Tag: writing about emotions

The Storyteller

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Everyone loves a good story. There’s something compelling about sitting in a circle, gathered around an energized speaker as she relates something that just happened, in a dramatic tone of voice. Better yet if she can give each character a unique voice, personality, and demeanor.

Children beg for scary ghost stories, then can’t sleep in the dark.

Movies hold viewers entranced as an axe-wielding overall-wearing murderer chases the protagonist through a graveyard.

Throughout time, storytellers have been cherished.

Your task is to write a story in which the protagonist is one of those great storytellers.

Have fun with this one.

Being Brave

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            Some people are naturally brave. They climb trees, strap on skates and speed down bumpy sidewalks all without an ounce of fear. Are they brave or foolhardy?

            Imagine your character participating in a frightening activity. How does she act?

            Your task is to write a story about a time when your character did something requiring bravery.

            Include emotional details.

            Have fun with this one.

Illness Strikes

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            The sniffles might irritate you for a few days, perhaps even cause you to miss a day of work, but generally don’t keep your down for too long.

            More serious illness might even land you in the hospital for days on end. You get board being there, but realize it’s for the best. Until your stay gets extended over and over.

            Your task is to write a story in which your protagonist falls ill. Choose something long-lasting so as to provide necessary tension.

            Have fun with this one.

True Feelings

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            Honesty isn’t always the best policy. If someone asks if you like their new hairstyle, which you think is abominable, and you express those feelings, the friendship will be ended.

However, if that same person asks if you’d prefer Italian food or Mexican food, and you reply Mexican, they might laugh and say, “I knew that’s what you’d like!” Well, that’s okay.

            Your task is to write a story in which the expression of true feelings is a key part. Increase tension by making it a bit dicey for your character to speak the truth. Or by having him say what he really thinks, then having the other person become offended.

            Have fun with this one.

True Feelings

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            Many times, people keep their true feelings hidden. It could be because the work environment isn’t conducive to sharing, or it might be that the individual has a difficult time opening up, especially if the relationship is a bit testy.

            Sometimes a person will ask what someone’s feelings are about a given matter. When this happens, the response depends upon the fabric of the relationship, the look in the asker’s eyes, the body position, and even the status of the relationship.

            For example, a boss might not really want to know how an employee feels, while a beloved friend is depending upon an honest response.

            Your task is to write a story in which the protagonist is placed in a situation in which they are asked to express their feelings.

            Have fun with this one.

A Time When You Had no Voice

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            Many of our memories come from times that hurt us or made us cry. Not having the ability to speak your thoughts and feelings is an important one. Don’t think about a time when laryngitis stole your voice, but when someone chided you or told you to be quiet.

            The first time might have happened when you were quite young. For example, a teacher called on you to answer a question and then didn’t like your response.

            Maybe at home you said something that angered your parent and were severely disciplined.

            Your task is to write a story in which your character was silenced. You must evoke the emotions that arose so that the reader feels the pain, the hurt, the frustration, the anger.

Have fun with this one.

Flight or Fight

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Tensions have been brewing for some time. Meetings are quite unpleasant, with members shouting over each other, ridiculing each other’s ideas, jealousy abounds and the boss does nothing. Instead, he sits back, with interlaced fingers resting on his ample stomach.

Your character has an important decision to make: stay and fight, loudly voicing her opinions, risking the wrath of coworkers and possibly the boss, or submitting a letter of resignation.

It could be a schoolyard confrontation. Your character is a mild-mannered child who is being bullied by a much larger classmate. At some point in time, your character has to decide whether to fight back in some way, such as reporting the abuse to an adult, or slinking away.

Your task is to write a story in which conflict is center point.

Have fun with this one.

Without a Trace

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            Imagine making a phone call one afternoon to a best-friend cousin. Since you were small, you’ve shared everything: food, stories, adventures, dreams. One day, you call him: the next, he calls you. And it’s been this way for over thirty years.

            But this day, even though you’ve called at four-thirty, the designated time when both of you are generally free, he doesn’t answer. You are frustrated, but decide to leave a voice message. Except that his box is full.

            That’s never, ever happened before.

            You can’t just hop in your car and drive to his apartment because you live in California and he lives in West Virginia.

            You don’t have numbers for any of his friends: in fact, you’ve never met them since you’ve never had the time to fly there.

            Your cousin seems to have disappeared, something completely unheard of.

            Your task is to write a story in which a character disappears. Begin by establishing the character’s normal day. What she does, where she goes, who her friends are.

            Readers need this so that the fact of the disappearance is shocking.

            Have fun with this one.

An Old Acquaintance

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            Every now and then someone from our long-forgotten past reappears. It can be a pleasant surprise or one fraught with fear. In the first case, the two of you might go to a café, take a walk around a park, and then exchange contact information.

            In the second case, you might search for a way to disengage and escape.

            The stories about those events will be completely different: one filled with joy, the other with fright.

            Your task is to write a story in which someone from the past shows up, unexpectedly. Your character needs to show emotions appropriate to the scene you’ve chosen.

            Pepper the story with interesting dialogue, narrative and scene description.

Have fun with this one.

That Was Embarrassing

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            Some people embarrass easily. When someone compliments them, their cheeks redden. If someone likes their outfit, they blush. If they bring a well-liked dish to a potluck, they lower their head when everyone offers praise.

            Your task is to write a story in which your protagonist finds himself in an incredibly embarrassing moment.

            Come up with a list of potential causes, then narrow it down to the one that you would find the most entertaining to write.

            Your story can be humorous, serious, threatening, even humiliating.

            Have fun with this one.