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The Short Fic Weekly Challenge Thread!


elliotcat

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And now for our current prompt! Happy writing everyone!

 

Week of January 29, 2021:

 

Old Habits Die Hard: Nearly everyone carries some habits from the past that don’t fit or are just plain weird in their current situation. What are your character’s? What behavioral quirk did they pick up in their life and why? Is it still useful, which is why they still do it? Is it harmless and unremarked on? Is it noticed and companions are too polite to mention it? Or do they mention it, and your character only then realizes what they’re doing? Was it ever useful or just a quirk? What habits--harmless or otherwise--have your character picked up and why do they persist?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Hypocrisy: We’ve covered lying before but this time it’s a special kind of lie: putting up a virtuous front for public accolade, while not actually believing in those virtues or actively violating them in private. Nearly every character (and person) engages in some hypocrisy, overlapping with those insidious little white lies told to keep the peace. Have they ever encountered some whoppers? In themselves or others? What did they do? What could they do? Who was involved? What was the outcome? Did anything change? If your character, they might be in for some soul searching, assuming they want to atone. They might just as easily fight the one who uncovered them. Write about your character encountering blatant hypocrisy.

 

Dear Mum and Dad: letters from camp: does your character send their children to camp? Did they go as a child? What about boot camp, or postcards from a trip to a distant locale? Who do they write to and what do they say? Do friends or relatives send messages to your character from their vacations? Business trips? Write some camp letters or postcards this week.

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  • 1 month later...

My apologies for getting so far behind once again.....

 

Week of February 5, 2021:

 

Oh! So Cute!: "Cute" isn't beautiful or even pretty. Ugly things can be cute. But there's usually a sense of harmlessness, a need to be protected, in something cute, and it may not be deserved. Bear cubs are cute (to humans, at least); Momma bear less so. "Cute" signifiers vary by culture and species, so is your character considered cute? What makes them cute--appearance or behavior or a combination? Are they really cute, in the sense of being harmless? Do they use cuteness as a way of putting others at ease? Maybe right up to stabbing them? If not your character, then an associate, rival, or enemy? How does your character deal with a danger everyone else thinks is harmless? Is your character an alarmist and the bear cub really is just cute?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Best Buddies: Does your character have a best friend? The one they’d like to hang out with just for fun, whether fun is cross-country skiing on Hoth or downing shots in a Nar Shaddaa Huttball cantina? The person who completed their sentences long before they met their significant other? Maybe became their significant other? Did your character stay in touch? Have they grown apart or away, the friendship almost remembered, but not quite important enough to restart? This week, write about your character being with, losing, forgetting, or reconnecting with their best buddy.

 

Bus Stop: How did your character meet their Love Interest? Blind date? Friend-of-a-friend? Co-worker? Professional matchmaker? Your world's equivalent of a dating app? Chance meeting at a bus stop? This week, tell the story of how they met.

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Week of February 12, 2021:

 

Our Song: Many couples have a special song, one they associate with being together or with the other person. How about your character and their SO? What’s their song and why? What about former partners and their special songs? What happens when our song plays, but the other part of our isn’t in their life anymore, or at least not right then? Does their song stay the same or get replaced? Added to? Is our song for your character and their SO or something else: their first starship or car, a city or planet, or a mentor or close friend?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Insomnia - Everyone’s had a sleepless night. Maybe more than one. What about your character? Do concerns keep them awake? Are they too excited for sleep? Maybe they just chose the wrong time for a stimulant beverage. Perhaps they were so engrossed in an activity they only realized they stayed awake all night when the sun rose. A bout of insomnia could be a single event or a recurring problem. How does your character deal with being unable to sleep--assuming their species even needs to.

 

Sight: Humans are a visually-oriented species, so sight is one of the easiest senses to evoke in a story and most writers use it automatically. We describe how a room looks or our character’s physical appearance. We tell the reader what our character sees. It is the most basic scene setting tool. This week’s challenge: make the character’s vision a central part of your story. Having trouble? Take it away. Maybe it’s too dark to see. Maybe they’re temporarily blinded. Maybe they’ve always been blind. Experiment!

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Week of February 19, 2021:

 

The Clothes Make the Man (or Woman): You choose your character’s outfit, so what does it say to the others in your story, and to your readers? Are they always dapper and well-dressed, usually a mess, or something in between? Does your character actually care? How do they show it? Have they ever used expected attire as a way to get somewhere they’re not supposed to be? If they wear a uniform, is it one mandated by their superiors or by long-standing custom? Are they able to personalize it? To what extent? Do they have a special outfit they reserve for certain occasions? What about holidays or ceremonies that require special clothes?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Craving: Sometimes, you just gotta have it. What is "it"? We often think of craving in relation to food, but it can be anything: intoxicants, attention, validation, touch, or affection. Nearly anything can be desired intensely as to be craved. Write about a time your character craved something, how they went about getting it, and what happened after. Why was it so important, anyway?

 

Promises - It seems like such a small social contract, but a promise can be a big deal. It might be a promise to a child for a treat, to communicate with a loved one on a regular basis, or to keep a secret--state or personal. How about your character? What promises have they made? Have they kept them? Did another character break a promise to your character? Some are quick to give their word and just as quick to break it. For others, their word is their bond and never given lightly.

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Week of February 26, 2021:

 

Heart Eyes: The emoji commonly suggests love for, being in love with, or infatuation with a person or thing. So who would your character send heart eyes to? What thing inspires heart eyes for them? Consider this week something or someone that your character would definitely respond to with heart eyes.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Propaganda: Regardless of their affiliations, it’s inevitable your character encountered propaganda or disinformation of some sort. Did they recognize it at the time? Later? Not at all? Did they challenge it or write it off as ridiculous? Were they offended? Shocked? Some classes--Agent and Trooper come to mind--might even be active participants. Write a story about your character and questionable official truth.

 

Injury: Since our characters often get into physical altercations, what injuries have they suffered? In a cinematic world it might be limited to minor scrapes, or serious wounds that heal in no time and without a scar. More realistic stories may have more lasting repercussions. How are their injuries treated? Technology, magic, herbs and other ‘traditional’ remedies? Some of everything? How long is their recovery? How complete? Does it make a difference if they received aid right away or if it took time before they could do so? Do they avoid doctors? What are the doctors like in your world? Think about a time your character was physically hurt and the medical help they received.

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And now for the current prompt.....happy writing!

 

Week of March 5, 2021

 

You Are Not Prepared!: It’s an old meme, but it checks out. Most often, our characters are ready for the things we throw at them. Suppose they’re not? Perhaps the situation is more complicated than they expected. Maybe they prepared for every situation except the one they’re in. Perhaps an old enemy is pulling strings behind the scenes and making things more difficult. Maybe your character didn’t bother assessing the situation, or assumed they knew what was going on. How do they deal with it? Are they able to salvage the situation? Does it go from bad to worse and then even worse? What, exactly, were they prepared for, anyway?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Under My Skin: Something latches on to your character and won't let go. What is it? An idea they can't stop thinking about? An offhand comment by another they keep mulling over? A slight, real or imagined, that wont quit ruining their day? A person who fascinates them--or drives them crazy? A literal parasite they picked up and really ought to have looked at?

 

Idiot Helpers: your character has companions, friends, and underlings. No doubt most of them are competent, but even the most reliable companion messes up. Some of them might be constantly messing up, misinterpreting your character’s instructions, and running ridiculous (or even contradictory) side schemes of their own. How does this complicate your character’s life? How do they deal with that companion they can’t get rid of or can’t bear to part with, but who is laughably incompetent? What kind of harebrained schemes are they getting into and how do they complicate your character’s life?

