Tag: writing about relationships

Lying

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            It would be nice to never have to lie, but that’s a naïve idea. Telling the truth, can at times, create difficult situations that have serious repercussions.

            Imagine that a loved one emerges from her room wearing a new outfit. She asks how she looks in it. Your honest opinion is that the color, style or fit aren’t complimentary. However, if you tell her that, she might get angry, might fight back, might hide in her room. So you smile, say something noncommittal such as, “Looks nice.”

            What if instead of a loved one, it’s your boss asking your opinion about a project idea. You have experienced this exact situation before and so know that it you express doubt, all hell will break out. When you look at the details, you know immediately that it’s a lousy proposal that could cost the company a client, or waste money, or even lead to a potential lawsuit.

            Sometimes we have no choice but to lie even when we know that to do so, isn’t right.

            Your task is to write a story in which your character is forced to either lie or tell the truth. Make the stakes high enough that the character has something to lose.

            Use a combination of narrative and dialogue. There must be tension! And conflict.

            Have fun with this one.

Being Invisible

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            There are many ways in which individuals are unseen that have nothing to do with fantasy.

            Obese people have felt that invisibility for most of their lives. Clearly, they can be seen: who could miss a two-hundred-pound (or more) person strolling through a store? No one, but that doesn’t consider the shocked looks, the averted eyes, the glued eyes, the snickers, laughs and cruel jokes.

            Often when Caucasians see a person of color approaching, they give the same types of looks, the averted eyes, the terrified looks, the crossing to the other side of the street. While the person of color is as visible as the obese person, scared reactions tend to discredit those feelings.

            Your task is to write a story in which invisibility plays an important role. You can choose fantasy to tell your story or base it on the real world. What’s important is to catch the essence of what being invisible means and how it influences events.

            Have fun with this one.

The Chef

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            Some are excellent cooks. They can make something grand out of ordinary things. On the other hand, many can’t cook worth a lick. There are also those in the middle: with the help of recipes, they can put palatable food on the table.

            Your protagonist might have secret talents that aren’t revealed in the story, but that influence his actions in some way. For example, he meets friends for lunch at a fancy restaurant. He’s the only one that understands the names and descriptions, surprising everyone. From there perhaps he invites them over for a gourmet dinner.

            Or maybe he’s so clueless about the menu that he selects a simple salad, trying to be safe.

            Your task is to write a story that involves food in some way. If your character is a marvelous cook, write a scene in which something happens that alters the taste or consistency of the meal. You can do the reverse with the lousy cook: she concocts an entrée that’s the hit of the pot luck.

            Description is important, but build tension through dialogue. There must be conflict of some kind, either internal or external, or even both.

            Have fun with this one.

Welcome Phone Call

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            Do you have a good friend that you miss? Have you called them but they never call back? What do you do?

            I’ve given up. After always being the one reaching out and never having the effort reciprocated, I’ve stopped dialing. Imagine my dismay when that friend doesn’t call, no matter how much time passes.

            Your protagonist most likely has similar tales to tell. Long lost friends or acquaintances that no matter how often she reaches out, they never respond in kind. Does your character write them off? Sit back and not dwell on past times?

            Your task is to write a story in which your character is missing a good friend. Perhaps one of them moved far away, making getting together challenging. Or maybe they got new jobs that are time intensive, making socialization difficult.

            Establish setting and tone first. Show us the character in her natural world. We want to see her reaching out, being rejected, and experiencing loss. Show us how she handles the passage of time. And then, what happens when the call finally comes!

            Have fun with this one.

Cooking Lesson

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            Picture yourself in the kitchen, trying to cook something for the first time. Back then you probably had little experience to rely on, so you had to follow the recipe. If it turned out fine, then you were lucky as most of the time, we fail. The pasta might not be cooked thoroughly enough, the sauce might not taste right and maybe a key ingredient was left out.

            Most of us learn from a parent or spouse. Some, thanks to social media, go to videos or television programs for ideas and instruction. Learning from a video isn’t quite as emotionally charged as standing next to someone who might not be the best teacher.

            Your task is to write a scene in which the tension is so thick that it taints the experience. Your character might not be a willing participant. That generally happens when a teen is forced into learning from a parent. What could possibly go wrong? Everything.

            Include lots of dialogue. That will allow readers to see and feel what is driving the tension.

            Have fun with this one.

The Wizard Did It

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            Every story needs a villain. In the fantasy world, there have been helpful wizards (think Gandolf), but most often, evil ones. Helpful wizards don’t always turn out to be all that helpful. They intend to do well, but things go wrong. Instead of starting a warming fire, they set the forest ablaze. Or what should have been a nourishing drink turns out to make someone very ill.

