Tag: Writing prompt

Reality Show Mishap

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

If you’ve ever watched one of the many reality shows on television, you know that despite careful planning not everything runs smoothly. Participants might use words that have to be deleted. They might remove sufficient articles of clothing that the censors would shut down the show.

While you might not have ever appeared as a contestant on a reality show, events in your life might have emitted the same feelings that contestants experience. When you were in elementary school did your teacher hold spelling bees? Did you audition for a play or for a chair in an orchestra? Was there a time when you submitted an application for a competitive position in a company?

All of these scenarios could become fodder for a story.

Your task is to write a story in which your character participates in some type of reality show type of competition. Begin by setting the scene. Does your character apply through a written format or by submitting a video? How does she react when she is accepted?

Does the show take place in a studio or on a remote island? Does it involve stunts that could cause harm or is it an intellectual pursuit?

As the story develops some type of tragedy takes place. It could be a broken hell or a shattered bone, but the most important thing is that it alters, in some profound way, the subsequent events in the story.

Have fun  with this one.

 

If the World was Ending

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Close your eyes and picture the people you love the most. What makes them special to you? Is it their smiles or the fact that they love you back? Perhaps it’s their ability to forgive and forget. Maybe they’re sense of humor lifts your spirits or it’s because they listen even when you aren’t looking for answers.

We live in perilous times. Fires rage, hurricanes and tornadoes wipe out huge swaths of land. Floods destroy urban and rural property. It gets too hot and too cold, depending upon where you live. There are shootings, hostage-taking, kidnapping and car-jacking. You just have to be in the right place at the wrong time to find yourself in the midst of a life-changing event.

Your task is to write a story in which the known world is ending. Begin by identifying the how, where and why. Perhaps a little research is needed to reinforce your knowledge of how these events impact life.

Come up with at least two characters to populate your story. They could be a couple of good friends. Casual acquaintances or total strangers. They could even be enemies.

Begin with establishing the known world through development of a strong setting and instances where readers will become aware of the depth of the primary relationships.

Add in a healthy enough does of dialogue buffeted by narrative to enable readers to use their senses to witness the frightening event.

Have fun with this one.

Coincidences

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Sometimes a series of unrelated things seem to happen at the same time, creating a situation that is both unexpected and mysterious. Often these events bring joy but they can also trigger unhappiness.

For example, let’s say that while on vacation in New Zealand you happen to run into a friend from high school that was unaware of you going there. You might say, “What a coincidence,” followed by shared laughter.

Perhaps you carried a load to laundry to the garage. The washing machine doesn’t get all the water out of the clothes and the dryer isn’t working properly either. Again you would declare that a coincidence.

Your task is to write a story in which a coincidence plays a major role in the plot. First barnstorm a list of possible occurrences that could be linked together. Then figure out a way to write them into a plausible story. You can choose fantasy or realistic fiction. Or, if you prefer, you can share with readers things that happened in your life.

Make the story interesting by including details that add a sense of humor, such as dialogue combined with narrative. You can play with setting as well by placing the event in an unusual location.

Have fun with this one.

Magical Beings

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Think about a fantasy story that intrigued you. The images that come to mind will encompass the elements of the world itself (the setting), the characters and their quests (heroes and antagonists) and the magical beings that either help or hinder the success of the quest.

While not all fantasy includes faeries and other such creatures, many do, especially those for younger readers. Belief in alternate realities inspires many children to explore different types of stories.

If you intend to write fantasy, one factor that you need to consider is how to populate your world. Will there only be humans in conflict with other humans as they attempt to find or steal some type of object (such as the Holy Grail)? Or will orcs, wargs, ogres, wizards, trolls and other magical beings participate in the telling? If so, how will they enrich the story?

Your task is to write a story in which at least one type of being plays a major role. First do some research to discover the known options. If none of them appeal to you, create your own by beginning with its physical appearance and then by bestowing a combination of uses and powers.

How will the presence of this being influence the story? Will it be friend or foe to your protagonist? In what ways will it affect the telling? It can either move the action forward or slow it down by presenting obstacles for your character.

