Best of Intentions

Some of the most interesting writing can center around a character's intentions.  Did she mean to sideswipe the car?  Was he being helpful because he likes her, or just to be polite?  In every case, you can write several paragraphs or pages of dialogue, debating what a character's motivation was.

In the prompt below, argue for and against likely motivations of the main character.  Have fun, and keep writing!


Prompt: Best of Intentions

"He meant to do it," the soccer mom whined.  "I know he did.  Your son knocked mine to the ground intentionally!"

"My son didn't no such thing," the wronged father yelled back.  "Your boy just didn't get out of the way!"

The referee suppressed the urge to show the headache developing at the raised voices.  It was bad enough that the fans and parents yelled encouragement.  At least that was a happy yelling.  Somehow, angry yelling was always worse.  Luckily, the referee knew exactly what had happened.  Unluckily, neither parent would believe him...

Beware: Clichés Ahead

It's okay to use clichés in your writing, but not as a substitute for coming up with good dialogue.  "The building is surrounded," and "beauty is only skin-deep" both have their appropriate uses, but there is probably a more interesting way to convey those messages in your writing.

For example, as a Star Trek fan, I appreciate the danger of the Borg, but their line about resistance gets a bit repetitive.  Something that is meant to instantly identify an enemy instead becomes trite and boring.

In the prompt below, complete the scene without using any clichés.  Have fun, and keep writing!


Prompt: Clichés Ahead

The cat was far too curious for her own good.  Her eyes tracked the beams of sunlight, daring from dust mote to silvery spider's web until she spotted a likely bit of prey...

Nice Try

Sometimes it helps the pacing, plot, or tension to write a scene where your main character fails.  This can be entertaining to the reader if that failure is an unexpected one.  No, don't write that an expert runner trips over his own feet, or that a chef forgets the main dish and burns it in the oven.

Instead, make the failure something outside the character's control.  The audience will empathize more, because everyone has had a day where nothing seemed to go right for them.

In the prompt below, write up an unusual way for the main character to make a mistake.  Have fun, and keep writing!

Prompt: Nice Try

She should have known better than to get so close, but it seemed like a simple enough task.  Janine climbed deeper into the giant engine, prying back flaps and twisting off lids, looking for the elusive problem.  When people brought this kind of vehicle in, the trouble could only be one of a few things - but so far, every area she checked was in perfect operating condition.  Maybe it was...

Well... that was weird.

Setting the scene for your main character to find a clue can be dramatic or subtle.  The most important part is to draw the reader's attention to what is unusual about the setting, circumstances, or other characters.

For example, if your main character walks into a restaurant and then immediately leaves, what convinced him to choose a different place?  Was it seeing a rat dart between the tables?  Or did he see someone he wanted to avoid?

In the writing prompt below, describe the setting and/or other characters and draw attention to the strange, noteworthy aspects, the things that will help your main character decide what to do next.  Have fun, and keep writing!


Prompt:  Well... that was weird.

The door wasn't locked.  That wasn't unusual - not for this time of day - but the eerie quiet of the place was strange.  At lunchtime, this restaurant was packed and loud.  Chatter of customers almost drowned out the raised voices of the kitchen staff and waiters, who shouted lunch orders to each other.  Instead of dozens of people, I saw...

Steeped In Tradition

One good way to set a scene is to describe a tradition that the main characters are familiar with.  The tradition can be one that most people know about, or something completely new.  Either way, it presents an opportunity to show backstory and character development through internal dialogue or by having characters reminisce.

In the prompt below, try writing up the scene both ways: once from a single character's perspective and once with two or more characters discussing the tradition.

Have fun, and keep writing!

Prompt:  Steeped in Tradition

Without meaning to, students at the boarding school made the first snow of the season into a tradition.  They could hardly wait to...

Movie Wrongs

Why is it that great (or even mediocre) books rarely make equivalently good movies?  Arguably, if the pacing is done right, then a book should feel like it's moving along as well as a good movie.  And yet... movies often seem to fall short.  (I'm thinking of a certain 'boy and his dragon' adventure story from a few years ago.  No, not the animated one.)

What are your thoughts?  Should Hollywood stop making movies based on books?  Or should movies-from-books just be done better?

One movie that did this well was based on a novel by Dean Koontz.  Yes, the movie changed some of the rules, and glossed over a few details, but it was mostly faithful to the novel.  I'll accept a certain amount of simplification when moving from page to screen, and that movie simplified without dumbing down.

For today's prompt, finish the scene in the movie theatre.  Have fun, and keep writing!


Prompt: Movie Wrongs

"Why?" Al complained, "Why would she do that?"

Someone whispered urgently for silence a few rows back.

"I mean, she's got to know he's hiding in the closet, right?"

"She can't hear the music," Al's viewing companion suggested.

"Yeah, well, that's no excuse," Al continued, but in a quieter tone.  "If it was me..."

Unexpected Phrases

It's easy to fall back on shorter, simpler phrases to express an action.  Sometimes, this is good.  If sentences carry on for too long, you can lose the readers' interest.  But you can lengthen a sentence without making it boring.

In the prompt below, change out the verbs for a few phrases that better express the action.  For example, instead of 'He glowered,' try something like, 'His glare threatened instant incineration.'

Have fun, and keep writing!


Prompt:  Unexpected Phrases

• The train rumbled to a stop.
• We wandered across the parking lot, looking for the misplaced car.
• She folded her hands and waited.

Excuse me?

One way to liven a scene is to add conflict.  This could mean an open insult or a subtle-but-inconsiderate act.  While a shouted insult or rude hand gesture is more blatant, a perceived slight gives more room for interpretation, consideration, and misunderstanding.

In the prompt below, write up the scene both ways.  Which one is more entertaining, the perceived insult, or the obvious one?

Prompt: Excuse me?

He had to be joking.  Then again, if this was his idea of a joke, she didn't find it funny.  Briskly, she crossed the room, ready to demand an explanation despite half a dozen intrigued and whispering onlookers...

Character Tags

Description doesn't have to be boring.  A physical description of important characters can give the reader a more thorough experience of the world you're writing.  Be careful not to do this for all characters though - or you may never get to the meat of the story.

For today's writing prompt, write up a short paragraph for each character, using the words to build a vivid image of the character.

Prompt: Character Tags
Jensen: Gray eyes, brown hair, medium height, expensive clothes, otherwise unassuming.
Clare: Green eyes, red hair, tall, loose-fitting clothes, ready smile.

Life of the Party

Exploring a party is a great way to introduce your main character, and show how he or she interacts with the world.  Is it a large celebration, or just a few people?  Is your character hiding in the garden, regaling the host with a lively anecdote, or showing off dance moves?

This is also a good way to advance the plot.  Overheard conversations, numbers scribbled on cocktail napkins, and drunken confessions can give your main character important information for later on.

In the prompt below, write up the party scene.  Have fun, and keep writing!

Prompt:  Life of the Party

I hate parties.  Everyone smiles too much and laughs too loudly, like they're afraid of looking ungrateful.  I have no such fear - I am ungrateful.  But, it's good business to attend the company Christmas party, so here I am.  My jacket is barely hiding a stain from shrimp sauce, Jim from Accounting is droning on about quarterly dividends, and the DJ is treating us to music that would make elevator riders cringe.  Well, at least...

A House Dilapidated

There are a few ways to introduce a scene with notable buildings.  You can:

1. Skip the description, and jump right into the action or dialogue,
2. Describe the building in technical, architectural terms, or
3. Describe the building with simile and metaphor.

Since the surroundings could be important to the action or dialogue later, we'll ignore Method 1 for now.

In the writing prompt below, complete the scene set-up twice.  (Follow Methods 2 and 3.)

Have fun, and keep writing!

Prompt:  A House Dilapidated

Technical:  We drove to the top of the long, driveway.  At intervals of twenty feet, gargoyles were placed atop stone columns.  Those decorations gave way when the driveway turned in a circle around a green space with several small bushes and a granite plaque with the estate's name carved in bold, recessed letters.  The house - a mansion really - was...
Figurative:  We drove to the top of the meandering driveway.  Alongside the car, all the way up, gargoyles seemed to rear up out of the semi-darkness, scowling in disapproval at our trespassing vehicle.  Finally, they retreated, and we swerved to avoid a spot of grass and shrubs that crouched amid the pavement.  The house...

Speeches

Long-winded speeches in prose can serve several purposes.  A speech can:

• Hide foreshadowing,
• Illustrate a character,
• Give background information, or
• Provide a backdrop of chatter.

In the prompt below, interrupt the speech with thoughts or dialogue from other characters.  Which of the purposes is the speech accomplishing?

Have fun, and keep writing!

Prompt: Blah, Blah, Blah

"Additionally," the professor droned on, "you can obtain copies of the new textbook from a few different vendors.  Personally, I recommend the bookstore on campus, or an online vendor that provides next-day delivery.  Remember, this is going to be an integral resource in the upcoming session--"
"Then why didn't he mention it in the first class?"  Eric whispered in the back of the classroom.  "It's practically midterms already!"
"The hardcover is preferable to the paperback," the professor continued, either unaware of or unwilling to hear the criticism of his timing, "as the hardcover will provide you with better value and a more durable reading resource.  Furthermore..."