            We all expect the evil wizard to cause harm, so it might be a huge surprise if the wizard actually does something kind.

            Your task is to write a story in which everyone suspects the wizard. Begin with the event. What happened, how did the wizard get involved, how do the people feel, and what is the eventual result?

            Is the wizard the main character or someone else? Is the wizard friend or foe? Where does the story take place? Castle? Forest? Mountain top?

            Are there a lot of people nearby or is the location remote?

            Lots of decisions to make, keeping in mind that readers want tension. On top of that, keep in mind that tone impacts the story as well. If you write a comedic story, the overall tone is completely different if terror and damage occur.

            Have fun with this one.

Unexpected Inheritance

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            When someone we know dies, the first thought that comes to mind is sorrow. We will miss them if they were close, and possibly regret not knowing them better if they were not. We buy a sympathy card and if possible, attend the funeral services.

            We don’t rub our hands together in anticipation of whatever benefits the estate might give us.

            Or maybe we do.

            What happens when inheriting something is the furthest thing in your mind? And when you find out you are getting a portion of the estate, what goes through your mind?

            Your task is to write a story in which your character is the beneficiary of an unexpected inheritance. It can be as large as a piece of land or as small as a two-dollar bill.

            Make it interesting and perhaps a bit humorous. Let readers see the range of your character’s the reactions, from grief, to shock, to surprise and elation.

            Use both description and dialogue to make for an interesting story.

            Have fun with this one.

A Sweet Story

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Around Valentine’s Day advertisements appear in which a beau gives a potential lover a red heart-shaped box of rich chocolates. Candy releases pleasure chemicals into the brain, so it symbolizes the sweet feelings in a relationship. The giver intends to make an impression and imply that their love is durable, lasting a good long time.

Who doesn’t like a bit of sweetness now and then? And if it comes from someone that you care about, it gives a warm, pleasant feeling.

Your task is to write a story in which candy plays an important part. It could begin with the making of chocolate by a chocolatier or the buying of the candy at a store that specializes in expensive chocolates.

Your protagonist can be the maker, the giver or the recipient, whichever you feel the most comfortable writing.

Readers will want some form of tension. It could come in the creation of something new, some recipe that doesn’t work out right at the beginning. Perhaps the giver agonizes over the perfect choice of candy, be it the hearts with imprinted sayings, peanut-butter stuffed chocolates or expensive truffles in a gold-foil wrapped box.

And then there’s the recipient who might now expect or appreciate the gift or the giver!

Narrative description is important, but so is dialogue. The dialogue could contain some humor as well as angst.

Have fun with this one.

The Interview

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            When needing to fill a job opening, employers interview prospective candidates. They ask about relevant experiences and training, interests and hopes in terms of longevity at the place of business, strengths and weaknesses, in order to gauge how well the individual will fit.

            Imagine that, instead of being interviewed for a job, that your character is being asked personal questions, such favorite food, preferred social activities, types of books read and movies watched and where he likes to spend free time. Such questions delineate personality, and if used to form the character’s perspective, allow readers a deeper understanding as to how a character might react in a given situation.

            The answers might never show up in story, but they could. Perhaps a new play opens, one that she has been looking forward to seeing. She might ask a friend or two to go with her. She might stand in line for tickets. She might get dressed up for a dinner date before the show.

            Your task is to interview your character asking the types of questions that reveal deeper thoughts and interests. Record both questions and responses.

            Write a scene in which the character is presented with an opportunity to participate in a preferred activity. Who does he invite to share it with? How does he invite the person? What happens before, during and after?

            Use a combination of narrative and dialogue. Include some friction so that the story has tension.

            Have fun with this one.

Hike in the Woods

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            You’ve made plans to join friends for a hike in the woods. You’ve never been there before, but one of your friends claims to have been there several times before and so knows the trials. What could go wrong?

            Think of all the possibilities, from mundane to terrifying, that could happen. Stalked by a wolf? Injured by a hunter who mistook you for a deer? Lost when you went down an unfamiliar path? Slipped on a treacherous hill and careened over the edge? The list is endless.

            Your task is to write a story in which your hike goes wrong. Begin by looking at photos of forests to get an idea of how tall the trees are, how deep the forest, how narrow the path. Become familiar with the types of trees, edible plants, poisonous fauna. Research building shelters, finding shelter in caves, overhangs and amongst briars.

            Create your hiking group. Include a variety of personalities: the overconfident, the narcissist, the timid, the follower. How they interact will impact the flow of the story arc.

            Set the story in motion. Remember to build up tension as your characters walk along.

            Have fun with this one.