Tag: Writing using an object as inspiration

The Inventor

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

Thomas Edison and Benjamin Franklin are well-known inventors. Considering the available resources of their times, they took the world to new places. Henry Ford did likewise. Not only is he credited for the first car, he also came up with the idea for assembly-line work.

Smaller inventions have impact as well. Think of the shoelace, the whisk, the cast iron pot. Roller skates led to roller blades. Did snowboards precede skateboards? Imagine how the chair lift changed skiing and the outboard motor impacted fishing.

Your task is to write a story in which your protagonist is either struggling to invent something, or has done so and is trying to convince the market that her product is worthwhile.

Make it interesting by showing the issues that are impacting the character. Let readers see the setting, but also hear words shared.

Tension will pop-up as your character interacts with the device and with others.

Have fun with this one.

The Invitation

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

            A small card comes in the mail that you weren’t expecting. You hope it’s something good. Perhaps an invitation to a friend’s baby shower. Or to a bridal shower. She’s finally getting married!

You begin planning. What to wear, what to buy. Maybe even what dish to bring in case it’s a pot luck.

Finally, after dreaming about all the possibilities, you open the card. What goes through your head as you slide the card out of the envelope? As you look at the pretty picture on the front? As you slowly open the card and read the words?

Your task is to write a story in which your character experiences the range of emotions that accompanies the arrival of an invitation in the mail.

Set the stage with the setting, with the character, by employing both narrative and dialogue. Obviously this means there must be a secondary character, someone with whom discussion can take place.

Have fun with this one.

Strange Occurrences

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

            Sometimes things happen during our day that can’t be explained through rational thinking. Perhaps the sky darkens unexpectedly and strong winds arise, followed by a deluge that no one had foreseen, reminiscent of fantasy stories, yet not.

            Maybe a strange critter scampers by while you’re out on a hike that only you see. It resembles something real, but it’s coloring is a bit off. When you point it out, your friends think you’ve gone bonkers. And you agree.

            Your task is to write a story in which something bizarre happens. Perhaps a whole bunch of strange things happen, much like in a children’s story. You can choose to use the voice of a children’s author or that of an adult fantasy writer.

            Scene is important. There need to be sufficient details that readers can see what’s happening. It also has to be believable in the world that you have created. Dialogue helps to establish scene and gets readers into the heads of characters.

            Have fun with this one.

Favorite Activity

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

            Recall a time when you participated in an activity for the first time, only to discover that you truly enjoyed it. Perhaps you liked it so much that you incorporated it into your life. When given a chance, you’d go for a hike, toss out a fishing line, make something from yarn or go bowling.

            These activities enriched your life by adding a texture that was missing. Stories were told based upon your exploits or creations shared that you made with fabric, wood or yarn. Friendships developed among those who shared your interests. Together you went places and did things that perhaps you still recall in vivid detail.

            Your character needs to have a favorite activity. It might not be the driving force of the story, but it’s there in the background. It influences the way she thinks and interacts.

            Your task is to write a story in which your character either discovers an activity that she enjoys or participates in one that she hates. Details are important. Dialogue is needed to bring the character into the activity, for most often we are drawn to new experiences through people in our circle. Bring in the senses and the emotions. Readers will want to be there as your character explores the activity, from beginning to end.

            Have fun with this one.

Spin the Globe

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

            Imagine spinning a globe, dropping your finger on wherever it stops, then declaring that’s your next vacation destination. Hopefully you’re going someplace you’ve always wanted to see. But what if it isn’t?

            Would you pretend that your finger didn’t hit that spot? Choose the one you really wanted? Or stay with the original?

            Now place that globe before your protagonist. Why has she chosen this method for planning a trip? Is she adventurous? Foolhardy? Has she already gone everywhere she’d hoped to be and so is open to new, random choices?

            What does she do if she’s pleased? If she’s disappointed?

            Is this enacted in the privacy of her home or does she make a big production in front of family and friends? Doing so in public allows for tension, dialogue, comradery, and banter.

            Include both description and dialogue, but especially emotions. After all, this requires seeing the emotions flash across her face.

            Have fun with this one.

Unexpected Inheritance

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

            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.

Through a Child’s Eye’s

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

            Do you remember the first time you went to a zoo? Drove through a big city? Rode a boat or a train? Going to a movie with a parent or a friend?

