The Prompt
Write About Your First Time – this could be your character’s ‘first time’, a kiss or something more.
(If you don’t want to write about a romantic relationship you can still talk about the excitement, build-up, and connection aspects of going through any experience together for the first time.)
Listen to my podcast conversation with Dr. Lanae St. John
The Author
Dr. Lanae St. John, DHS, CSC, ACS, is a board-certified sexologist, relationship coach and parent to two daughters. She is the author of the book Read Me: A Parental Primer for ‘The Talk’. You find out more about Lanae at her website, themamasutra.net
Read A Book, Support An Indie
This year’s StoryADay May official bookseller is Reads & Company, a privately-owned indie bookseller in Pennsylvania. Any purchase from the site this month supports Reads & Co.
LANAE ST. JOHN, READ ME: A PARENTAL PRIMER FOR ‘THE TALK’
Leave a comment and let us know how you got on and what you’re writing about
I wrote part of my novel where my protagonist finally stands up to her controlling, domineering father. Things get very messy but, having got this far many times before, she had put in place a foolproof plan ensuring a very different outcome this time.
This prompt sewed the seed of how to deal with a part of my novel where I was stuck! Thank you so much. I love the podcast too.
I instantly wanted to talk about our first yacht. I was a non swimming., landlubber. I married a passionate sailor. My journey from being truly terrified to feeling the greatest joy imaginable, is worth telling. The roller coaster of emotions on my personal journey and then on every passage undertaken on our first yacht, Bethany, needs to be told.
I had no trouble writing 845 words which are going to be fleshed out easily into a short story or maybe incorporated into a future novel. I don’t know why I had not thought of this before.
My protagonist is free from her vows. Her first kiss with Ilia.
ooh, first kisses! all of that excitement and anticipation…
This was helpful in getting me to write about Wanda, a character in my long short story that I’ve been working on for a while. She is a highly religious gal celebrating a special occasion with a guy she believes to be religious as well. A couple of drinks loosen things up for her first sexual encounter.
Thank you for this prompt!
oh boy, alcohol and religion… a potent combo when mixed with s#x.
I haven’t posted in a while. I had fun with today’s prompt and went with the old classic of first words to your crush. Enjoy.
When Jason first met Hannah, he fell instantaneously and failed time and time again to make any kind of impression, except the wrong kind. But he was never deterred. They were both fresh-faced and naive back in those days and ready to break out into the big bad world of the music industry. It took all his will just to build up the courage to speak to her, and when he did it was a disaster of biblical proportions. There she was, top of her class, reaping the rewards of solo after solo after solo. She was like royalty and never noticed him. And he couldn’t altogether blame her. He was quiet and had a tendency to blend into the background.
It never came easy for him to make friends or meet new people, and it was damn near fear-inducing for him to speak to a girl let alone ask her out. His previous bottled attempts during his school days had instilled in him almost a preemptive feeling of rejection. It was a foregone conclusion that he would be ignored, laughed at or being ran away from as if he was Frankenstein’s monster. He had been down that road too many times to count and was content with liking Hannah form afar, and spared himself the torment of another failed crush.
His only solace was his best friend. Gran. She was the only one could pick him when he faltered, and had always assured him that love would find him one day when he least expected it. It was thanks to her that he made the bold decision not to be deterred by past mistakes and at least alert Hannah to his existence. Which he did, but old habits died hard, and his usual string of bad luck and ill timing, followed him to his detriment upon his first encounter with Hannah.
She had taken to staying behind after class to pick the brain of their music teacher, who had encouraged all his students to dream big when it came to the prospects of the future. And that spoke to Jason, and not only in a career defining sense. For thanks to Gran’s words and Mr. King’s teachings he had envisioned a future where he and Hannah could be together.
He waited after class, outside the classroom, and practiced his first words to her over and over again, words that would have to be memorable and make an impression. ‘Hi,’ he said to himself on repeat, trying every variation of tone he could muster. No, he thought. He would have to say something to connect with her on a more personal level. Something more original. ‘Hi’ was not memorable enough, it had to be bigger. The perfect conversation starter came to him. He knew what would get her talking. The thing she loved talking about most, her dog. He couldn’t remember the dog’s name, but figured he could work his way around it with ease. She had been all over Facebook and Instagram posing with the cocker spaniel. He was her whole world, her best friend. If he struck up a conversation about her bestie then it would sure endear himself to her. It could only end well.
The door swung open and Hannah appeared.
‘Hi,’ he said.
Hannah turned and stared with a light smile, unsure of his intent, or what to say.
Jason didn’t help himself as he froze. Froze with fear. He knew what he had to say but the words wouldn’t leave his quivering mouth. After what seemed to him like an eternity, he finally realized his courage. It was now or never. His fate rested on it. If he said nothing, his future with her would always be dead in the water. What was the worst that could happen?
‘How’s the dog?’ He asked, a smile etched on his face.
Hannah’s smile faded, as her face wretched with horror, and tears began to flow. All he could do was watch as she ran and wailed in the opposite direction. As it turned out the dog was dead. It died two nights before his ill-fated first words to her. He hadn’t checked her Instagram in a few days, and if he had he would have seen the tribute that was paid to Rusty, her deceased bestie and companion.
ooh, i didn’t see that coming. first words are so nerve-wracking!
Great!
I was able to think of my MC in my WIP here who experiences his first same sex kiss!
how sweet! 😍
I have that first between the protagonist and the young woman who will emerge later as his antagonist. Thank you, Lanae St. John and Julie Duffy.
how sweet! 😍
That’s quite a cliffhanger!