25 + 5 points
thirteen writing prompts by xkitnx
June 24th, 2006 2:29 PM
1. Write a scene showing a man and a woman arguing over the man's friendship with a former girlfriend. Do not mention the girlfriend, the man, the woman, or the argument.
These creeping feelings can't be wrong. To say the least, its pretty blatant what's going on here. But go ahead, send out those signals. Somehow, its all in the past now. Just remember, don't think all this can be taken for granted. Seriously. But hey, each man for themselves, right?
2. Write a short scene set at a lake, with trees and shit. Throw some birds in there, too.
Tom: Hey, listen, I'm sorry about yesterday.
Claudia: Yeah well. Thanks. But I mean, it doesn't really change anything.
Tom: So what do you want me to say? I don't know what to do. I brought you here by the lake, under the tree your father planted. And these damned birds are always shitting everywhere. Wait wait, I'm sorry. I just don't want to do this. I don't want it to be like this.
Claudia: Well Tom. I don't know what to say. I cant forget, I can only forgive. And that's gonna be hard. But I'll try.
Tom: Goddamn birds and their shit! Goddamn it! Sorry, what was that Claudia?
Claudia: Whatever.
Tom: Cool. Hey you got anything to get this bird shit off?
3. Choose your favorite historical figure and imagine if he/she had been led to greatness by the promptings of an invisible imp living behind his or her right ear. Write a story from the point of view of this creature. Where did it come from? What are its goals? Use research to make your story as accurate as possible.
"Wouldn't it be funny if Marie Curie had an invisible imp living behind her ear that was gung ho on getting a Nobel prize? Wouldn't that be funny? It would be like, hey, why don't you go look at that pitch over there, it'll make your life glow. Get it?? Tom??" said Claudia to her husband Tom, who was absolutely falling asleep.
4. Write a story that ends with the following sentence: Debra brushed the sand from her blouse, took a last, wistful look at the now putrefying horse, and stepped into the hot-air balloon.
" 'I can see it! I'm almost there! If I can just keep up this pace, then I'll make it out!' Debra raced through the desert on her horse, the rival tomb robbers hot in pursuit. All she had to do was get to the hot air balloon her partner had rigged up. She would have to leave the horse behind, but that was a small price to pay for what she had found. 10 yards away from the hot air balloon, her horse reared up, and then fell over to one side, hard. Debra hit the sand hard too, but managed to roll away from the mass of the falling horse. She jumped up and dashed for the hot air balloon. She knew the horse wasn't dead, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. She ran with the loot. She could see her accomplice cutting the ropes on the weights as the rival bandits closed in. As she was about to get in the balloon, her partner took out his gun. He took aim and fired, right over her head. He had shot the horse. Shot it between the eyes to put it out of its misery. The balloon was ready to lift off, and the bandits wouldn't reach them now. Debra brushed the sand from her blouse, took a last, wistful look at the now putrefying horse, and stepped into the hot-air balloon."
Claudia read the grave robbers account aloud, barely realizing that she was in fact talking to herself. Her husband was snoring.
5. A wasp called the tarantula hawk reproduces by paralyzing tarantulas and laying its eggs into their bodies. When the larvae hatch, they devour the still living spider from the inside out. Isn't that fucked up? Write a short story about how fucked up that is.
"Can you imagine that happening? Someone else's babies come up to eat you? I mean, don't they realize that you are what brought them into this earth anyway? And its like, hey, what are you going to eat after I'm gone? Huh? Didn't think about that one, did you. Its not like you can just go around eating all the spiders you want all willy nilly. And besides, I wanna have grandkids. So what the hell man. What the hell. That's fucked up." said Claudia to her still catatonic husband.
6. Imagine if your favorite character from 19th-century fiction had been born without thumbs. Then write a short story about them winning the lottery.
"The sprawling castle was an odd sight. It was made up of a patchwork of styles. And this was a fitting homage to its owner. Not only was his body a patchwork, but so were the many different stages of his life. He came to life at the exact moment his creator was about to attach opposable digits to his hands. Lacking the reasoning to understand that he should wait for this procedure, he immediately struck out on his own. Shunned as a monster, he did not fit in with society, and it was only exacerbated by his lack of thumb. Eventually though, he was discovered and coaxed out of his life of seclusion. This one sympathetic person just happened to love playing the dollar scratch offs. Since Frankenstein had no thumbs, it was embarrassing for him to try those. So, he would play the quick picks. Just so happens, one day he struck it big. Needless to say, this really changed his life, and he then devoted his life to help the dredges of society. Oh, and he has servants to de everything for him, so he pretty much bought himself some thumbs. Awesome."
Claudia thought back fondly on how her and Tom had written this right when they had first met. She missed those days.
7. Write a story that begins with a man throwing handfuls of $100 bills from a speeding car, and ends with a young girl urinating into a tin bucket.