Have fun with this one.

Love at First Sight

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Picture yourself in a crowd. A variety of people are milling about. Perhaps it’s a birthday party or maybe it’s a dance at the community center. You spot a good friend on the opposite side of the room and as you wind your way through the seemingly tangled mess of humanity, a face appears that takes your breath away.

Is that love at first sight? It might be depending upon what happens next.

What is your story of falling in love? Have you ever shared it with someone outside of the immediate family? If you did, what was their reaction? If not, why?

Your task is to write a story in which characters meet and something happens. A spark. A tingle. A magical moment. It can be fiction or nonfiction. You could make it predictably sappy or there can be friction between the two as they navigate their way.

Begin by setting the scene. This might be a time to have weather details included, for isn’t spring the time of love? Allow your readers to feel the environment through sight and sound.

Make the developing relationship interesting enough so that readers want to know more.  Bring in complexities and complications. Use dialogue to enhance the progression of the romance.

Have fun with this one.

Long Lost Friend

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Do you remember what it felt like when a friend that you hadn’t seen in a log time crossed your path? Did you experience joy or dread? Did seeing her call up fond memories of places you’d gone and things you’d seen? Maybe she tormented you, called you names, and so you fear that she’ll start it up again?

We’ve all experienced the appearance of someone from our past, so this is a story that all readers can relate to. Begin with the characters. Who are they and what happened in their past that perhaps they preferred to keep buried?

Now imagine a story in which a character runs across someone from the past.

Your task is to tell that story. Complexity is crucial for readers need to feel those conflicting emotions.

Begin with the setting.  The place and time ground readers in the story. Expand to include emotional reactions as you explore how the characters feel and react. Use dialogue to draw readers into the relationship.

Have fun with this one.

 

Rules and Regulations

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Probably the first rules you remember had something to do with home: Make your bed. Eat all your food. Don’t hit Jimmy. Obey Mom.

As you moved into the world, you learned new rules, primarily around school and community: Finish your work. Don’t talk back to the teacher. Take turns on the playground.

Eventually rules dealt with work, driving, and keeping the city safe.

There were also unstated rules, things we understood that we had to obey even though no one articulated the reasons why. For example, no jaywalking, changing clothes frequently, looking neat out in public.

Your task is to write a story in which rules and regulations play a part. Rules will depend upon the ages of your characters and how you see them interacting with others. Your story can be realistic or fantasy, humorous or serious.

Have fun with this one.

Rewrite a Known Fairy Tale

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Children love hearing fairy tales. The stories take kids to places dark and scary, filled with villains and heroes. Add in an element of magic and the scenes brim with mystery.

Many of the protagonists are male who rescue the maiden from evil forces. However, in modern retellings the roles are often switched. What if it had been Maid Marion who stole from the rich? What changes would there be to the story?

Imagine Prince Charming having lost a boot and Cinderella searches far and wide for the foot that fits. The Prince might have been the one abused by evil cousins while Cinderella lived in a luxurious palace.

Your task is to rethink a fairy tale that you loved as a child. Where will it take place? Who are the characters and what things do they do?

Hang on to enough of the essence of the original story so that your readers will recognize it. Give readers drama through danger and resolution from chance or magic.

Have fun with this one.

Paying the Bills

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Perhaps you are fortunate enough to be able to pay your bills on time and so have excellent credit. When you need a new car, no problems. You are automatically approved for a loan. You decide to buy a condo and the lender smiles as they hand you papers to sign.

Maybe you’re struggling to pay the rent and put food on the table. You pay off the gas company so you have heat and light but postpone payment to the credit card company. You know this puts you in risk of losing the card, but you have no choice.

Your task is to write a story in which paying the bills plays an important role. You can tell the story of an individual who has no financial worries until something happens that puts him at risk. Or you can share the concerns of someone who is just getting by.

The important point is to ensure that your readers feel the joy or the pain, that they walk in the shoes of your protagonist. Dialogue would be important as well as narrative descriptions. Seek a balance between the two.

Have fun with this one.

The Bus Ride

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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.