Tag: Writing prompt

A Twist on the Traditional Love Story

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

            Movies, TV shows and books often feature love stories between two individuals who don’t like each other when they first meet, have several crusty encounters, begin to see the good in the other, then fall in love at the end. Predictable, yes, but satisfying to many or there wouldn’t be news ones popping up every day.

            What happens if there isn’t love at the end? If the two go off in different directions, never to run across a sunny beach and fall into each other’s arms? Or what if it isn’t the wonderfully kind protagonist isn’t the one to find true love but the cantankerous store owner who treats everyone rudely?

            Your task is to write a different kind of love story. First you must decide the angle of approach. The villain falls in love or the almost-couple never gets together. Next establish setting. Is this a fantasy, historical story or fictional account?

            Have fun with this one.

Divine Act

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

            Sometimes unexpected things happen. For no rhyme or reason, a gift arrives in the mail, no sender’s name included. Or perhaps your character is demoted and no explanation is offered.

            Perhaps it’s something uncontrollable, such as a major storm that shuts down the highway you intended to take, or it takes down a series of power poles in your neighborhood, robbing you of power.

            Are these occurrences some form of a divine act? Or are there other, logical explanations?

            Your task is to write a story in which something completely unexpected happens that borders on the bizarre. It needs to be impactful enough that your protagonist’s life is altered in a major way.

            Have fun with this one.

Murder or Accidental Death?

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

            Everyone loves a good thriller. Something nefarious happens in the first chapter, then the chase begins to find the perpetrator.

            In most cases, a body is discovered, in a bedroom, barroom, lying in the street or even hanging in the garage. Was it murder or an accident?

            Your protagonist sets off to solve the case.

            In cozy mysteries, the protagonist isn’t a detective, but rather an ordinary person with an inclination for intrigue. She could be a dentist, doctor, baker, contractor, just about any profession. The main requirement is the ability to doggedly pursue the chase.

            Your task is to write a story in which a body is found and then the case must be solved.

            Have fun with this one.

Release the Monster!

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

            Imagine a scene in which a frightening monster arises, eating, mauling, destroying, everything and everyone in sight. Who comes to the rescue? Does it depend upon what kind of beast? For example, if it crawls up from underground, are there special forces that arrive? But what if it’s from outer space? Who then?

            Perhaps it’s not a fantastical monster but rather a tyrannical teenager? The boy who rules the house, or the girl who demands all the attention? What if the teen behaves perfectly at school, but runs roughshod at home? Who, then, tames the beast?

            We’ve all seen toddlers in action. Stomping feet, pounding fists, tossing things about, screaming a the top of their lungs: who brings the kid under control?

            Your task is to write a story in which a monster is the antagonist, a pretty scary one at that.

            Have fun with this one.

Personal Artifact

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

            Imagine cleaning out a relative’s house and finding something you thought had been thrown away or lost. Holding it brings a smile to your face and lights up your eyes.

            The artifact could be valuable, such as a cameo once owned by your grandmother, or it could be sentimental, such as an old teddy bear.

            Imagine also that another relative lays claim to the item. An argument ensues. Angry words are exchanged. And there’s a possibility that fisticuffs break out.

            Stories such as these appear regularly in the news.

            Another consideration is that a stranger finds the items, perhaps using a metal detector on the beach, or when tending a flower garden. What happens then?

            Your task is to write a story in which the discovery, response and feelings play a major role.

Have fun with this one.

Surprise Benefit

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

            The prize always goes to the winner, right? And the winner, in most stories, is the good guy, the protagonist. He might get a vacation at a resort in Bermuda, or win a new EV, or even a shopping spree at a high-end store. We cheer for him, support him, and feel happy for him.

            What if the antagonist receives the benefit? How does that change the story arc?

            If the benefit is inside information that allows her to pull off a heist, is that a good thing? Or perhaps she wins a million dollars that allows her to escape capture and set up a new life in some far-off island?

            Your task is to write a story in which the antagonist is the winner, the recipient of the prize. Make the benefit large enough to have a huge impact in the trajectory of events.

            Have fun with this one.

Hurdles

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

Life is a series of hurdles that we have to jump. Or at least attempt to jump.

The problem is that some hurdles are more challenging than others, some more pleasant than others to achieve.

In track, of course, there is an event involving hurdles. Athletes run at incredibly fast speeds, clearing a series of metal hurdles along the way. That’s something I could never have done for two reasons: my short legs and my terror at jumping.

For most of us, hurdles are more mundane. It could be a death in the family, rent to pay, a search for a new job, trying to find a mate in the dating pool.

Your task is to write a story in which your protagonist is faced with a substantial hurdle that, in some way, is blocking her way forward.

Make the hurdle realistic, but challenging. Doable, but not without great difficulty.

Have fun with this one.

Unexpected Action

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

            Your character lives in a rut: the same thing practically every day, at about the same time, with the same circle of friends. Then something changes, which is unexpected and not in character.

            The others in the story have no idea what’s going on. They don’t know what triggered the change.

            There’s a mystery that needs to be solved.

            Your task is to write a story in which your character does something so far out of character that no one understands what’s happening.

            Hae fun with this one.

Flight or Fight

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

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

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

            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.