Diverting Dialogue

Writing rapid conversation between two individuals often results in one of two problems.

1. The writing devolves into a 'he said', then 'she said' whirlpool, or
2. The writer tries to forego stating which person is speaking.

While the first is boring, the second can be too confusing for the reader.

If you're going to have a conversation between two characters, and want to leave out each character's name, make sure that the speaking style of each character is distinct and separate.

In the writing sample below, complete the conversation without using any writing outside of quotation marks.

Have fun, and keep writing!

Prompt:  Diverting Dialogue

"You can't be serious?"
"When have you known me to be otherwise?"
"But... it ended up there?"
"That is how the anecdote was related to me.  I cannot vouch for its veracity, but..."

Worst of Both Worlds

Let's face it... readers enjoy drama.  They don't want the drama to be real (they get enough of that in day-to-day life), but they like seeing someone else deal with similar - or worse problems than their own.

For today's prompt, take an already difficult situation, and make it worse.  Then, try to write the main character clear of the trouble.

Have fun, and keep writing!

Prompt: Worst of Both Worlds

Why was it that after a mutiny, no one wanted to be captain?  She glanced into Disposal, where the last brave leader was now so much mulch and gore.  Ah, that was why.  That might also explain why she'd been unanimously elected to replace the captain.  If she did well by the crew, she'd keep her head (and her intestines).  If not... well, there was always more room in Disposal.

Ouch, That's Got to Hurt!

Take the opportunity to describe the physical difficulties your main character encounters.  It could be anything, from a splinter they received doing construction to a sunburn they got on a stake-out.

Describing the annoyance or pain your main character feels at these difficulties will not only add to your word count, but it will also let the reader sympathize with the main character.  Maybe your reader has had a similar splinter or sunburn, so they can relate.

Even if they can't, it will add to the impressiveness of your main character.  Is she pushing through a race despite a sprained ankle?  Is he sitting patiently - if miserably - through an opera to appease his in-laws?  Either way, it will express the determination of your main character to see the situation through.

In the prompt below, decide what injury or physical discomfort the character is experiencing.  Then, describe it in detail, and write whether the injury sidelines the character.  If not, are there long-term complications because the character didn't heed the injury when it happened?

Have fun, and keep writing!

Prompt:  Ouch, that's got to hurt!

My sister constantly insisted on more safety precautions when we went sledding.  It reached the point where she stood at the bottom of the hill and scowled as I went flying past, ignoring all her warnings.  I walked back up the steep hill, dragging my sled and thinking how great the next run would be.  She didn't know what she was talking about, I thought, as I sat on the sled and started down the hill...

In Today's News...

Whether it's background noise, evidence of your main character's awareness of current events, a buried hint, or a red herring, including news in your story can add depth to the world you're writing.

In the prompt below, write different headlines for each of the following circumstances:

1. Write a headline that the main character reads, then dismisses,
2. Write a headline, and explore how much the main character already knows on the topic,
3. Write a headline that will make sense later in your story,
4. Write a headline your main character mistakenly thinks is important.

Have fun, and keep writing!

Prompt: In Today's News...

Leaning across the aisle in the small, road-side diner, he snagged a previously-used newspaper from a recently vacated booth.  The sports and financial pages were missing, but the headlines, classifieds, and obituaries remained.  He perused it until one of the articles caught his attention.  The headline read...

You Can't Get There from Here

Telling directions is a great way to fill the page, alert your audience to dangers in the setting, and to let the characters describe their world.  Also, it lets you explore how good (or bad) your main character is at following directions.

Complete the writing prompt below by writing a conversation between the main character and the person giving directions.

Have fun, and keep writing!

Prompt: You Can't Get There from Here

We pulled into the service station to ask for directions - hey, who says guys don't do that? - and my wife stayed in the car.  She'd covered her nose and mouth with her hands; she never liked the smell of oil, gasoline, and sweat.  I found the scent offender at the entrance of the garage.

He wore stained coveralls, grime streaks, and a friendly grin.  The tag on the coveralls said 'Bob'.  Before I could ask anything, the man said, "You folks looking for town?  You're a ways off."

I nodded, and the man dove into a detailed, rambling set of directions that I doubted we'd be able to remember...

Agree, Disagree, Indifferent

Characterization can serve as word-padding, but won't bore your readers if it's done well.  One of the easiest ways to set characters apart is to show their different perceptions of an identical situation.

Your story may have a group of largely-similar people.  Whether it's a construction crew, office workers, or a knitting circle, you can start by differentiating these characters by giving physical descriptions.  Their differing opinions can be even more recognizable, though.

In the prompt below, make your characters as different as possible in their viewpoints.  Does one character agree completely?  Could another disagree out of stubbornness, or because she has a good reason?  Someone in the group might not care about the heavily contested argument at all.  Show this through dialogue and expression descriptions.

