Writing Prompt #458: Age INappropriate

A character reverts to a child-like action to cope.

Today I curled up in an airport terminal hugging a stuffed bear and I didn’t care what any of the strangers thought and I cried.

Go.

Writing Prompt #457: There for Me

Today I found the strength to keep running up an escalator with a rock-heavy bag because I imagined how my best friend would respond to the trouble I was in, and his voice in my head wasn’t mad.

In your challenge today, have a character derive comfort or inspiration from someone who is not present.

[Note: I write these in advance, so this was written a week ago. I did not magically find an escalator at the center of my grandmother's farm.

Though, you know, bonus points for a character finding a random escalator on a farm.]

Writing Prompt #456: Strange Scruples

Whenever someone else’s scruples are punishing me, I try to imagine what I would have to believe to attack me the way they’re attacking me.

”If I believed that this video was a child-sacrifice vehicle, I would be as strict as you’re being right now.”

Unfortunately, this usually leads me to,  “…but I’m not making a child-sacrifice vehicle. So why are you so mean? ._.” 

Pick something completely innocent you did today (or something your character did) and figure out what it would take to make you vehemently oppose it. Now take a character doing it and a character opposing it, slam them together and see what happens.

Bonus points for time-traveling to tell yourself not to wash dishes.

Writing Promtp #455: How-To

Frame a story as a how-to for something strange, useless, or tragic.

I like telling stories of things that have somehow turned out well for me as lists of steps I took, because it shows how whatever good that's happened was NOT because I was smart.

I once sent a group of friends the story of a very scary day in a relationship framed as a dating how-to.


Have fun.

(Also, sorry for the long hiatus. It's been crazy, it's STILL crazy, I can't make promises, but hey! I like you and I'm here.)

Writing Prompt #454: New Register Blues

Since I'm learning to use a new cash register, this is the perfect time to challenge you to write a scene in which your character is forced to use technology with which he/she is unfamiliar.

Writing Prompt #452: PDA

Someone expresses affection publicly in a way that is inappropriate.

Writing Prompt 451: Time-Lapse

Contrast two moments in time to show how much a character has or hasn't changed.

Writing Prompt #451: Something Kissing Doesn't Fix

When I was younger, it always bothered me that in film and books kissing was used to solve problems.

Then I fell into my current glorious adventureand realized that the reason storytellers do this is that kissing actually DOES solve lots of problems. Sometimes emotionally reassuring the person comes before finding the logical stuff to say. And sometimes things are hard to say in words but easy to say with lips.

I have a double challenge for you today: First, a character solves a problem with a physical expression. Second, there is a problem physical expression doesn't solve, and they have to find another option.

Happy writing!

Writing Prompt 450: Compensating for Something

When I corral shopping carts, I run.

I know I'm not as strong as the guys and my arms aren't as long, so I can't take as many carts at one time, but I try to make up for it by doing my best, and my best means sprinting for hours in the hot sun snagging carts.

Write about a character who's compensating for a disadvantage.

Happy writing.

Writing Prompt #449: Waving a Hook

Today in my grocery store, I got to help a man who, judging from the bandaged stumps, had just lost 3 of his limbs.

He wasn't grumpy, or unpleasant, or...he didn't even seem shaken up. He was just very steady and solid and moving forward, despite the hitching limp.

Prompt: Your character meets someone who has just endured a tragedy of some kind.

Writing Prompt #448: Your Face is Offensive

Today at the grocery store, I had a conversation that went like this.

"[Someone] hates me. .__."

"Oh, sweetheart, it's your face. Your face is offensive. You can't help it. You should just apologize a lot."

Annnnd what is my life.

Your challenge for today is: A character is offensive to someone else, and they can't help it.

Writing Prompt #447: The Good Guy Who's Wrong

Recently I started reading Herman Melville's Don Benito. The hero of this story is a really nice guy, well-meaning and well-wishing to a fault, thinking the best of people to the point that you fear for his safety, overall a very nice guy.

What's fascinating is that he's also horrendously racist. Not in a movie-villain Nazi kind of way- in an "I seriously believe this stuff" kind of way. He's very nice. He's also just horribly wrong.

I'm challenging you to write a character who is a really good guy or gal, but is really, REALLY wrong about something.

Writing Prompt #446: Wall-Breaking

The little assumptions that drive friends apart start really small. "She doesn't want to hear about  the thing consuming my life right now; I shouldn't bug her." "She's too busy now." "She has other friends; she won't want to talk to me." Until eventually it's, "I don't know how to talk to her anymore."

And maybe you were right in some early, little assumptions, but also, maybe someone is freezing behind a door you built out of legos.

I wish me-8-months-ago was better at checking in on friends and making absolutely sure that I annoyed them instead of leaving them in the cold.

But you know what's cool? The conversation that breaks through that door.

Both of you hurt. And there's a lot of letting go being understood to understand, a lot of being mis-judged to forgive, a lot of "you're more important than this." There's grief for the time lost, but in the middle of everything that's bleak and hurting, there's hope. There's connection. You're talking again. You're going to be friends.

I'm challenging you to write a reconciliation, but if you have a lego-brick door, forget this prompt, forget this blog, forget writing a reconciliation and please go live one. People are too important to leave in the cold.

Writing Prompt #445: Missing Action

You know that moment when you realize you're awake because you miss someone?

Sitting on Facebook hoping the little green light by their name pops on, checking your email over and over...it's not like something is going to happen. It's just that you feel better waiting around in a place where something could.

It's not a good way to get to sleep on time.

How do you deal with missing? Day-to-day missing, big-deal missing, five-minute missing...write about a character making moves and choices based on finding what they miss.

Writing Prompt #444: Waiting

Right now, I'm waiting for something that I really, really want. Like, I've never gotten to want anything like this before, EVER. And it's going to be a long, looooong time.

How can you find adventure in the waiting?

How can you find purpose in standing still when you want to move forward?

Sometimes, true love waits an awful long time. Write about a character who waits heroically.
(And if you've got any tips for a waiter like me, let me know in the comments below. ;) )

Writing Prompt #443: Knocking on Windows

When something scary happens, sometimes it takes a while to get over it.

After a tornado hit my family's house, my sister and I would turn on the ceiling fan and count off how long we could stand the sound before we turned it off, just trying to get back to normal again.

I'm challenging you to write a character who is made nervous by something irrational, because of something that happened.

Is it a fear of flashlights or knocks on car windows (I relate!)? Is it nervousness about a particular location, or sound, or word?

Make him or her work around it for some really good reason.

I'm totally chill with ceiling fans now. I hope all your fears go away the same way. It feels good to not have to be brave.

Writing Prompt #442: Re-engaged

Someone picks up an activity that they haven't done in a long time.

Hello. I'm busy. I'm maybe a little broken. But I'm back, for now.

Writing Prompt #441: twenty-three dollars short

Today I got to do something I'm really bad at: I got to forgive myself for a mistake.

That's really hard for me. It's easy to remember that other people are worth more than their stumbles. It's easy to remember that they can overcome their hurdles and I can love them through no matter what.

But today I was twenty-three dollars short after a mistake that I had made before and I wondered if maybe I wasn't good enough to do my job, if maybe I should quit, if maybe I wasn't qualified to even drive my car and I should stay huddled in my room where I couldn't mess anything up for anybody else.

Today I had to find reasons to believe I was worth forgiving and continuing to believe in, and I found Bible verses.

I'm challenging you to write about a character who has made a mistake. How does he forgive himself? How does she move forward?