Wednesday's Writing Prompt — Support

Your character is in a time of need. Whether it be emotional, physical, or a combination of both, your character needs someone to support her. Who does she turn to? What is this character's relationship to your protagonist? Is this supporting character also experiencing the same difficulties, or is he or she removed from the situation?

Write a conversation between your protagonist and her friend. Work on revealing their relationship through the ways they interact. Ask yourself what they are not saying to each other, and what this reveals. How does this related to the large conflict of your story? And how can you use the relationship as both a positive support for your character and a relationship that propels the greater story forward?

Wednesday's Writing Prompt — Sunshine

The sun is shining. Spring is on its way. Your character looks out the window. He notices the change of weather. But this change means something greater to your character. It signals something for him.

Perhaps it is a memory of a past event or a reminder of a tragedy. Maybe it is the suggestion that something new is coming, that a new chapter of his life has begun. Pick a scenario and assign emotion and meaning to the change of seasons. What is going to happen with the oncoming of Spring? What is your character now responsible for?

Or, perhaps your story isn't set in a contemporary or historical setting. Perhaps it takes place in a secondary world where the sun does not always bring joy and the seasons are not quite as friendly. Think about the ways the season can have a direct effect on your character's life. What does all this mean to him, and what must he do in response?

Wednesday's Writing Prompt — Delivery

You character is awaiting a delivery. She paces in front of the door. She checks her watch. She sighs continually. What is she waiting for? Is it a package for herself? A project she must complete? A gift she is hoping to give? Or perhaps it is something more secretive? A tool to help her carry out a heist? A piece of information she needs to figure out a mystery? An item that will help her get revenge?

She continues to wait. Does the package arrive? What will happen if it does, and what will happen if it doesn't? Explore the two scenarios, choosing the one that leads your character to the biggest moment of conflict. 

Wednesday's Writing Prompt – Bored

Your character is bored. Plain and simple. There's nothing to do. Nothing on TV. No one to talk to. He's desperately wanting for something to happen. So he begins looking around the room he is in.

Describe what he sees. Have him move around, touching things, picking them up, shifting them around. Think about how things feel in addition to how they look. Does he move things around or put them back exactly in their place? Then, he discovers something surprising. What is it? Perhaps he notices an object that wasn't there before – that he's certain wasn't left by him. Maybe he's finds that an object he thought was solid actually has a hidden compartment within it. Or, he finds a note slipped between two dusty books. How does this discovery affect your character? Is this beginning of a new conflict, or somehow tied to a preexisting one? What are the thoughts going through your characters mind? What does this set in motion? Where will this lead your character?

Wednesday's Writing Prompt — Visitor

Your character has a visitor coming. But not just any visitor — the person who creates the most stress and tension; someone who comes with the highest of expectations.

Who is this visitor? Is this visit for business purposes? A personal relationship? A parent or guardian? What are the potential ramifications of the visit? Does your character stand to lose anything if the meeting does not go well? Or is she perhaps trying to gain something from the exchange?

Think about all the steps she needs to go through to prepare. Cleaning, getting work done, planning the right outfit, providing the right food. Take your character through a series of preparatory steps, all the while using the actions to reflect her internal feelings. Does she talk to herself as she goes? Or is she constantly frustrated by her plans not working out as she'd hoped? Or do things go smoothly, and the only thing left to worry about is the moment when the visitor arrives at her door?

Wednesday's Writing Prompt — Valentine's Day

Your character is the object of someone's affection, and it just happens to be Valentine's Day. How does your character feel about this person? It is unrequited love? Love that is felt just as strongly in return? Or a struggling relationship which is only magnified by the pressure of the holiday?

Place these two characters in a situation together. Perhaps they share a classroom, get stuck next to each other during a long car ride, or have schedule to get together for a date in honor of St. Valentine. How will their relationship unfold? Is your protagonist the one to initiate conversation, or is he the more passive one in the situation. Did one send the other a valentine, or forget all together? Begin a dialogue and see where it takes them.

Now throw in a third person — an unexpected presence that makes one or more of your characters uncomfortable. Why does she make things uncomfortable? Is she simply a friend showing up at the wrong moment, or someone acting out of spite or jealousy? How does she change the action of your scene? What does your protagonist do in response?

Wednesday's Writing Prompt — A Walk in the Woods

Your character is taking a walk in the woods. There is snow all around. Silence fills there air. Is your character used to this climate, or is it entirely new to him? Is he trying to get somewhere specific, or just needing to clear his head? Perhaps he simply loves the stillness.

