LET YOUR CHARACTER TALK
Tell a story where everything we learn about the character comes from the things they say.
Does what they say match up with what they mean? Iin what ways do they lie about themselves when the speak? How do people react?)
Tell Us About Your Character Through Their Voice
Go!
This week all the prompts are going to focus on Character. Here’s the first:
REWRITE A CHARACTER FROM YOUR PAST
Pick a character, a real person, from your past. Put them into a story. Be as kind or as cruel as you like (you might want to change their name…)
Use a real character.
Go!
PICK A SONG TITLE AND USE IT AS YOUR STORY’S TITLE
Scan this page quickly and pick a title that leaps out at you. Browse around a bit if you need to but use the rule of three: if you haven’t found something on the third page, tough. You’re stuck with it. Pick one and write the story.
Use the title as the title of your story. (It can be very, very tenuously connected to your story.)
Steal someone else’s title for your story
Go!
STEAL A LINE FROM AN OVERHEARD CONVERSATION
Dialogue and story sparks are all around us. Today, listen for a line in a conversation (if you spend the whole day alone at home, turn on the TV or the radio for three minutes). Pick a phrase that you hear. Use the line somewhere in your story today.
This morning I overheard a woman say,
“Karen, have you been to the new Casino yet?”
I might write about the casino or about Karen, or about a coffee shop in a small town with a regular cast of visitors – one of whom is a street person on her regular round of public spaces.
What will your eavesdropping yield?
Go!
Get A Graphic Prompt From Flickr
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Pah! I say pictures need us to tell their stories.
Flickr’s “Explore” page is a great place to find arresting images that suggest a scene or a character or a story. Click around, refresh the page, until you find an image that stops you in your tracks. Look at it for five minutes. If, at the end of that time, it hasn’t suggested at least one story or character you could love, move on to another image.
But you can only do this three times. The third time, if you still don’t love the image…tough! You’re stuck with it. Write your story using that picture anyway.
Go!
What would it be like to meet your hero?
Write a story where you main character gets to investigate the answer to that question. This can be as realistic or as “Twilight Zone” as you like.
What if you met your hero?
Go!
Go to the front page of Wikipedia.
Quickly scan the “In The News” and “On This Day…” sections, or even the Featured Article. If something catches your eye, use it as the spark for today’s story.
For example, on the day I’m preparing this prompt I saw “In the News…Two Trains Collide”. That could be a spark for a story about two people on the trains and how they experienced the crash; the story of an investigator sifting through the wreckage – what’s his story?; someone waiting at a station for a passenger who never arrives; a thriller about sabotage.
In “On This Day…” it happened to be the anniversary of the explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear power plant. That sparked these ideas for me: school children in a small northern European country who aren’t allowed out to play one afternoon after the explosion because of contamination fears; rescuers going into hell; a researcher walkign through the nature-reclaimed exclusion zone 20 years later; a local, being interviewed. What it did to her life; the power plant’s thoughts as the disaster unfolks; what if it had gone differently: worse?; a satirical story about a disaster at a solar or wind plant instead…
Grab a story spark from the front page of Wikipedia
Go!
Take an incident from your past – one shining afternoon; one horrible moment — and give it to a character (like or unlike you).
Play it out as it happened or as you wish it had happened. Take it from the beginning through the middle to the end. Make us see it. Make us care.
Relive a moment in time.
Go!
Here we go: May 1, the start of StoryADay May!
It’s always tempting to get excited on Day 1 and launch in to a really long, involved story. Or maybe your story-telling muscles are out of shape and you end up writing a long, rambling story because you don’t have a framework and the story runs away from you.
Either way, biting off more than you can chew on May 1 can be a bit discouraging. Especially when you wake on May 2, work the cramp out of your fingers and your brain…and realise you have to do it all again!
So today’s prompt is a simple one:
Write a story of not more than 1,200 words.