Hundred dollar bills flew out of the car and settled all over the highway. Tom closed the window and stared ahead of him, jaws clenched, hands tight on the wheel "I know money can't buy everything. She just wanted to go to the bathroom. That's all. There was absolutely no reason for that outburst. That was ridiculous," said Claudia, voice steady but with tears in her eyes.
"The little brat has been whining and kicking and screaming the whole goddamned ride. You think I'm gonna give in to her now? Uh uh. Like I said. She wants all this shit so badly, why don't I just throw my money out the window. So I did." Tom kept his eyes straight ahead.
"She just asked to go to the bathroom! i know she was being a brat before, but just because we're lost and you wont ever stop to get help doesn't mean she has to suffer for it. Pull over right now!," screamed Claudia.
After a small struggle, they pulled over. Tom was still fuming. Claudia went to the trunk for the bucket. "Maybe this will give her some semblance of civilization. Or maybe it will just be weird," thought Claudia. The girl squatted to pee into the tin bucket.
8. A husband and wife are meeting in a restaurant to finalize the terms of their impending divorce. Write the scene from the point of view of a busboy snorting cocaine in the restroom.
Ha hahahahahahahaha. All i have to is smile at that woman and [leans over toilet seat] shes gonna tip me big tonight. thank god, cuz i gotta get more of this stuff, damn. Those rich nasty bitches [snifffffffffffff AHHHH] and their horrible lives, hahaha. GODDAMN! maybe i should call her by her name... Claudia or something? A little flirting can't hurt....
9. Think of the most important secret your best friend has ever entrusted you with. Write a story in which you reveal it to everyone. Write it again from the point of view of your friend. Does she want to kill you? How does she imagine doing it? Would she use a gun, or something crueler and more savage, like a baseball bat with nails in it?
…and then, you WON’T believe what she did next! She gave them ALL HERPES AND DIDN’T TELL THEM!! I know, it’s horrible! So anyway…
They walk out of the empty office and discover the whole staff standing in the hall, just out of the meeting. By the looks on their faces, she could tell they had all heard. Then she saw the subjects face, and it was a mask of utter horror. Claudia knew Janice would not let this go easily.
------------------------------------------
Janice sat at her desk fuming. All she could imagine was charging Claudia with sexual harassment. And stealing her card and ruining her credit. And making her husband hate her. And driving her to suicide. Hell yes.
10. Popular music is often a good source of writing inspiration. Rewrite Bob Dylan's "Visions of Johanna" as a play.
Tom: I really miss Johanna.
Claudia: Well, I’m still here. So lets do this thing.
Tom: Well, I really really miss her. But I guess I’ll come anyway.
Claudia: Cool. Seeya soon.
11. Write a short scene in which one character reduces another to uncontrollable sobs without touching him or speaking.
The bottle fell away from Claudia's perfectly manicured fingertips. They were done just that morning. Her nails, that is. Anyway. Her head fell to one side, her face blackened. Staring blankly ahead, her breathing slowed, then stopped. Just then, Tom walked in carrying a bag of groceries, a big grin on his face.
Tom [calls out]: Hey, I'm back! They didn't have red peppers, but whatever, it's fine! Claudia? Where are you? You ready to call 14 years to a close? Oh come on, lets try to get along this one last time.
Laughing to himself he rounds a corner and comes upon her still figure from behind. He touches her shoulder casually as he puts down the groceries.
Tom: Hey sleepyhead! Wake up, time to git cookin.
Realizing something is wrong, he looks at her face. Reeling back in horror, he grabs the phone and dials 911 frantically. Breaking into uncontrollable sobs, he...
12. Your main character finds a box of scorched human hair. Whose is it? How did it get there?
Tom saw the box from in the smoldering remains of the house. He hadnt seen it in years. Tearfully, he picked it up. Memories flashed before his eyes. He saw Claudia standing by the lake, smiling back at him. He saw Claudia reading in bed, the last thing he would see before he drifted off to sleep. He saw her cutting off her hair to send to the wigmakers. She never did send it, and now it was all he had left of her.
13. A man has a terrifying dream in which he is being sawn in half. He wakes to find himself in the Indian Ocean, naked and clinging to a door; a hotel keycard is clenched in his teeth. Write what happens next.
Tom woke with a start. He spat the plastic out of his mouth, and looked around him in a panic. Looking at the water, he frantically tried to remember why he was there. He realized he was clinging to a door and panicked for a second, holding onto the door as tightly as he could. He felt a sharp stinging pain in his side. He looked down and saw a wound pulled open by his sudden movement. The salt water washed into his wound. He screamed. Suddenly he remembered: the woman, the divorce, the suicide, the arson. Tom had wanted nothing but to die after all that. “Looks like they didn’t finish the job,” thought Tom. It was at that instant that he finally decided to take charge of his life and make a decision. Closing his eyes, he saw Claudias face. He let go of the door and slipped into the ocean.