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My apologies for getting so far behind once again.....

 

Week of February 5, 2021:

 

Oh! So Cute!: "Cute" isn't beautiful or even pretty. Ugly things can be cute. But there's usually a sense of harmlessness, a need to be protected, in something cute, and it may not be deserved. Bear cubs are cute (to humans, at least); Momma bear less so. "Cute" signifiers vary by culture and species, so is your character considered cute? What makes them cute--appearance or behavior or a combination? Are they really cute, in the sense of being harmless? Do they use cuteness as a way of putting others at ease? Maybe right up to stabbing them? If not your character, then an associate, rival, or enemy? How does your character deal with a danger everyone else thinks is harmless? Is your character an alarmist and the bear cub really is just cute?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Best Buddies: Does your character have a best friend? The one they’d like to hang out with just for fun, whether fun is cross-country skiing on Hoth or downing shots in a Nar Shaddaa Huttball cantina? The person who completed their sentences long before they met their significant other? Maybe became their significant other? Did your character stay in touch? Have they grown apart or away, the friendship almost remembered, but not quite important enough to restart? This week, write about your character being with, losing, forgetting, or reconnecting with their best buddy.

 

Bus Stop: How did your character meet their Love Interest? Blind date? Friend-of-a-friend? Co-worker? Professional matchmaker? Your world's equivalent of a dating app? Chance meeting at a bus stop? This week, tell the story of how they met.

 

Nothing to apologize for. You are the good Samaritan that is doing this.

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  • 3 months later...

Once again, I'm very....VERY behind with the prompts. I'm so sorry and am going to start getting this caught up. I don't want to flood it with too many prompts at once so I'm going to post the rest of the March prompts this evening and then I'll post April in a day or 2, then May a couple days after that, then I'll get us to present by the end of the week. So here goes:

 

Week of March 12, 2021

 

Favorite Song: What's your character's favorite song? Do they hum it without thinking? Do they play it on repeat until everyone else is sick of it? Is it an old pop song, a recent one, or maybe a very old folk song? Where did they learn it? What do they like about it so much? Does it have any significance beyond "just like it?" Is it always the same song, or is theirs more of a favorite repertoire? Write about your character and the song(s) they like best.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Second Chances: Everyone screws up. Who gets a second chance? Under what circumstances will your character give another a second chance? Honest mistake? Unforeseen circumstances? Deliberate sabotage? Will some characters (main or otherwise) allow anyone a second chance? No one? Nobody is owed a second chance; no one can earn it. They don’t have to be forgiven for the initial wrong. Give someone in your character’s story a second chance this week. Or don’t. That’s a story too.

 

Dear Editor: Prior to comment sections, there were Letters to the Editor, where newspaper or magazine readers made their opinions known, and sometimes were published. Has your character ever spoke their mind in this official way? What was the occasion? Do they troll everyone on every message board they can find? Disagree politely? Usually ignore it all but this..this cannot stand. Let your character rant in public this week.

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Week of March 19, 2021

 

Hugs: Whether romantic or platonic or somewhere in between, hugs are a universal human gesture of affection. Who does your character hug, or who would they like to receive a hug from? If not human, does their species show affection in that way, or do they at least understand the human impulse? Do they hug everyone or reserve it for certain other characters? Do they dislike hugs except from a few? How do they react when getting a wanted--or unwanted--hug? What’s different in their hugs to lovers, to their children, or close friends? Write a huggable story this week.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Going Camping! In its broadest definition, Camp is something so over-the-top, in poor taste, or ostentatiously awful it's enjoyed as ridiculous or ironic. Ideally both at the same time. To say camp has no standards is to misunderstand its true nature: it’s not mainstream, doesn’t want to be, and is quite happy as it is thank you very much. This week’s challenge is to incorporate camp in your writing. Introduce (or bring back) a campy character. Include a campy setting. Tell a campy story. Write something campy!

