Tag: writing idea

The Bus Ride

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Perhaps you’ve never ridden a bus late at night through a poorly lit area, but you can imagine what it would be like. Shady characters lounging on corners. Strange noises filling the night. Dogs growling, barking. Gun shots ringing out. Sirens. Flames. Shouts.

Consider who is on the bus with you. Are the passengers only little old people sleeping with their heads resting on the windows? Or might there be that one person that makes goosebumps appear on your arms? What causes that reaction? Is it the person’s appearance? Actions? Or is it due to a preconceived notion you have learned from things you’ve read or watched on television?

Your task is to write that story.  Begin with the setting. Establish who the driver is in terms of how she acts toward the passengers. Is she indifferent? Does she challenge anyone and prevent them from entering?

Describe the things that pass by the windows and how they make your character feel. Sensory details are critical. Show us the passengers through your character’s eyes. Make the scene scary by building tension. Something could happen, or maybe not.

Have fun with this one.

Pausing for a Reality Check

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Impulsivity is a plus in certain fields of employment. Imagine being faced with a decision that has to be made now, not ten minutes from now or after consulting with a team of experts. Quick thinking and fast reactions save lives in an emergency, solve problems in a production line, and move people safely out of a burning building. Take-charge people can be a benefit to an organization.

Now imagine a scene in which acting impulsively causes serious problems. The man rushes into a burning building to save his cat, gets trapped and has to be rescued by firefighters who could potentially be injured or killed in the process. Or say she’s driving a car, the light turns green and she jumps out into the intersection because it’s her turn. A car running through the light hits her, killing her passenger and breaking several bones in her body.

In both cases pausing before acting would save lives.

This is called taking a Reality Check. Before acting, you stop for a few seconds and analyze the options or the motivations for your thinking. It can be a powerful tool when employed correctly.

Your task is to write a scene in which your character needs to utilize the Reality Check method. Create a complex setting in which important decisions have to be made. Perhaps your character acts rashly, leading to a domino effect of negative consequences.  Maybe your character is the victim of someone who made a poor decision. Readers will need to feel the danger, sense the thinking process and care what the result is.

Have fun with this one.

Speed Dating

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Imagine wanting to find the love of your life but you don’t want to hang out in smoke-filled bars with a bunch of drunks. Online sites make you a bit nervous as there is no way to know if the person really looks like their picture, lives where they say they do or have a functional life with gainful employment.

While reading the paper one morning an ad appears for an event to be held at a local community center. You’ve never tried speed dating before, but it sounds like fun.

The problem is that all kinds of things could go wrong. The range of concerns is endless.

Your task is to write a story in which a lonely person goes to a speed dating event. Consider the setting, tone and voice. Point of View is critical for readers want to experience the situation through their senses. Something humorous might appear, something a bit dangerous, or there might be true love.

Have fun with this one.

Ballads, Love Songs and Lullabies

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

            In times before written word, music was used to transmit the cultural stories that bound a person to a community’s history. Balladeers were valued members of society because they had the skill to keep memories alive. Music was an important part of the culture.

Love songs and lullabies have a common purpose: to tell someone how much they are loved. At a wedding, the first dance of the newly married couple is done to a song that has special meaning to them. It is often a love song.

Babies grow up hearing the special songs that their parents heard, and that their grandparents heard. The songs can cause giggles or put little ones to sleep. Because of the handing down of lullabies, the words seldom change despite the impacts of time and technological change.

Your task is to write a scene in which a ballad, love song or lullaby plays a major role. You can research songs that are part of a given culture or write new ones of your own.

Decide when, where and why the character will sing the song or hear the song for the first time. Also consider how the character reacts when the song is performed. Emotional details are important.

Have sun with this one.

Precious Gems and Metals

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Olympic athletes are awarded gold, silver and bronze medals. Beaus often gift their intended with diamonds set in silver. Pearls, topaz, emeralds and many others are prized for their beauty. Platinum and aluminum are valued for beauty, yes, but also for their ability to be crafted into useful items. Coins have been molded out of metals since ancient times. Cars, bikes and motorcycles all rely on metals for construction and operation.

Walk through your home and take notice of everything that contains metals or gems. Take note of how each item is used and where it came from, whether as a gift or something you bought for yourself. How valuable is each now?

The value and usage of precious materials, throughout the ages, has depended upon the culture of the region. More advanced areas crafted weapons and embellishments out of metals and gems. Less developed areas used them for trade to get those things they needed to survive.

Your task is to think about a situation in which precious gems or metals play an important role in the story. Your protagonist wants something and perhaps she can procure whatever that is by using these materials. For example, she wants to impress a date, so she wears a diamond necklace. Maybe his father’s birthday is coming so he scours the stores to find pearl cuff studs.

Include details and dialogue that allow readers to see the thinking processes that go on, the purchase or trade, and the end result.

Have fun with this one.