These creeping feelings can't be wrong. To say the least, its pretty blatant what's going on here. But go ahead, send out those signals. Somehow, its all in the past now. Just remember, don't think all this can be taken for granted. Seriously. But hey, each man for themselves, right?
2. Write a short scene set at a lake, with trees and shit. Throw some birds in there, too.
Tom: Hey, listen, I'm sorry about yesterday.
Claudia: Yeah well. Thanks. But I mean, it doesn't really change anything.
Tom: So what do you want me to say? I don't know what to do. I brought you here by the lake, under the tree your father planted. And these damned birds are always shitting everywhere. Wait wait, I'm sorry. I just don't want to do this. I don't want it to be like this.
Claudia: Well Tom. I don't know what to say. I cant forget, I can only forgive. And that's gonna be hard. But I'll try.
Tom: Goddamn birds and their shit! Goddamn it! Sorry, what was that Claudia?
Claudia: Whatever.
Tom: Cool. Hey you got anything to get this bird shit off?
3. Choose your favorite historical figure and imagine if he/she had been led to greatness by the promptings of an invisible imp living behind his or her right ear. Write a story from the point of view of this creature. Where did it come from? What are its goals? Use research to make your story as accurate as possible.
"Wouldn't it be funny if Marie Curie had an invisible imp living behind her ear that was gung ho on getting a Nobel prize? Wouldn't that be funny? It would be like, hey, why don't you go look at that pitch over there, it'll make your life glow. Get it?? Tom??" said Claudia to her husband Tom, who was absolutely falling asleep.
4. Write a story that ends with the following sentence: Debra brushed the sand from her blouse, took a last, wistful look at the now putrefying horse, and stepped into the hot-air balloon.
" 'I can see it! I'm almost there! If I can just keep up this pace, then I'll make it out!' Debra raced through the desert on her horse, the rival tomb robbers hot in pursuit. All she had to do was get to the hot air balloon her partner had rigged up. She would have to leave the horse behind, but that was a small price to pay for what she had found. 10 yards away from the hot air balloon, her horse reared up, and then fell over to one side, hard. Debra hit the sand hard too, but managed to roll away from the mass of the falling horse. She jumped up and dashed for the hot air balloon. She knew the horse wasn't dead, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. She ran with the loot. She could see her accomplice cutting the ropes on the weights as the rival bandits closed in. As she was about to get in the balloon, her partner took out his gun. He took aim and fired, right over her head. He had shot the horse. Shot it between the eyes to put it out of its misery. The balloon was ready to lift off, and the bandits wouldn't reach them now. Debra brushed the sand from her blouse, took a last, wistful look at the now putrefying horse, and stepped into the hot-air balloon."
Claudia read the grave robbers account aloud, barely realizing that she was in fact talking to herself. Her husband was snoring.
5. A wasp called the tarantula hawk reproduces by paralyzing tarantulas and laying its eggs into their bodies. When the larvae hatch, they devour the still living spider from the inside out. Isn't that fucked up? Write a short story about how fucked up that is.
"Can you imagine that happening? Someone else's babies come up to eat you? I mean, don't they realize that you are what brought them into this earth anyway? And its like, hey, what are you going to eat after I'm gone? Huh? Didn't think about that one, did you. Its not like you can just go around eating all the spiders you want all willy nilly. And besides, I wanna have grandkids. So what the hell man. What the hell. That's fucked up." said Claudia to her still catatonic husband.
6. Imagine if your favorite character from 19th-century fiction had been born without thumbs. Then write a short story about them winning the lottery.
"The sprawling castle was an odd sight. It was made up of a patchwork of styles. And this was a fitting homage to its owner. Not only was his body a patchwork, but so were the many different stages of his life. He came to life at the exact moment his creator was about to attach opposable digits to his hands. Lacking the reasoning to understand that he should wait for this procedure, he immediately struck out on his own. Shunned as a monster, he did not fit in with society, and it was only exacerbated by his lack of thumb. Eventually though, he was discovered and coaxed out of his life of seclusion. This one sympathetic person just happened to love playing the dollar scratch offs. Since Frankenstein had no thumbs, it was embarrassing for him to try those. So, he would play the quick picks. Just so happens, one day he struck it big. Needless to say, this really changed his life, and he then devoted his life to help the dredges of society. Oh, and he has servants to de everything for him, so he pretty much bought himself some thumbs. Awesome."
Claudia thought back fondly on how her and Tom had written this right when they had first met. She missed those days.
7. Write a story that begins with a man throwing handfuls of $100 bills from a speeding car, and ends with a young girl urinating into a tin bucket.