            Children experience the world with wide open eyes. The first time they do something it’s as if a miracle occurred. And it’s not just their eyes that show excitement, but their entire bodies.

            Because everything is new, raw, unexpected, children have no basis with which to compare whatever they are seeing. Their brains categorize experiences based upon that which they already know.

            For example, a child has already learned what a ball is, but imagine their awe when looking at a gigantic ball of rubber bands! It defies anything they know and so they examine it carefully, looking to see if it fits into those characteristics that, in their minds, define what makes something a ball.

            Your task is to write a story from a child’s point of view as she confronts a new experience. You must include the feelings of confusion, internal deliberation and awe.

            Have fun with this one.

Cleaning out the Junk

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

We all have junk stored somewhere in our homes. It might be on the shelves out in the garage or buried in a closet, but it’s there. We hang onto camping gear that we haven’t used in years, clothes that don’t fit and by the time they do, will be out of style. We shelve books that we read once and believe that we’ll read again next to those that are waiting to be read.

We collect, thanks to friends, cookbooks that have never left the shelf. We have spices that are out of date and cookware that is badly in need of replacement.

And storage containers! Think of all the ones we keep but never use!

If we’ve got junk, then our characters do as well. This is something for you to think about. What kind of junk does she have and where does she keep it? Why does she hang onto these things?

What does he intend to do with all the stuff he has hidden away? Is he going to have a garage sale or give it away?

Even if you never use this information in a story, know what your characters have saved and what they intend to do with it informs us as to motivations and intent.

Your task is to think of one of your characters. What kind of person is he? Athletic? Then perhaps there’s a ton of equipment in a closet. Artistic? Then maybe there are canvases or clay stashed away.

Make a list of the interests your character has had in the past and currently has now. Think of all the things she’s attempted to master over the years.

Then under each activity, list the materials that go with each activity.

When you are finished, choose one activity and one stash of equipment.

Write a scene in which she is faced with her stuff. What decisions does she make and why?

Have fun with this one.

A Lost Object

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Think how many times you’ve lost something. Can you recall how you felt? Frustrated? Angry? Disappointed?

When you lose something, it tears you up inside. One time I’d purchased a nice watch as a gift for one of my sons. When it came time to wrap it up, I couldn’t find it. I searched through all of my normal places, but couldn’t locate it. In tears, I finally went outside and dug through the garbage! That’s where it was. It must have been carried out with the trash. Yes, I was relieved, but also incredibly disappointed in myself.

Call to mind one of your characters. Picture this individual. Think about how this person speaks, walks, behaves, treats others. Now imagine this person losing something. Will he behave in character or become a totally different person? Will she tear the house apart, looking high and low, or simply give up?

Your task is to make a list of objects important enough that your character will diligently search to find. Try to come up with at least five different ones. Then narrow the list to one, by choosing that which would drive her nuts if she can’t find it!

Write the story of the search. Remember to include feelings, for this is what is most crucial to the story. We need to understand how he is feeling, not just how he is acting.

This might be a challenge for you. It is easy to write about a character going through her day, but much harder to describe her feelings.

Have fun with this one!

A Special Object

On By Terry ConnellyIn Uncategorized, Writing promptLeave a comment

Think back throughout your life until you discover an object that evokes a strong sensory experience. It could be your grandmother’s apple pie, climbing a backyard tree whose bark often scratched your skin, of hearing the sound of mourning doves and thinking of a baby crying.

For me, it would be my mother’s apple dumplings. She only made them once a year, which made them all the more special. She’d sit at the table to peel and core the apples. Often my siblings and I would hover, waiting until she began slicing, hoping that she’d give us at least one. Why was that slice so special? I never understood. I think it was the simple fact that my mother did it for me.

Make a list of at least three such images. Under each record the sensory memories invoked. Try to cover all the senses, even that of time.

Your task is to then write a story, either real or make-believe, that includes that trigger. Your character has to react in a logical way. If the trigger causes fear, then write it. Joy? Show us. Longing? Let us feel the desire building to a crescendo.

When you are finished, reread or allow someone else to read it. Allow yourself to fall into that moment of time. Do your words capture the feeling? If not, then make changes.

Have fun with this one.