That gives you 100 words for intro, 100 words for summing-up (or for the twist) and 1000 words to play with in the middle. (Hint: something should have happened by the time you’re 400 words in, to make me want to keep reading.)
That’s it. Happy writing, and see you tomorrow!
Today’s prompt is, rather appropriately, about the moment before something big.
It’s the breath before the scream; the crouch before the leap; the blink before the resolute stare; The moment with her hand on the door frame before she leaves for good.
LEAP!
• Make sure your story travels from start to end: don’t just write a scene, make someone or something change between the first word and the last.
1. You should use the prompt in your story (however tenuous the connection).
2. You must write the story in one 24 hr period – the faster the better.
3. Post the story in the comments — if you’re brave enough.
4. Find something nice to say about someone else’s story and leave a comment. Everybody needs a little support!
Share this challenge on Twitter or Facebook
Some tweets/updates you might use:
Don’t miss my short story: Leap! #WriteOnWed #storyaday https://storyaday.org/wow-leap
This week’s #WriteOnWed short story prompt is the deep breath before the plunge! #storyadayhttps://storyaday.org/wow-leap
Come and write with us! #WriteOnWed #storyaday https://storyaday.org/wow-leap
See my story – and write your own, today: Leap at #WriteOnWed #storyaday https://storyaday.org/wow-leap
Sherlock Holmes has Victorian London.
John Irving has New England.
John O’Hara’s short stories couldn’t work without their small-town Pennsylvania backdrop.
Even fantasy settings need to feel real in order to succeed (think Middle Earth, or Earthsea, or Deep Space Nine). So today we’re going to practise writing stories in which the location is as vivid as any character.
And in this age of Google Maps, Wikipedia, Flickr, Pinterest, a billion hobby blogs and online tourist information sites, there is no excuse for writing a thin, anemic version of any place you can imagine. (Even if you write fantasy, you can base the details in something real.)
Simcoe St in downtown Toronto, ON.
The Rules:
- You should use the prompt in your story (however tenuous the connection).
- You must write the story in one 24 hr period – the faster the better.
- Post the story in the comments — if you’re brave enough.
- Find something nice to say about someone else’s story and leave a comment. Everybody needs a little support!
Share this challenge on Twitter or Facebook
Some tweets/updates you might use:
Don’t miss my short story: Location, Location, Location! #WriteOnWed #storyaday http://wp.me/p1PnSG-qb
This week’s #WriteOnWed short story prompt is to write in a concrete location! #storyaday http://wp.me/p1PnSG-qb
Come and write with us! #WriteOnWed #storyaday http://wp.me/p1PnSG-qb
See my story – and write your own, today: Location As Character at #WriteOnWed #storyaday http://wp.me/p1PnSG-qb
As our month wraps up and we move on to new challenges (editing? submissions? contests?) I’d love to hear your takes on this prompt:
Go!
Today’s prompt is a stanza from “The Lake At Dusk” by Robin Robertson (from Swithering, Harcourt 2006)
Rinsed after the rain,
The forest is triggered and tripwired;
When I pause for a bird call
The silence takes time
To reassemble around me
Like a dream retrieved.
No-one will find me here.
Go!
Today bring another of Cid‘s graphic prompts and it’s my favourite so far:
For instructions on how to play see the instructions page.
Thanks Cid!
…of course it doesn’t have to be a man and it doesn’t haven’t to be anything to do with a boat, but here’s today’s prompt:
Go!
It’s that time of year again.
I spent the evening watching my kindergartener receive a certificate and getting ready to move into First Grade. He’s already been at the same school for three years, and is moving on to…the same school, but next time in 1st Grade.
Still, it was an ending, a moment of transition, a biggish deal (mainly because the grown-ups made it that way).
So today’s prompt is:
Go!
Today’s prompt is a little word-association-y prompt. I have a great guest post coming up for you on The Myth of the Solitary Writer.
The author, Kirsten Simmons, suggested today’s prompt. What can you do with:
Go!
I’m keeping the prompt brief today because I don’t want to influence where you take this one. I could ramble on about why I chose it, but I’d rather just see what it means to you and your characters.
Go!
I was talking to a neighboor who had just had her first baby.
(He was super-cute, by the way. Lots of hair.)
Anyhoo, it struck me, as we chatted, how completely huge this moment was for her. My kids seemed positively ancient y comparison (8 & 6) and I realized motherhood had sort of crept up on me. It was only as I heard hearing my friend say “we’re getting the hang of things” that I could look back and appreciate how completely my life changed the moment I carried that first baby through the front door.
There are so many moments in so many lives — Tiny things, big things, things missed — that change a life completely. The protagonist doesn’t always appreciate the significance of the pivotal moment at the time. But short stories can highlight them beautifully.
Go!
I spent Saturday afternoon at a small town annual parade here in the eastern part of the US. There were marching bands, local civic organizations and even Mummers from Philadelphia.
Small towns breed all kinds of stories and traditions and secrets. They are ripe settings for stories, especially when you set your story in or around an annual event.
Photo by Olivia Hutcherson on Unsplash
Today is the birthday of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
This is close to my heart, not only because I love mysteries in general and Holmes in particular (and everything it has inspired), but also because, when I was at university, I used to go past Sir Arthur’s old house every day: he was a student at Edinburgh University and his lodgings are still in use by the university.
So, today’s post is:
It needn’t be a mystery or a Sherlock Holmes-like story, but perhaps you could have a faithful sidekick whose job is to stand around and say ‘what did you just do there?’ like Dr Watson. Or perhaps you’ll use the word ‘elementary’. Or write something with a brilliant, or manic, or extremely logical lead.
Go!
Um…yeah. Your prompt for today (for no particular reason) is
Go!
On May 20, 1932 at 7PM, Amelia Earheart set off from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, Canada, to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. The flight took 13 hrs and 30 minutes. Now there are somewhere around 300 transatlantic flights every day, carrying hundreds of passengers each. Five years after her historic flight, Earheart would disappear, along with her navigator, Fred Noonan, between Lae, New Guinea and Howland Island.
I think this suggests a prompt in lots of different genres: speculative fiction and historical; stories set on planes, stories set across continents and cultures; explorers; innovators; tragedy; scientific inquiry…so today’s prompt is:
Go!
Your prompt today is to write about something that is inexplicable to the people in your story. You may choose to offer, as a twist, a modern, scientific explanation, or you may leave it to the imagination of the reader.
Go!
Today’s prompt was inspired by a board game we were playing tonight (we’re big board gamers in our house). Strictly speaking the prompt should be “tennis court” but I’m allowing the simple “court”, since that has more meanings.
So here’s your prompt:
Go!
Today’s prompt is a guest prompt from Shane Arthur of the Creative Copy Challenge website.
Their regular challenge provides ten words that their readers weave into a story. Some are hilarious, some are moving, some are silly, but everyone has fun. Check out the site for examples.
Today Shane has provided this list of words and challenges you to create a story containing all ten. I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
1. Regular
2. Sun
3. Wild
4. Muck
5. Shoot
6. Frustration
7. Hand
8. Take
9. Push
10. Trip
Go!
Shane is a freelance editor/proofreader. He runs the writing prompts site Creative Copy Challenge in his three seconds of spare time.
This is personally & selfishly inspired today.
Today I’ve had a big, emotional family event that we’ve been building up to for weeks (and anticipating for what, months? Years?). I’ve been looking forward to it, I had a wonderful day, and now that everyone has just left I feel … as if someone has cut my strings. I’m sagging, I’m flagging. It’s not a bad feeling, but it was entirely unexpected.
The word that formed in my head wasn’t as complicated as “relief” or “pride” or “excitement” or “exhaustion”.