Hundred dollar bills flew out of the car and settled all over the highway. Tom closed the window and stared ahead of him, jaws clenched, hands tight on the wheel "I know money can't buy everything. She just wanted to go to the bathroom. That's all. There was absolutely no reason for that outburst. That was ridiculous," said Claudia, voice steady but with tears in her eyes.
"The little brat has been whining and kicking and screaming the whole goddamned ride. You think I'm gonna give in to her now? Uh uh. Like I said. She wants all this shit so badly, why don't I just throw my money out the window. So I did." Tom kept his eyes straight ahead.
"She just asked to go to the bathroom! i know she was being a brat before, but just because we're lost and you wont ever stop to get help doesn't mean she has to suffer for it. Pull over right now!," screamed Claudia.
After a small struggle, they pulled over. Tom was still fuming. Claudia went to the trunk for the bucket. "Maybe this will give her some semblance of civilization. Or maybe it will just be weird," thought Claudia. The girl squatted to pee into the tin bucket.
8. A husband and wife are meeting in a restaurant to finalize the terms of their impending divorce. Write the scene from the point of view of a busboy snorting cocaine in the restroom.
Ha hahahahahahahaha. All i have to is smile at that woman and [leans over toilet seat] shes gonna tip me big tonight. thank god, cuz i gotta get more of this stuff, damn. Those rich nasty bitches [snifffffffffffff AHHHH] and their horrible lives, hahaha. GODDAMN! maybe i should call her by her name... Claudia or something? A little flirting can't hurt....
9. Think of the most important secret your best friend has ever entrusted you with. Write a story in which you reveal it to everyone. Write it again from the point of view of your friend. Does she want to kill you? How does she imagine doing it? Would she use a gun, or something crueler and more savage, like a baseball bat with nails in it?
…and then, you WON’T believe what she did next! She gave them ALL HERPES AND DIDN’T TELL THEM!! I know, it’s horrible! So anyway…
They walk out of the empty office and discover the whole staff standing in the hall, just out of the meeting. By the looks on their faces, she could tell they had all heard. Then she saw the subjects face, and it was a mask of utter horror. Claudia knew Janice would not let this go easily.
------------------------------------------
Janice sat at her desk fuming. All she could imagine was charging Claudia with sexual harassment. And stealing her card and ruining her credit. And making her husband hate her. And driving her to suicide. Hell yes.
10. Popular music is often a good source of writing inspiration. Rewrite Bob Dylan's "Visions of Johanna" as a play.
Tom: I really miss Johanna.
Claudia: Well, I’m still here. So lets do this thing.
Tom: Well, I really really miss her. But I guess I’ll come anyway.
Claudia: Cool. Seeya soon.
11. Write a short scene in which one character reduces another to uncontrollable sobs without touching him or speaking.
The bottle fell away from Claudia's perfectly manicured fingertips. They were done just that morning. Her nails, that is. Anyway. Her head fell to one side, her face blackened. Staring blankly ahead, her breathing slowed, then stopped. Just then, Tom walked in carrying a bag of groceries, a big grin on his face.
Tom [calls out]: Hey, I'm back! They didn't have red peppers, but whatever, it's fine! Claudia? Where are you? You ready to call 14 years to a close? Oh come on, lets try to get along this one last time.
Laughing to himself he rounds a corner and comes upon her still figure from behind. He touches her shoulder casually as he puts down the groceries.
Tom: Hey sleepyhead! Wake up, time to git cookin.
Realizing something is wrong, he looks at her face. Reeling back in horror, he grabs the phone and dials 911 frantically. Breaking into uncontrollable sobs, he...
12. Your main character finds a box of scorched human hair. Whose is it? How did it get there?
Tom saw the box from in the smoldering remains of the house. He hadnt seen it in years. Tearfully, he picked it up. Memories flashed before his eyes. He saw Claudia standing by the lake, smiling back at him. He saw Claudia reading in bed, the last thing he would see before he drifted off to sleep. He saw her cutting off her hair to send to the wigmakers. She never did send it, and now it was all he had left of her.
13. A man has a terrifying dream in which he is being sawn in half. He wakes to find himself in the Indian Ocean, naked and clinging to a door; a hotel keycard is clenched in his teeth. Write what happens next.
Tom woke with a start. He spat the plastic out of his mouth, and looked around him in a panic. Looking at the water, he frantically tried to remember why he was there. He realized he was clinging to a door and panicked for a second, holding onto the door as tightly as he could. He felt a sharp stinging pain in his side. He looked down and saw a wound pulled open by his sudden movement. The salt water washed into his wound. He screamed. Suddenly he remembered: the woman, the divorce, the suicide, the arson. Tom had wanted nothing but to die after all that. “Looks like they didn’t finish the job,” thought Tom. It was at that instant that he finally decided to take charge of his life and make a decision. Closing his eyes, he saw Claudias face. He let go of the door and slipped into the ocean.