But then, he notices something up ahead. A rustling. A light. Something unexpected. What is it? Does your character know? Was this the purpose of his walk? Or does he feel trepidation about what might be ahead? Does he choose to turn around or does he continue onward, to see what it is.

What is on the other side? Is it symbolic? Realistic? Transformative? Does the reader know before your character does, and if your character chooses to turn back, how does the mystery affect his life?

Wednesday's Writing Prompt — Late

Your character is running late — extremely late. She needs to get to work for a big meeting, or home in time to pick up her child, or to her starring role in the elementary school play. But regardless of her destination, her heart is beating wildly as she thinks about the consequences of what she is going to miss, and who she just might let down.

Think about the scene. Where is your character going? How is she getting there? Bus, cab, car, train, or is she just flat out sprinting? Is there anyone with her or is she alone? Does something happen along the way that changes the course of your story, or is the plot changing element waiting at the final destination? Decide whether she is ultimately too late to meet the commitment she is speeding to get to, or if she just makes it in the nick of time. How do both options affect a larger conflict, and just what does this scene reveal about your character?

Wednesday's Writing Prompt — Home Alone

Your character is home alone, and he hasn't been left home alone in quite some time. What does he feel the moment the door closes behind his family (or roommates)? What is his first impulse? Will he dance like crazy? Eat what he wants? Sneak out of the house, or perhaps sneak someone in?

Now think about this as an opportunity for your character —a chance to do something he has been waiting to do. Is he trying to plan a surprise? Does he have a secret part of his life that he doesn't want anyone to know about? Is there a fantasy element where he can become something or go somewhere, but only when he is sure he won't get caught? What does being home alone enable him to do? What secrets can you reveal to your reader?

Wednesday's Writing Prompt — Doctor

Imagine your character is terrified of the doctor, but for some reason — whether an injury or routine check up — she must go to see one. Finding herself in the waiting room, your character's name is called. The time has come.

Decide to make the scene either humorous or truly frightening. Which emotion do you want to evoke in your reader? How might this episode set the stage for future things to come within your story? Think about the sounds, smells, terminology, and sights that your character notices. Really try to visualize the scene around her and then do your best to use these sensory details to support the mood you are trying to convey. Focus on putting your reader into the room with your character, making the scene rich with emotion as conveyed through your characters perception of the room.

Wednesday's Writing Prompt — Dinner

You're character is invited to dinner at someone's house. But when he arrives, he realizes he hates half the food and has no idea what the other half  is. He's afraid to even put it in his mouth. What does your character do? What are the circumstances surrounding this dinner? Who's house is it? How good of friends is your character with this person? Or is it a family member? A grandmother? His significant other's parents? A potential step-parents perhaps?

There are many ways this situations could play out, but first determine if it will end well, or end in disaster. Can he spin the situation into a joke, or must he force himself to eat despite his fear? Will his companions understand, or will he be looked down upon for not eating their meal? Does he pretend to get sick or be called away for some desperate emergency? What are the options that are running through his mind? But most importantly, what does your character do in the end?

Wednesday's Writing Prompt — New Year's Resolution

Imagine your character has to share a new year's resolution with the class, or perhaps his co-workers or other important group if he is an adult. What will his resolution be? Can you think of a resolution that might be embarrassing for him to share, but something that means a lot to him? Why has he chosen this resolution? Will he actually share it with the group, or will he think of something else to say? Now place him in the moment when it is his turn to speak. What happens? Does revealing this hope have any ramifications? Or perhaps keeping it to himself is just as consequential?

Wednesday's Writing Prompt — Present

Who is your character most looking forward to receiving a gift from? Why this person in particular? Now write the scene in which your character realizes she is not getting a gift from this person. How does she find this out? Does the person tell her directly, or does she realize by circumstance? What is the motivation behind it?
Did he simply forget? Or was it out of malice?

What was the gift your character imagined they would receive? Imagine it was something that could have changed her life, or dramatically affected her situation. Or, was it something that would prove the person's love for her? How does she react? Are there people around her? How do they react? What are the ramifications both for your character individually, and the relationship between your character and this person?

Wednesday's Writing Prompt — Switching Identities

If your character could choose to be anyone else, who would they choose to be? A super hero? A movie star? A professional athlete? A family member? Why would he want to be this person? What is the motivating desire behind his wish? Jealousy or envy? Aspiration or admiration? Boredom with his own life?

Now what would happen if your character could actually become this person, or trade places with him for a day? What would that experience be like? What would your character be forced to encounter that he wasn't prepared for? Perhaps it can only happen in a dream, but what does this switch reveal about your character? What does it change?

