It is exciting to find out that more of our members are doing some of the writing prompts. If you haven’t done so yet, try to this month. You can also do any writing prompt from another month or from somewhere else.
You can write the challenge as long as you want, even if it leads to a short story or a longer work. But when we share them at the meeting, we need to remember there are more people with something to share. Because time is limited, we need to keep a reading to approximately 500 words or a couple of pages.
Prompts:
- Your main character reacted badly when he/she was told they would have to travel to < ……..>.
- Going through your grandmother’s attic you find an old flute. When you blew into the mouthpiece the oddest thing happened.
- The thief who steals rare books always leaves a sonnet behind.
- Create a scene of chaos. Perhaps a character is panicking, a bunch of different things are going on at once, there’s a huge mess, or someone is running out of time—or all of the above. (prompt from GRRM – George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones author)
- Your main character wants something badly. Have him/her convince another character to give that something up. Use seduction.
Words: hesitate — cool — freedom — cheek — nebulous
Exercise: Internal Conflict
Internal conflict is a device used in fiction writing that enables the author to portray character development. Characters face internal conflict when they struggle to make a choice. Struggles may involve fate, morality or personal beliefs. It can also be mental struggle arising from opposing demands or impulses.
Your main character has had a really bad week. He was stopped on a speeding violation and got into an altercation with the arresting officer. Now he’s spending the next 60 days in jail. This is going to really mess with the timeline of your novel. Write a transition scene that delves into the interior goals and conflicts your character has yet to face. What else has he got to do? Try to show character growth or change during this trying time. Be sure to use your characters thoughts, actions, appearance and dialogue.