 

The Gift of the Magi - not the biblical reference but the short story by author O. Henry, describes gifts given out of true love and at great personal cost to the giver. Has your character given such a gift? Did the recipient appreciate it? Was your character the recipient? Did they understand the value of what they were given?

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Week of March 26, 2021

 

Fabulous!: The perfect haircut. A dream outfit. The ideal place and time. All of these together, and yet also more. That’s fabulous! As much an attitude as an outfit, when has your character felt fabulous? Been fabulous? What was the occasion? What about it made them feel so good? Is it something they can do again, or was it a one-time thing? Could they keep the good feelings going, or did they have to go back to the real (drab) world? Make your character fabulous this week.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Colors: Republic Blue. Empire Red. Sith Black. Jedi Brown. We associate nations, religions, companies, families, and even emotions with certain colors. What about your character? Do they have a favorite color? Do colors mean much to them? Do they abide by the color conventions for their affiliations? Or do they choose something different because they prefer it? Why? This week, write about how your character navigates the visual spectrum.

 

Sound- Sound is the second most often used descriptor after sight. At the most basic level there is spoken dialogue or ambient sounds. Beyond that, a character may have a distinctive quality to their voice: nasal, raspy, or with a peculiar accent. Maybe they yell. Maybe they whisper. Ambient sounds might be soothing--a waterfall, soft music, leaves fluttering in a gentle breeze. They might be loud--machinery, nearby traffic, raucous neighbors. Used well, sounds tell the reader about the setting and the characters without the writer spelling it out. This week, try to use sound in a creative way.

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Here's the April prompts:

 

Week of April 2, 2021

 

Old Flame: The phrase suggests a person your character had a relationship with, usually passionate and/or sexual, whom they remember fondly though the affair is over. Has your character had such a relationship? How did it start and why did it end? Have they kept in touch, drifted apart, or did one party ghost the other? What if your character's old flame resurfaced? How does that complicate their story? Is your character someone else's old flame? How does this past relationship influence their current situation? Maybe it is a fond memory to recount with their present flame.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Lasting Repercussions: Every battle leaves a mark, every injury a scar. They might not be visible, due to magic or high tech medicine. They might be psychological, but no less real or damaging. They might be social: new enemies or a change in class or status. The entire world may have changed. All your character's conflicts, verbal or physical, have repercussions. Write about one.

 

You Were the Chosen One! Or Were You?: Game stories often cast your character as The Chosen One, the One destined to Fix All The Problems. But not every character fits that trope, and not every one should. Does yours? Or not? Emphatically not? Or maybe they are, but not in the way anyone hoped. Bringing balance to the Force by reducing its practitioners to two Dark and Two Light certainly fulfills the prophecy, but probably wasn't what Yoda expected. Where does your character fall on the Chosen One continuum? How do they show that in their story?

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Week of April 9, 2021

 

Paying the Bills: Adventuring often pays well-- if erratically. Some characters ply a trade or rely on other, more reliable, income sources. At the same time, our characters incur expenses less adventuring types never worry about. How does your character deal with routine bills? What constitutes "routine" for your character? Can they trade the "good laying hens" they received from a villager in gratitude to the local temple for a curse removal? Suppose Republic Credits are no good and they need something more real? Write about a time when your character had to balance their budget.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Reports of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated: Our characters lead dangerous lives. They’re sent on missions they’re not expected to survive. They’re gone for long periods of time and no one hears from them. They may have alternate identities or roles they don’t want to (or can’t) let loved ones know about. Sometimes reporting agencies get events wrong. Sometimes people make assumptions. Comic books aren’t the only places where death isn’t necessarily permanent. Write about a time when your character was declared dead but wasn’t and the complications that ensued, or when a close associate (enemy? !!) comes back to life after everyone believed they were gone for good.

