Walk through your house, apartment, garage, barn . . . look at your knick-knacks, trinkets, souvenirs, keepsakes, treasures. . . pick one item to pass on to someone, perhaps a grandchild, or great-grandchild, or a beloved friend. Write about a special object you want to give to someone in the future.
You can respond to this prompt as your fictional character would respond, or write as if you are going to give this item to someone.
We’ve been working on character development on The Write Spot Blog. Your character could be fictional, based on a real person or someone in your memoir.
Kurt Vonnegut says to “make your character want something.” There are several ways to go about this.
Have your character do something unexpected . . . something that surprises everyone and weave in a problem.
You can put your conservative character in an improv situation where he/she has to rap or act in a scene.
Your male character might find himself on stage, learning how to hula or belly dance.
Your female character might find herself in a lumberjack contest.
Have your wild character volunteer to help with bingo in an assisted facility.
Have your character do something unusual.
Remember these are freewrites, where you write freely for 12 to 15 minutes. This doesn’t mean you have to use these character vignettes in your novel, essay or memoir. Have fun playing around with characters.
Have fun making your character uncomfortable, make him or her squirm. Worms on a fishing pole come to mind.
Now, here’s how to really get into the heart of your character:
What does your character want? What gets in the way?
For prompts on character development, take a look at:
Character development, discovering characters, prompt #132
Flesh out your character, prompt #131
Other character’s point of view, prompt #109
Grow your characters, prompt #48
You can also type “character” in the search box on the Write Spot Blog for posts about character.
For this two-part prompt, we’re going to develop a character, either fictional or based on reality (especially if you are writing memoir).
How do writers develop characters? How do you get to know your character beyond their looks, their desires and where they went to school?
Step One: Give your character a hobby or an interesting job. The more unusual, the better. Bee-keeping? Needlepoint for a man. Bucking horses, art aficionado, chemist, skywriter, laundromat manager, tornado chaser. You can look up unusual jobs that pay well by clicking here, such as: Cruise ship entertainer, ice cream taster, human statue, hot dog vender, dog groomer, personal shopper, funeral director.
Sketch how your character might spend an hour of their work day, or hobby time: gathering honey, purchase yarn and patterns, ranch and corrals, visits to art galleries and museums, mixing potions in the basement. You might paint a picture what an hour of their job looks like: what do they see, who do they interact with, what do they think while working.
Spend some time with this before going to the next step.
Step Two: Interview your character as a journalist would. Stymied? Look at interviews in magazines, newspaper articles or look online and see what others have done.
You can interview your character from Prompt #131, or create a new character.
We’ll continue with character development with the next prompt.
Skywriting photo by Breana Marie
You can use this prompt for fleshing out your fictional characters or for characters in your memoir.
In works of fiction, we think of characters. When writing memoir, we think real people. But, when you write about real people, they become characters in a story.
With this prompt, you can create character profiles for the real people in your life and for your fictional characters.
Prompt: Make a three-column list. Label the first column “What I know,” the second, “How I know it” and the third, “How I show it.”
First column – create a list with one or two-word descriptions about the character. Second column – write down how you know the particular characteristics.
For example, if the person is known to be cheap, in column 2, you could write, “brings own teabags to restaurants.” Or, “carefully saves paper bags for lunch, been using the same bag for six months.”
Third column, How I Show It: Jot down short notes about how you might convey the characteristics to a reader. In the case of the cheap friend who brings his teabag to restaurants, you might write, “Scene: character pulls out several teabags from jacket pocket, just before entering restaurant.”
Your turn: Bring your characters by showing vivid details about their everyday habits.
This prompt was inspired from The Writer magazine, June 2005, “Frank Talk About Writing Your Memoir,” by Sol Stein
Pretend we’re at a party, sitting together talking quietly. Then you see someone you know and you want to tell me about that person. They can’t hear us. What will you tell me about that person?
Or: Imagine any two people having a conversation about a third person.
With this prompt, you can practice writing dialogue, revealing more about the conversants than the object of their discussion.
Remember what Ted A. Moreno said in yesterday’s quote, “Making a pronouncement, judgment or criticism about someone else reveals little about them, but reveals much about you.”
We’ll expand upon these characters with the next prompt on The Write Spot Blog.
Today’s prompt: If I didn’t care what anyone thought . . .
Gather your supplies. Pen, pencil, paper and/or computer fired up. Set your timer for 12-15 minutes and write. Go for it!
Photo by Breana Marie
Today’s writing prompt: Color.
You know the saying: When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.
Well, what do you do when life hands you lemons?
Tell us, we want to know. Set your time for 12-15 minutes and write. Just write. Post your writing here, on The Write Spot Blog. Click on “Guidelines” for information about how to post.
Today’s prompt: Winter.
Write whatever comes up for you. Share your writing here, on The Write Spot Blog.
Log in and post your writing.
Photo by Breana Marie.
What do you want to let go? What do you need to let go? What should you let go?
Take a look at these lyrics to the song, “Let It Go,” from the movie, Frozen.
It’s funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me
Can’t get to me at all
It’s time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me,
I’m free!
Let it go, let it go
I am one with the wind and sky
Let it go, let it go
You’ll never see me cry
Here I stand
And here I’ll stay
Let the storm rage on
Your turn. What do you need to do to let go? What will happen if you just . . . let . . . go?
Click here for the full lyrics to “Let it Go.” Music and lyrics composed by the husband-and-wife songwriting team Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez.