Hi, all! It’s Monique again with another “Friday Favourite,” a prompt that is a generic premise for a story that is also the description of a classic (or favourite!) novel.
The Prompt
A stranger to a remote area encounters a family with a mysterious and troubling past.
(Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte)
Tips
How does the stranger find out about the family’s past? Is it through written material or a person with direct experience of the events?
Where does the the story take place? A scientific research station in the arctic or in the ocean or in space? Or a more traditionally ‘remote area’ like the Yorkshire Moors where Wuthering Heights takes place?
Have fun!
Monique Cuillerier has always loved to write. She also enjoys procrastination. These two interests are frequently in conflict. Her stories have appeared in Round Up Writer’s Zine, Black Heart Magazine, (parenthetical), and elsewhere. She blogs sporadically (although more frequently during Story A Day!) at notwhereilive.ca
Not exactly following the prompt, but here’s mine: https://storiesin5minutes.wordpress.com/2015/09/18/the-familiar-stranger-storyaday-post/
This one threw me for a loop. I was hoping to have it done yesterday, but I was drawing a complete blank! Inspiration struck at last, and while it doesn’t match the prompt 100%, I think it does a decent enough job.
https://unusualstrangeness.wordpress.com/2015/09/20/story-a-day-challenge-day-18-the-lord-of-richardson-manor/
That’s another great prompt Monique. A few years ago I visited the Bronte Museum at Haworth, which was quite inspiring. I’ve not written my story yet but I’ve started to sketch it out. The Bronte family in modern times! I’ll post it in a day or two.
Thanks and your idea sounds great.
I’ve been to the museum in Haworth, too! (Actually went the same day I went to visit Sylvia Plath’s grave in Heptonstall, which ties in with last week’s prompt, although I hadn’t thought of it until just now :-))
I took some liberties with today’s prompt, but I had a good idea that I wanted to pursue, and I think I just about pulled it off. You can read my story here: https://storiesbystolle.wordpress.com/2015/09/18/day-18-liberating-paris. The password is 18.
That’s an interesting story, I must admit I was confused up until almost the end. I thought it had shades of Agatha Christie, a mystery with people returning from the dead and then the full tale being told at the conclusion.
I’m not generally a big fan of stories that have this wrap-up business at the end, but it’s something that’s done in all sorts of mystery stories I’m familiar with, and I think I pulled it off just enough for it to not seem too obvious. I think I dipped into Hitchcock’s bag of tricks for some of this, but there are indeed some shades of Agatha Christie. I mean, I did use her first name for a character!
This was definitely a fun story to read, Chris.
If I could offer a bit of constructive criticism (as someone who’s devoured mystery novels while growing up), the big wrap-ups at the end tend to work best when they’re delivered by a character.
So if, for example, Geoffrey had stepped forward at the end and explained everything, it would have flowed smoothly. Having it all explained by the narrator seems a bit jarring.
The mystery itself was a good one, though. 🙂
Another twisted fairy tale. I am feeling the urge to go back and read the original Grimms’.
http://susan-reads.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-good-samaritan.html
That was wonderful! Now you’ve got me wanting to read the Grimms again too! 🙂
Another good story, leaving it to the reader’s imagination.
This one was so fun! I’ll be honest I don’t normally like these particular kinds of prompts because I get stuck thinking of the actual classic novel. This time however something came to me immediately. Since I despise Wuthering Heights this was particularly great to write for me. You’ll understand when you read it.
http://writerishramblings.com/2015/09/18/story-a-day-challenge-day-18-the-choice/
What’s wrong with “Wuthering Heights”? Come on! But I really loved your story! Your humor is sublime. 🙂
Yes that was fun. I was expecting a life or death situation, and it was all over a box of cereal! Well done, an amusing little story.