 

Cupid’s Arrow: According to legend, any heart pierced by Cupid’s golden-tipped arrow--human or deity alike--filled with uncontrollable, all-consuming desire. Classic love at first sight. But Cupid’s quiver also contained lead-tipped arrows with the opposite effect: provoking disdain and aversion. Has either arrow ever wounded your character? Or perhaps one of their close associates? An object of affection? Cupid’s influence covers the gamut of passions--from the sensual to unrequited all the way to bitter animosity. Tell a story where your character experiences irrational love or irrational hate. Or both.

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Week of April 16, 2021

 

Eavesdropping: It’s human nature to listen when others are talking. Sometimes our characters hear things that weren’t meant for them. It might be a plot, a rumor, or an opinion they wish they hadn’t heard. Or it might be something about a ring and the end of the world. Maybe the wrong person overheard your character, and now things are messy. Game developers use ambient dialogue--NPC conversations not directed at the player--to provide information about a place or situation, make the world seem more alive, or just to have a little fun. Sometimes all three! This week, write a story where your character eavesdrops or is overheard, intentional or otherwise.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Pick-up lines: Use them? Been used on? Turned down? Accepted? Laughed at? Good ones, bad ones, sincere or stupid and everything in between. Write about how your character deals with a classic (if dubious) way to connect with someone else.

 

Resolutions: Has your character ever resolved to change a bad habit or start a better one? What prompted the impulse? Did they make a private vow or did they enlist the help of friends or family? Were they successful? Or did they slip back into old ways after a while? For this week, write about your character and resolutions.

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Week of April 23, 2021

 

Popularity Contest: We often make our characters strong and confident, people who believe in themselves and what they’re doing. But being popular isn’t really about believing in yourself and what you do--it’s about other people liking what you do. Sometimes the two coincide. It's certainly easier when your character is popular in their own story just for being who they are. What about the flip side? Were there times your character did things just to be popular? Did it work? Do they chase popularity and find it elusive, while the praise falls on other characters? Are they popular and followed and copied and really wish they weren’t? Do they care? What sorts of things would make them popular in their culture? If they truly don’t care, why? Are there consequences for not just winning or losing the contest, but ignoring it altogether?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Violence is the Only Option -When interests collide, some characters resort to violence to get what they want. Even if you want to avoid it, combat is inevitable. This week, write about a time your character has to fight with another in order to further their goal. Thanks to Oliverthefighter from the SWTOR forums for this prompt.

 

Paranoia: “Is it paranoia when they really are out to get you?”-- every Agent ever, and a healthy number of Sith besides. So how about your character? Are they reasonably cautious, just planning for the worst, or outright paranoid? Or is everyone really out to get them? Thanks to @Frauzet for this prompt. (And credit to Joseph Heller for the paraphrased quote)

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Week of April 30, 2021

 

Partners: Who is your character’s partner? Or perhaps who are your character’s partners? Romantic partner(s) aside, who are some of your character’s other allies? They can be friends, business relations, co-workers, or even partners in crime. How loyal are they to your character and vice-versa? Not every partner would follow your character everywhere. Some might be reliable only so long as the money (or whatever they get out of the arrangement) lasts. Your character might feel the same about them too!

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Adventure Time!: Adventuring isn’t a typical career. Most people stay at home with ordinary jobs, taking care of the farm figuratively or literally. What was it that changed your character’s course? Were they always adventurous? The first one climbing the rock or jumping in the pool since toddlerhood? Were they pushed into it by circumstance or a timely visit by a wizard? Gradually funneled into an adventurous life one decision at a time until they hardly recognize their lives? Explore your character’s first step off the ordinary path for the one less taken. What was your character's very first adventure?

 

Compromise: insisting on having everything their way all the time is a sure way for your character to lose friends and alienate allies. When have they had to compromise? Accept less than everything in order to get some of it? Negotiate a deal where everyone wins and no one really loses? It could be any kind of situation--from sharing a meal to deciding how to run a government. There’s bound to be some things they can’t bend on and others they may, and they have to negotiate similar stances with others. Write about a time your character needed to compromise and did, or didn’t, and what happened.

