Writing Prompt Wednesday: The Creaky Staircase

Think about adding a little bit of physically-based fear to your character's life today. It doesn't have to be a creaky staircase, but that's one sound that always invokes fear in me, especially if I'm home alone.

Start with yourself. If you were home alone, what would strike some fear into you? Would a sound be enough? What about a creepy phone call, or a shadow outside your windows?

What makes your character afraid? Is there some sound or sight or smell that would invoke fear in him or her? Bring that on today and see what your character does with it. Do they avoid the fear, face the fear, bury their head under blankets? And how does your character's reaction differ from your own?

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Being Late!

Well, here it is, Wednesday evening, and I still haven't gotten my writing prompt post up. I have to tell you, ever since I've been a little kid, there have been very few things that have aggravated me more than being late. I CAN'T STAND IT. It makes my blood boil and my hands sweat. It makes me drive badly (very badly).

Enter my husband, who is consistently late for everything. At first I had that swoony in-love feeling, so I figured he probably wasn't that bad all the time, and it wouldn't aggravate me too much, since I was so in love and all. But guess what? It aggravated me more. But over the years, it also has worn down an anal-retentive part of me that really was a bit too much. I mean, when I was twelve, I was half an hour early for my babysitting job just down the street. Now, believe it or not, I'm often late for things (though not ridiculously late like my husband and certainly not for important things). I still find it disrespectful when my lateness affects others, but I also don't feel I have to stress over every little thing.

All these things make up part of my character, part of who I am. So, today, think about one of your characters and how he or she handles being late. Is it a regular habit? And if so, does it affect their self-esteem? If your character does not struggle with being late, is there someone in their life who does? This can add for great added tension! Explore your character's lateness today. Has it changed over time? Why is he or she late or early or aggravated by late people? Figure this out and you'll have figured out a new piece of your character.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Be a Ninja!

I think we all wish we could be a fly on the wall in certain situations. Maybe we'd like to see how someone close to us acts when we're not around. Maybe we're interested in knowing what groups of the opposite sex really talk about when left to themselves.

Today, give your main character some ninja abilities, so that he or she can stealthily sneak into a situation that he or she has only wished to be able to see. Where would your character love to be a fly on the wall if it were possible? Then write a short scene of what he or she sees and hears. Is it what they expect? How will this information change his or her life?

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Do-Over!

I love those books and movies that show a character getting a chance at a do-over in some area that he or she has regrets. Even though it seems like a dream come true, more often that not in storytelling, trying to erase regrets usually backfires. The character tries to do better, but actually ends up doing much worse in the process. BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver is a great example of this.

Today give one of your characters a do-over. What does he or she wish they could have a second shot at, beyond anything else? Will it work out like he or she expects? How could this do-over end up making your character's life much, much worse?

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Is Honesty the Best Policy?

Do you remember the movie LIAR LIAR? In it, Jim Carrey gets himself into a lot of trouble when he's suddenly compelled to tell the truth about every single little thing.

Think of your characters and any secrets they may be keeping or even just things they're choosing not to say out loud. What kind of havoc could you create in their lives today by letting something slip? Maybe a female character thinks her best friend should really start exercising. Or maybe a man who is gifted with computers feels the need to let it out how brainless he thinks many of the people in his life are.

See what you can reveal today that your characters don't really want to reveal.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: New Years Resolutions!

I talked a little last week about how I make resolutions, which has evolved--a lot--over the years. But how do our characters make resolutions? Is your main character the type of person who makes huge, ambitious resolutions that he or she will likely never come close to meeting? Or does he or she swear off the idea completely?

Today, sit down for five minutes and make a resolution letter or list from your main character's point of view (or if your character doesn't make resolutions, have him or her list all of the reasons why not.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: The Smells of the Holidays!

Everywhere I go these days I either smell gingerbread or eggnog. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE these smells, and in fact, these smells are probably part of what makes me love this time of year so much.

With that in mind, think of your characters' favorite smells. What are they? How often do they get a chance to smell these favorite smells? Do these smells stir up any special memories for your characters?

How can you introduce one of these favorite smells for one of your characters today? What is his or her reaction? Can you pull up a memory of either the last time he or she smelled this smell or the first time?

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Make Them Wait!

I'm a little late getting this up today. Life has been busy. I started the day hanging out with a fun and lively group of teens at nearby high school, teaching on writing with emotion. Then I had to wait in line to cross the border, only to wait in more lines in the U.S., and then wait in line to get back to Canada.

So, with this in mind, my writing prompt for this week is to make your character wait. What does your character really want that he or she suddenly has to wait for? What is his/her reaction to the waiting? Do they take it in stride, or start throwing objects at the wall?

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Make a List

Are you a list maker? I am. Sometimes I make lists of things I've done or am about to do, just for the pure joy of crossing them off my list. If you're not a list maker, is one of your characters? And if not, could they be, just for today?

Wherever you're at in today's writing and/or revising stop and make a list for your main character. There are lots of things your character could list (in his or her own voice), but here are a few ideas to start you off:

1. List everything that is wrong in his or her life right now.
2. List everything that is GOOD in his or her life right now - a thankful list.
3. List five things that no one else knows about your main character.
4. List five things your main character is proud of.
5. List ten people your main character values most and why he or she values them.

Writing Prompt Wednesday: Blind Your MC

Today's prompt: Take your protagonist's vision away using some method--maybe the power goes out. Maybe he or she gets something temporarily blinding in his or her eyes.

How does this affect the way he or she perceives the world around them? Are there more sounds to be heard? More intonations in people's voices that they didn't notice before? Does your character suddenly notice new sounds or see the room differently from having to feel his or her way around?

This is a regular prompt of mine, and I used it at least once while I'm writing a manuscript to remind myself to use the five senses. I hope it works for you too!

Writing Prompt Wednesday

I'm back for another installment of Writing Prompt Wednesday! Today, I'm just going to give you a really simple one. This is something I gave to my group of homeschool writing students last week, and they had a lot of fun with it.

Today, use the word "tomato" in your writing. It doesn't have to be the actual fruit (did you know tomatoes are actually fruits and not vegetables?) Something or someone could be the color of a tomato, or have the smell of a rotten tomato. Figure out somewhere to use this word today, and if you feel like sharing, come back and tell me in the comments.

This morning I used it in a rainy scene, where my character's shoes were squishing like she was walking through mushy tomatoes.

Now it's your turn!

Writing Prompt Wednesday!

I'm back with another Writing Prompt Wednesday. Have you done any writing yet today? If not, why not take just five minutes and free-write from the prompt below. Who knows? Maybe it'll lead to something good!

Today's Prompt:

Who does your main character compare him or herself to? Who does he or she feel better or worse than? Show this character reflect on those comparisons today, and maybe even drop a surprise his or her way regarding these comparisons. What if your main character could figure out something that the "smart" person he looked up to couldn't? Or what if your female character was chosen as a model over her beautiful best friend? Play around with your character's internal comparisons today and see where it takes you!

Writing Prompt Wednesday!

I'm just kicking off this new segment, and since I am in the throes of NaNoWriMo, I will keep this short! I will also make this month's writing prompts focused on things you can implement into a current draft.

So here is today's prompt:

Today, have a character find a book that shocks him or her. Where is your character when they find this book? Are they at home and they find something their spouse or child has been concealing? Are they at their job and they find something inappropriate to their place of business?

If you use this prompt, I'd love to hear how it works out! I'm going to try to use it in my story somehow today.