Have fun, and keep writing!

Prompt:  Mary couldn't agree with the other student chefs.  "I don't care how convenient it is, how much time it saves us, or how much the customers seem to like it... macaroni and cheese from a box is an insult, plain and simple!"

Arnold couldn't disagree more.  He shrugged and added, "Why mess with a good thing?  It's easy to make, and whether you like it or not, the paying customers aren't complaining."

Kylie intervened, pointing out...

Build Anticipation through Description

As a kid, I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and the most interesting - aka frustrating - passage was a multi-page description of all the foods the family didn't have.  I recalled from earlier in the book that Charlie had a bar of chocolate, but the author didn't mention that until the final sentence.  Even then, the news was bad - Charlie had also eaten the chocolate bar.

The point is, mere description kept me on the edge of my seat.  There wasn't a single word of dialogue in the entire passage.  Try to do the same with the writing prompt below.

Have fun, and keep writing!

Prompt:  The Missing Office Supplies

She took inventory monthly, and there was no way the office should be this depleted already.  They had no...

Telling the In Joke

Building the world in which your story resides is about more than describing the buildings and people. Describing interactions is where your story will really come alive.  See these 2 examples:

The neighborhood was middle-class.  There were only three styles of house: ranch, tri-level, and Cape Cod. The streets were well-swept, but worn.

versus...

The neighborhood was full of station wagons and minivans, which lugged soccer balls, excited players, and groceries.  Despite a cap of three house styles, there was a multitude of paint choices - some painful, others... interesting.  The streets were bumpy at times, but you could hardly complain, unless you were one of those commuters trying to cut through at forty miles an hour.  In which case, you deserved to get your exhaust pipe caught on the worn blacktop.

See?  This gives you more words, and the reader a more interesting experience.

Try writing the character of your setting in the prompt below:

Prompt:  Describe an industrial park.  Office buildings, roads, warehouses, heavy machinery, trucks, etc.

Have fun, and keep writing!

I'd Rather Be Lucky Than Good

It's okay to save your main character from a bad situation by a happy coincidence or dumb luck.  The trick is to avoid using this too frequently.

For example, if your main character can't get through any fight without divine intervention, no one will want to read about the character.

On the other hand, if your character has shown themselves capable in the past, and this time they simply cannot best their opponent, then a little intervention (divine or otherwise) may be merited.

If you find yourself resorting often to convenient reinforcements, opponents slipping on banana peels, or the authorities arriving to break up the fight, you might want to make the opponents less capable, or your main character more impressive.

In the second novel of my Remnants series, the main character (Celesta) finds herself in a fight with 2 gods.  They are older than the Olympians, and hold the current pantheon in disdain.  They view Celesta as something even more inferior, but they have deigned to kill her, because they think she is dangerous.  Celesta manages to trick one of the gods, and puts him out of the fight.  The other one, though, is too powerful.  All of her training, powers, persuasion, and trickery don't even make him flinch.  Ultimately, another character has to intervene to save Celesta.  I don't often use this technique.  Usually, Celesta can talk or fight her way out.  But it's interesting to see just how big a fight a character can be in... before it is too much.

In this writing prompt, try writing two versions.

1. Write about who (or what) intervenes to help the main character win or escape, then
2. Write a way for the main character to win/escape without help.

Prompt:  Why does this keep happening to me?

Next time, she thought, I turn down the quest.  It had seemed simple enough when the king asked her to look into his troll problem.  But after investigating, she found the troll problem was actually a trolls with goblins and zombies kind of problem.  She should have retreated, but by then the passageway behind her had collapsed, and the only way out was through.  Fifty feet ahead, the tunnel lit up, and the temperature became almost unbearable.  Wonderful.  Now, it was a troll, goblins, zombies, and dragon sort of problem...

Writing Tension

A scene fraught with tension doesn't have to be action-packed.  Some of the best tension-filled scenes are filled with the possibility of action instead.  Think of the scene from the movie Inglorious Bast****, that one in the dairy farmer's kitchen, when the Gestapo officer visits on official business.  Two guys sitting at a table, sipping milk shouldn't be terrifying.  But when one of those men is calmly and coldly threatening the other's family, you get a tension-packed scene.

For today's prompt, try to finish the scene below without the characters having a violent outburst.  Keep the reader's attention with the high stakes and/or enmity between characters.  Have fun, and keep writing!

Writing Prompt: He glanced out the porthole, and saw only the vast void of space outside the station.  He looked back at the cards in his hand and didn't see much more substance.  He smirked, glared a challenge at his opponent, and shoved most of his chips into the center of the table.  His opponent...