Month: April 2016
Story Starters!..
Pick a line from below to start your short story. A lot of great ideas here!
He watched, helpless, as the door closed behind her…
He had kept their mother alive in their thoughts, too alive perhaps…
He had waited twenty years to return it…
Under normal circumstances he would speak his mind, but, not now, with a gun against his head…
He had enjoyed ten years of being totally irresponsible…
She had found something that would mean she’d never be poor again – but there was a catch…
Outside the cabin, the wind howled through the trees, while inside, the old woman’s fire was nearly out…
Magic Mushrooms…
Write a story based on the picture below. This is a really great picture so be sure to use your imagination, let it run wild!
Writing Exercise…
Write a story based on the image below:
- How did these people get here? Plane crash? Climbing expedition?
- Are they waiting to be rescued? How long have they been waiting?
- Is there hope in sight/do they get rescued? Are these people going to have to result to cannibalism?
- How will they preserve themselves/survive? What supplies do they have? Do they have any supplies?
Enjoy this, it should be a really fun exercise that pushes your imagination to the limit!
Bonus Exercise…What if…
I was inspired on my run this morning by something I saw so I’ve decided to throw down another writing exercise for everybody.
Imagine that you are running on a trail and you come across a box. The box says Do Not Open…what do you do? Write a short story on this and make sure you answer the following questions:
- What does the box look like? Describe the features and describe how old you think it is? What is the box made of? How big or small is it?
- Where were you when you found it? Describe the weather and setting
- Did you open the box? If yes, what was inside? If no, why not?
- What did you do after you opened or didn’t open the box?
- Does the box contain magical powers? Does it contain something valuable? Is it empty?
- Where do you think the box came from?
- How did the box end up on the running trail?
Lots of good ideas here to get started on your story!
Writing Exercise…Escape from a murderer
Today’s exercise is all about murder. I know, it’s not a very flowery, fun topic but I can guarantee that it will make you think outside of the box. I want you to write a short piece about your escape from a murderer…be sure to include:
- Where you are being held
- How you got there
- Describe what is around you, sights, smells, sounds
- Describe the murderer, what do they look like, smell like, sound like
- Describe how you feel
- Describe how you are going to escape
- Describe the escape
- Are there any other people, is anyone with you
- Do you escape or are you recaptured
- Is the killer caught or still at large after your escape
Good luck with this and have fun! Use your imagination and write something inspiring!
Writing Prompt…
The writing prompt for today is the picture below. Use it as inspiration for your story and be sure to answer the following questions:
- Is your main character the guy with the crow bar?
- Is your main character the person in contact with the guy with the crow bar?
- Why does this person have a crow bar?
- Where does this scene take place? What is the setting?
- How did we get to this point? Was it a blown tire or did the car break down in a bad part of town?
You get the point-Describe the setting, the scene and the characters. Be sure to include lots of dialogue and pick a point of view that we talked about during yesterday’s post.
It’s All About Point of View…
Let’s talk about point of view for this writing exercise, but first things first-what exactly is Point of View?
Point of view refers to the way the author allows you to see and hear what’s going on it the novel, book, short story or manuscript. We’ll focus on four main points of view:
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- First-person point of view is in use when a character narrates the story with I-me-my-mine. The reader is sitting beside the character and is viewing the world through the eyes of that character. The reader experiences the world through the eyes of only one person.
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- Second-person point of view, the author uses your and you, this is rare; authors rarely speak directly to the reader. If you do happen to come across this point of view, you should pay attention because the author is trying to tell you something. Second-person point of view draws the reader into the story, and makes the reader participate in the action.
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- Third-person point of view is that of an outsider looking at the action. This is the most common point of view. The author’s voice, not the character’s voice, is what you hear in the descriptive passages.
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- Objective-point of view is when the narrator is a fly on the wall or a video camera in the corner of the room. The character’s thoughts are never known. Objective point of view is all about watching, listening and observing.
Try writing from a different point of view and step outside of your comfort zone. This allows you to stretch your abilities and who knows, you may actually really like a particular point of view that you had never considered before. Happy Writing!
Writing Prompt…
Sometimes it’s fun to think out of the box. For today’s writing prompt we’ll explore writing for a different genre: mid grade. Use the prompt and the image below to write a short, action packed story. Have fun and be fearless!
Joey stood at the bottom of the tree house, his head turned frantically. His best friend Kyle Mitchell was late again. The air was thick with afternoon heat and the humidity was over a hundred. Joey heard the buzzing of mosquitoes and slapped his arm when one landed; a sticky mess of insect guts mixed with blood smeared his arm. He heard branches crack in the distance and quickly hid behind a large bush. Based on the circumstances, and what the boys had found, it was a wise move for him to hide; he crouched close to the ground and held his breath, he could only see part of a shoe but wasn’t sure it was Kyle’s.
Writing Exercise…
Today’s exercise is all about SETTING! Use the picture below to describe the setting in your short story. Be imaginative, be bold, use descriptive words and don’t leave anything out. Write setting and only setting, don’t use dialogue and don’t write about any characters, just describe what you see.
This is a great exercise to get your thoughts flowing, to be more descriptive and to transport the reader to the place that you are describing. For example, Why is there a rainbow? Describe the weather-did it just rain? Is the barn abandoned? What does the setting look like? What sounds are there? What is the temperature? What time of the year is it? Where is it in terms of location in the world? The list goes on and on. Write until you have exhausted and described every tiny detail without editing. Have fun with this and as always, Happy Writing!
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