladder, taking on more and more responsibility, being recognized for our work ethic, and earning more money in return.

Your characters need to do the same.

Imagine that your protagonist is a teen working as a dishwasher in a local café. As she scrubs dishes, she dreams of being a waitress or a chef or simply being the one who plates the food, but she has dreams. Now imagine how she’ll react when the boss gives her that desired raise!

Let’s say your character is a newly hired accountant in a busy firm. She looks around her and sees that not all accountants are equal. Some handle the tiny accountants that she does, while others manage the details for multimillion dollar firms. She’s got the credentials to do the job, but not the experience. How does she make herself more valuable? What does she do so the boss recognizes her skills?

Your task is to create a character that’s hired to do an entry-level job. It might not be glamorous, but it’s a foot in the door to greater things.

Think about how he feels before the interview, during the interview and after he is hired. Make a list of different words you can use to describe those emotions.

Put your character to work. Write about the day-to-day tedium of working the same job. What does your character do to make her life more interesting? How does she make herself stand out from others? Write about this.

What dreams does he have for advancement and how does he go about stepping forward? Does he simply approach the boss and plead his case? Does he work extra hard, often with a flourish, keeping his eyes ever alert?

What happens when she does talk with the boss? Does the boss initiate the conversation or does she? What words of encouragement are said? How does she respond?

Your task is to write this scene.

Have fun with this one.

 

How to Write a Synopsis

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

I am not proclaiming myself an expert, but rather sharing information which I’ve gleaned from meetings with agents.  I hope you find this useful.

  1. Keep no secrets: A synopsis is supposed to reveal everything, including the ending. Tell the agent what happens without trying to confuse or surprise. The basic purpose of a synopsis is to show your story’s narrative arc, which includes the rising action as well as a logical, satisfying ending.
  2. Format: One-page, single-spaced, Times New Roman, 1inch borders.
  3. Be clear on major points: Agents want to see that there is a beginning, middle and end. They also want to discover something unusual in your story, something perhaps that they’ve never seen before. Highlight those plot points in your synopsis.
  4. Don’t write in your character’s voice. A synopsis can be dry because it has to explain everything that happens in a small space. Strive for clarity. Parse your words. Don’t add guidance, such as “in the next scene,” “at the climax of the story” or “in a dream/flashback/flash-forward”.
  5. Whenever a new character is introduced capitalize the entire name and then use normal text from then on. Avoid naming too many characters: stick to those that are most crucial to the story.
  6. Use third-person, present tense: Even if your story is in first-person POV, the synopsis should be in third. Even if your story is in present tense, the synopsis should be in past.

I hope this will help!

Your task is to choose one of your longer stories and to write a short synopsis. It helps to practice and practice and practice some more!

Once you’ve written it, ask someone who is not familiar with your story to read it. From your paragraphs, does your reader know what happened in the story, from beginning to middle to end? If so, Yippee!  If not, rewrite.

Have fun with this one.

A Special Object

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Think back throughout your life until you discover an object that evokes a strong sensory experience. It could be your grandmother’s apple pie, climbing a backyard tree whose bark often scratched your skin, of hearing the sound of mourning doves and thinking of a baby crying.

For me, it would be my mother’s apple dumplings. She only made them once a year, which made them all the more special. She’d sit at the table to peel and core the apples. Often my siblings and I would hover, waiting until she began slicing, hoping that she’d give us at least one. Why was that slice so special? I never understood. I think it was the simple fact that my mother did it for me.

Make a list of at least three such images. Under each record the sensory memories invoked. Try to cover all the senses, even that of time.

Your task is to then write a story, either real or make-believe, that includes that trigger. Your character has to react in a logical way. If the trigger causes fear, then write it. Joy? Show us. Longing? Let us feel the desire building to a crescendo.

When you are finished, reread or allow someone else to read it. Allow yourself to fall into that moment of time. Do your words capture the feeling? If not, then make changes.

Have fun with this one.

 

People Watching

On By Terry ConnellyIn Writing promptLeave a comment

Can’t think of a character, setting or problem? Go somewhere and sit for a while.

Choose a place that is heavily trafficked. A shopping mall, park or busy street in a commercial district.

Bring a notebook with you as well as a camera. When you see an interesting character, take a picture, but also record how the character walks, what he is carrying, whether or not he is on the phone, and if he is walking alone.

Give the character personality. For example, maybe she’s a CEO of a start-up company and is hurrying off to a meeting that she’s worried about. Perhaps she has a sick child at home or just got a call from her daughter’s teacher.

Describe the setting. Is it bland or colorful? What types of buildings? Tall skyscrapers or low slung town homes. A park with green grass and flowers in bloom, or a snow covered field. Blue sky, pouring rain or skittering clouds.

Then take a look for another potential character and do the same.

Each time imagine the story that the character has to tell. Jot down ideas. Did he have a happy childhood or were his parents abusive? Does she keep in contact with her siblings or are they distant? Why?

When you get home, think about the stories you can tell. Begin writing. Use a stream of conscious flow of words. Let the story tell itself.

At the end, reread and look for places where you can embellish or deepen the conflict. Edit out unnecessary words. Add dialogue that develops the character’s personality.

When you are finished, you will have an original story. Plus, you will have enough information to write a few more!

Have fun with this one.