Tag: writing a personal story

Life Change

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

            As we grow, we change many things about ourselves. Some are superficial, such as trying out a new hairstyle, experimenting with makeup, buying a completely new style of clothing.

            Other changes are more serious, such as transferring from one college to another in order to switch majors, moving out of the family home, getting engaged, and finding the first full time job.

            Your task is to write a story in which your character is faced with her first major life decision, one that will lead to a huge change in their life.

            A lot depends upon the age of your protagonist. For example, a senior in high school is choosing between colleges or trade schools. During college, she might change majors once she realizes job employment possibilities are limited.

            Adults get married, separated, divorced. Switch jobs in order to climb the professional ladder.

            Some changes work out well, but many do not.

            Have fun with this one.

Lost Luggage

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

            Every traveler’s biggest fear is arriving at a destination and not being able to claim your luggage. Imagine standing around the revolving kiosk as suitcase spill out of the ramp. People around you grab their bags and head toward their destination, while you wait and wait and wait.

            Eventually nothing comes out of the ramp and the kiosk stops moving.

            You pull out the tag that proves you checked a bag and head over to Customer Service. They look around wherever bags are stockpiled, but yours is not there.

            They record your contact information and pledge to call when your bags are located.

            The problem is that you are boarding a cruise ship that same day. Once the ship sets sail, you have no way to get your luggage. It means two or more weeks with only the clothes on your back.

            Of course you will have to purchase everything that is in the missing bag. But, your ports of call might not be close to shopping, you might not find shopkeepers who speak English, and since you can’t read the labels, you’re not sure if your buying shampoo or hair dye.

            Your task is to write a story in which someone’s luggage goes missing.

            Have fun with this one.

Pursing One’s Dreams

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

            When you ask a little kid what they want to be when they grow up, they might say fireman, policeman or teacher. Those are the most visible careers in a child’s eyes. As their world view expands, they will dream of being a professional athlete, actor, singer, musician, and in some cases, scientist.

            Many times something happens that interferes with those dreams and the child has to put them aside to work to support self and family.  The astronaut becomes a mechanic, the athlete a coach of her child’s soccer team, and the fireman becomes a sous chef.

            Society needs all those jobs, but the individual might still harbor dreams of creating a new vaccine, curing a specific type of cancer or designing a more powerful wind turbine.

            It’s important to hold onto dreams, to cherish the reasons that the job appealed to you, to still maybe want to do something in the field.

            Your task is to write a story in which pursuing a dream career plays a major role. Any genre is possible, ranging from Speculative Fiction, to memoir, to Romantic Comedy, to thriller.

            Have fun with this one.

Marking Time

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

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.

Game Day

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

            There are individuals who enjoy creating games. All kinds of games: computer games, board games, card games and outdoors physical games. They have incredible imaginations. They can see the overall scope of a game, from the beginning to end, the obstacles that make the game interesting, the players’ skills and abilities, and the setting under which the game is played.

            Many people prefer purchased games because all they have to do is spread out the pieces or long on to play.

            Some families have official game days in which groups join together to play one game, then reform around another. Others prefer to play individually, on the computer or tablet.

            Your task is to write a story in which the playing of games is a major part of the action. To add tension, include actions by players that lead to disagreements, perhaps even physical altercations.

            Use dialogue to control the ebb and flow, ever increasing the agitation and anger of the players.

            Have fun with this one.

A Careful Look into the Past

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

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!

Scene Prompt

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

            Begin your story like this:

            Paula stepped closer to the tiny store, driven by a once-familiar smell.

            You can change the name, the tense and the setting, but the heart of the story has to be the smell.

            First, decide the cause of the odor. Pizza? Baking bread? Flowers? Rotting food? A dirty body? The smell can be pleasant or not, but must remain the focus.

            To make things interesting, have more than one character so that the discovery of the smell can be discussed, as well as whether or not to pursue its source. Tension through dialogue would add interest.

            The characters will share their reactions to the smell. What for one might be tantalizing, for the other might just be nothing special.

            Have fun with this one.

Roadside Meal

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

            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

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

            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.

Forgettable Memory

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Not all memories are good ones. All of us can recall at least one incident that embarrassed us, humiliated us or angered us. Or maybe it was something we did that we wish we never had.

Think of the story this could become! Fill in with sensory details and it becomes rich and full of life.

Your task is first to make a list of five events that you wish had never happened. Then choose the one which would be the easiest for you to write about.

When you write, embellish with dialogue and details. There must be tension, so bring in a person that enriches the telling.

Have fun with this one.