Writing Prompt — Decorations

What holiday does your character celebrate? And how does she decorate for the holiday? Write a scene in which your character chooses, unpacks, or hangs decorations. Does she do this alone or does she have help? Is she the more enthusiastic party, or is someone forcing her to participate in the decorating? Do the decorations remind her of a past time, or excite her for an upcoming celebration?  If the holidays don't fall into the time frame of your story, pick another holiday. Perhaps something less celebrated like Arbor Day. Create a fun decoration idea, and explore how you can reveal your character or move the plot forward through the scene.

Writing Prompt — Teacher

Who is your character's favorite teacher? Or, who was his worst? What lessons has that teacher taught your character beyond the classroom? Is this teacher still present in your character's life? Perhaps he has a chance encounter with this teacher after many years have passed. Or perhaps your character is in this teacher's classroom now, as a child or even an adult learner. What are the dynamics like between your character and the teacher? Does your character live in fear or want of impressing this person? Is he at the top of the class, or does he struggle to grasp the lessons of the classroom?

Imagine this teacher has been away for whatever amount of time and now returns either to your character's delight or dismay. Has this teacher returned to teach your character a new life lesson? Is this teacher not the person who your character remembered? Does he twist the plot and disrupt your character's life? Play with the ways this teacher affects your character, both emotionally and situationally.

Writing Prompt — Movie

What is your character's favorite type of movie? Does she go to the movies often? Does she prefer to watch them in the comfort of her own home, sitting from the couch dressed in pjs, or does she get a thrill from sitting in the large, dark theater surrounded by other movies goers?

How can a trip to the movies, or just a movie itself work its way into your story? Does a specific movie parallel the action of your own plot? Or does a new romance begin while watching a film over popcorn and a large drink? If your character is a child, is this her first trip to the movies with her friends, or alone, or ever? Or, does a trip to the theater reveal a sadness in your character's life? Think of all the different ways a movie can work into your plot, and, if it just doesn't seem to fit, how can a movie that has been important to your character reveal something about her personality to your reader? Use your character's emotional response to a scene to speak for her, perhaps sharing something she is unable to articulate on her own.

Wednesday's Writing Prompt — Turkey!

Thanksgiving is in just a few hours, and your character has someone been put in charge of making the meal. Has he done this ten times before? Or maybe this is his first time cooking a turkey? Is he doing this alone or does he have someone there to help him? Does something catch on fire, or explode in the microwave? Does the turkey look completely torched, or for some reason, is turkey just not seeming to cook? Were there any initial steps your character forgot to do beforehand? Has he meticulously followed a recipe? Is there anything he's forgotten?

Write a comedy scene that leaves your character in a state of disarray. Think about all the things that go wrong for him. Even if these create a feeling of sadness, creating comedic moments can be a great way to give your reader a break from the tension, and help them to feel more sympathetic toward your character. Visualize the scene in your mind and work on conveying your character's emotions through his response to the situation melting down around him. What does this reveal about your character himself? Is there any way he can save the meal, or will people walk into a kitchen with mashed potatoes on the floor and a freshly burnt turkey sitting on the stove top? 

Wednesday's Writing Prompt — Birthday

Your character's birthday is coming up. How does he feel about that? Does he like his birthday? Does he hate his birthday? Is he trying to pretend like it's just another day, or is he making a big deal about it? Think about your character's previous birthdays. What was the worst birthday he had? What was the best? Determine which was more significant to your character's development. You don't have to include these scenes within your story, but be sure to know the ways they made a lasting impact upon your character.

How are the people in his life reacting to this upcoming date? Are they on the same page regarding his birthday, or do they hold the opposite stance than that of your character? How can that create tension within your story? Will this year bring about a change, or will your character's birthday be the same as always? Is this day linked to a larger problem within your story? How does it exacerbate or bring resolution to the greater tension?

Wednesday's Writing Prompt — Speech

Whether for a win, a loss, or some other occasion, place your character in a situation in which they have to make a speech. How will her address be received? Do the consequences of her words better her world? What benefits does she gain from the address? Or is she instead putting herself or someone else in danger? Is she being forced to make this speech? What will happen if she refuses? 

Consider the emotions of your character. Instead of stating them explicitly, try to reveal them to the reader through describing her physical reactions, her perception of the room, and the diction that she uses. Perhaps she is feeling nauseous and light-headed, or her voice shakes as she speaks. Or, maybe her perception of the lights around her make her feel as though the room is warm and inviting, even glowing. As your character walks up to the microphone or feels the eyes of the spectators for the first time, what happens? Consider starting your story in this very moment, filling in the backstory as you go.