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Time to finish catching up!

 

Week of May 7, 2021

 

Change of Heart: Characters often grow and change in their stories, but usually their core beliefs remain the same. Suppose they didn’t? Some of the most satisfying stories--fiction and non--involve a character having a complete change of heart. The miser-to-generous is well-known, but consider any strongly held belief for change. What experiences make the character reconsider? Is it momentary and fleeting, or long lasting? The change doesn’t have to be for the good, either. A kind character could become cruel, or an open-minded one become hidebound and inflexible. Write about your character’s heart growing--or shrinking--three sizes, and what happened when it did.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Kiss The Girl: or guy, or nonbinary; whoever or whatever it is that your character is falling for (and, we hope, is falling for them as well) this is it. The Kiss. The Moment you've been waiting to write. So write it! Make it the end after a slow burn, or start with the Kiss and move forward.

 

Over Your Head- Interesting stories happen when your character is least expecting it, and least prepared. Maybe they misread the situation. Maybe their information was incorrect or incomplete. Perhaps an enemy (or friend!) arranged the whole thing. Or maybe they stumbled into the villain's lair on accident. Maybe the villains stumbled into theirs! What do they do? How does your character handle being in over their head?

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Week of May 14, 2021

 

Left Behind: A friend, a lover, a prized possession, relationship baggage, clothes that don't fit, heirlooms they hate, roles they can't fill. What did your character leave behind to start their adventure? Was your character the one left behind when everyone else went away? What happens in a story where the adventure comes to them? In the “go ahead without me” trope, who gets left behind and why? If your character, why were they left and why did they ask? Who faces consequences when all the others return home?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Devil Boss: Our characters aren’t always independent. Sometimes they have to take orders. And sometimes those orders, the one giving them, or both, are impossible. How does your character deal with a ridiculous situation? One they maybe aren’t meant to survive, complete, or would have to be insane to attempt? Suppose the orders they get are incompatible or in direct opposition. Maybe the orders aren’t so bad but their boss is just a pain to deal with. This week, imagine your character dealing with their boss, or at least someone around whom they should tread carefully, but who isn’t at all obliged to do the same.

 

Lost and Found: Characters lose things: keys, rings, treasures, friends, their way. They find things too: rings (again), companions, their courage. This week, write about what your character has lost, or what they found. Or both.

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Week of May 21, 2021

 

Credit Where Credit is Due: When a companion or an advisor comes up with a good plan, will your character act on it? Suppose it was someone they disliked? A rival? When it comes time to take credit, will they acknowledge the help? What about a time when a mentor or superior used your character’s advice or idea? Were they praised? Or blamed, if the plan didn’t work so well? Did your character throw someone under the bus? Was your character the one run over? How do their actions affect the rest of their story? Is your character willing to give credit where it’s due, or do they hog the spotlight (except when it’s inconvenient)?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

To Sleep: perchance to dream? Humans spend, on average, one third of their lives asleep. We have rooms, furniture, phrases and clothing all dedicated to this biological necessity. What does your character do to sleep? Do they have special rituals? Do they need a sleep mask and soothing music or can they fall asleep anywhere, anytime? Do they prefer near silence and darkness? White noise and a night light? Are they always uncomfortable in a strange place? Does having a familiar object--pillow, blanket, childhood teddy bear--make it better? Pets? What about snoring or tossing and turning? Do they have a bedmate (or housemate) to annoy, or who annoys them? Maybe their sleep schedule is at odds with the rest of the world for some reason. Maybe they don’t have a sleep schedule--their days are too erratic. Perhaps they don't require sleep themselves but find it an interesting trait in their companions.