The word that formed in my head was:
So that’s your prompt: Over.
Over to you, now.
Go!
Well, the facts speak for themselves: making time for fitness is like an investment in ourselves that pays us back in increased concentration, productivity and creativity.
Today I’ve asked Lisa Johnson from LisaJohnsonFitness to give us some pointers about how to integrate exercise and creativity without derailing our writing schedules.
I particularly like her 10-minute burst idea – check it out below.
Also, Lisa has offered to answer any questions you might have about integrating fitness into your routine. (Normally she charges people handsomely for the privilege!) Just post your questions below.
Thanks Lisa!
Hunched over our laptops, tapping away on the keyboard, writers feel like we have to be writing to be productive.
But, to get those creative juices flowing, maybe what we really need is to push away from the desk, slap on those sneakers and head outside.
Taking a break to get your body moving will:
The 30 minutes that you spend in motion will be more than made up for through increased creativity and output. I promise. )
So pick an activity that you enjoy. It doesn’t have to be a prescribed fitness routine with weights, reps, and sets at the gym. It doesn’t have to be the “Om” of a yoga class, but it can be if that’s what you like to do. Some options to consider:
Also, if the idea of being away from your writing for an hour just seems completely unfathomable, you can always break workouts down into 10-minute bursts. I tell this to clients regularly. When you’re transitioning from one task to another, do a quick 10-minute burst of cardio. This can be as simple as running in place or skipping rope or throwing on some tunes and dancing around your living room. The brain break will give you a clean slate as you start your next task. It’s amazing how well this works.
If you’re looking for overall guidelines, you want to do a minimum of 150 minutes of cardio per week; anything above that is gravy. Your heart will thank you, your doctor will thank you, and your readers will thank you!
If you have any questions, just ask below, and I’ll answer them.
Cheers,
Lisa
Lisa Johnson has been a certified personal trainer and Pilates instructor since 1997. She owns Modern Pilates in Brookline, MA and has been a fitness blogger for three years at Lisa Johnson Fitness.com. She also blogs for FitStudio.com (a Sears company.)
http://lisajohnsonfitness.com
http://modernpilatesboston.com
Today’s prompt goes along with this post about fitness for writers:
What T shirt would your protagonist wear to workout? Would it be from an old road race, a college T to remind him or his bachelor days, or a beer shirt picked up at a bar, maybe it’s a pricey designer tshirt that screams money and well-heeled … how did they come by the shirt?
Thanks to Lisa Johnson for the prompt!
Lisa Johnson has been a certified personal trainer and Pilates instructor since 1997. She owns Modern Pilates in Brookline, MA and has been a fitness blogger for three years at Lisa Johnson Fitness.com. She also blogs for FitStudio.com (a Sears company.)
http://lisajohnsonfitness.com
http://modernpilatesboston.com
Today’s story should feature a character who is modeled on the outrageous relative who you loved as a child, because they said the things your parents wouldn’t say, made the jokes that made the other grown-ups blush, and was too old or bold to care about The Rules…
Your character needn’t be a relative, but they should be some authority figure who acts in an unexpected way.
(In loving memory of Alexandrina Doig, the original SuperNan.)
Words do more than carry meaning; words have a physical aspect too.
Even for readers who no longer have to move their lips while they read, certain words carry with them the relish of being said aloud:
These words are wonderful for showing, not telling: unusual combinations of consonants, words borrowed from other languages, words that make you pout or go ‘ew’ as you say them.
The prompt: write a story that uses descriptive words that make your mouth move.
(This prompt inspired by this excellent talk by Michel A. Arnzen at the Odyssey Workshop.)
Go!
The only qualification to be a ‘Superstar” is a desire to write and support your fellow writers.
A supportive group of committed writers, who meet virtually, support each other’s efforts, and inspire each other.
Registration for 2024 open now-June 8, 2024
A 6-part journey through the short story.
Starts Jan 3, 2025
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