I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how we build characters (both in real life and in fiction). So much of what we ‘know’ is based in the stories we tell about ourselves. That’s what this week’s prompt is all about.
Write a story in which a character tells the same story at three different times in their life.
This week I’m encouraging you to flip the order of your story to help you think differently about the storytelling process.
Start your story with the character walking away from a situation (figuratively-speaking) and then go back and explain how he/she got there.
On this day in 1972 John Young and Charles Duke were the 9th and 10th humans to land on the moon. They weren’t the first crew to touch down, nor were they the last (that was the mission after theirs). What they did was still mind-blowingly complex, but didn’t garner nearly as much attention.
Write about a character (or duo) who is doing something new and difficult, but they’re not the first to achieve it. What does that do to their attitude to the task, to their relationship with each other, to their relationship with the people around them?
In honor of all the kids I know who will be spending this morning filling in bubbles on test papers, let’s use the weirdness of the short story form to try something a little different today.
Write a story in the form of a multiple-choice test
I’m not going to write any more tips because I just came up with this prompt and I’m really, really curious to see what you you do with it!
If you share you story somewhere (and here’s why you might not want to) post a link here so we can come and read it.
Leave a comment to let us know what you wrote about today, and how it went!
How did you get on yesterday? Did you write a story?
Remember, set your own rules, and stick to them. If you miss a day, don’t try to catch up. Just keep moving forward!
Write A Story Containing These Words
distinct, weak, volunteered, slow, coming,
time, duress, suspected, shimmy, listened.
If you’re feeling brave, post the story in the comments, or on your own blog and link to it (like so many of you have been doing already).
Underline or bold the key words, or just let us read the story without noticing them.
This is a silly exercise designed to lower the bar on your expectations. But you may be surprised at what you manage to do with this prompt!
Go!
Check back every day for more prompts, and don’t forget to come back and leave a comment to celebrate your writing successes, every day!
How did you get on yesterday? Did you write a story?
Remember, set your own rules, and stick to them. If you miss a day, don’t try to catch up. Just keep moving forward!
Don’t worry: you don’t have to know anything about poetry and you don’t have to make this rhyme!
That’s it!
(Sometimes different forms can be surprisingly freeing so if you hate this idea, try it anyway!!)
If you know about the different types of sonnets (or want to research them) you could echo the thematic ‘rules’ that sometimes apply.
But don’t waste to much time worrying about that. Just write a story in 14 sentences.
Go!
Check back every day for more prompts, and don’t forget to come back and leave a comment to celebrate your writing successes, every day!
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A 6-part journey through the short story.
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