 

Liability: A disadvantage or debt: a liability is something your character is responsible for, or something that holds them back. It could be a literal, monetary debt. It might be something they inherited but don't want. Perhaps another character, who really ought not to be in that situation. Maybe your character is the liability, endangering the mission because of inexpertise or some other quality. How does everyone deal with it?

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Week of May 28, 2021

 

The Easy Way or the Hard Way: a staple of police procedurals and military dramas, usually involving someone with information they might not want to share. Has your character been on either side of this dynamic? What did they do and what happened to them? The easy/hard dichotomy can happen in other situations too: baking a cake, climbing a mountain, or breaking into the tyrant's castle. Usually the "easy way" is higher risk or less likely to succeed but quicker, while the "hard way" is lower risk or more sure but slower. Any combination is possible! Maybe "easy" works just as well but is considered cheating: using magic or power tools or extra help. Maybe "hard" is more durable or long lasting but expensive while "easy" cuts corners and falls apart. Maybe "hard" is just traditional and "easy" is Kids These Days. “Hard” is over-complicated and “easy” is straightforward. Why does your character choose one way over another, and why? Are they consistent?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: Think Han Solo turning the corner into the stormtrooper barracks. When has your character done something that made the situation worse? Tried to roll with the situation, but ended up in hotter water instead? Stuck with the original plan even when events changed so as to render it useless? Maybe things didn’t get worse, but definitely didn’t improve at all and now there’s a different crisis. Write about an idea that seemed like a good one at the time, but turned out less so.

 

Games: Cards? Dice? Board? Ball? Video? Games of chance, games of skill, physical games as individuals or teams. Quiet pastime games, crowd-entertainment spectacles. Coliseums, pitches, dining room tables. Games for all ages, games for children, games for adults. Sentient species everywhere play all kinds of games and for various reasons. There could be no lasting repercussions, or it could be deadly. This week, make a game or its outcome important in your story.

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Week of June 4, 2021

 

Networking: What’s your character’s preferred way to make connections, gather information, or acquire favors? Do they go to or host parties? Use whatever social media exists in their world? Talk to friends? Take out advertisements? Hang around where they think the kind of person they need is likely to show? How subtle are they? Do they make friendly overtures first or bypass the social niceties? Do they get aggressive when they don’t get their way? How does that manifest: throwing punches or throwing shade? Why do they choose their approach? Are they consistent or do they change depending on the situation and what they need?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Vulnerable: Our characters aren't always in charge of everything. Everyone has weak spots. Everyone gets into difficult situations. Consider a time when your character was vulnerable in some way. Physically-- maybe they’re a prisoner. Emotionally--a loved one or dear friend took advantage of them. Spiritually--they discovered the universe doesn't really work the way they were taught. Even the least introspective character has vulnerabilities. Peek through a gap in your character’s armor and find a story.

 

Missing You: Your character relies on friends and companions, but they can't be there all the time. A companion takes a vacation. Maybe they had an appointment, ran an errand, or stormed off in a huff. Maybe they grew apart, took a job or a post in a faraway place. Maybe they just went to work for the day. Sometimes you don't realize how much you depend on someone until they're not there. Who does your character miss when they're gone and why?

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Week of June 11, 2021

 

Level Up!: When has your character “leveled up:” reached a narrative milestone and gained a benefit? What did they gain and how did they get there? A skill? A social connection? A title and responsibilities? A title and wealth? In a game, tabletop or computer, these milestones are often somewhat arbitrary, as well as the benefit(s) gained. In a story, you need to build up to those moments and choose the results so they make sense to your readers. This week, conclude a character arc and begin another. Level up!

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Baggage: “What’s in there?” “Only what you take with you.” What kind of baggage does your character carry with them from early experiences? Good or bad. Are they mistrustful because someone took advantage of them? Insecure because of past criticism? Confident because they've overcome obstacles? Sure of their destiny- or afraid of their fate? The past shapes your character's present. Tell a story about how or why.

 

Lost!: Really, really lost. So far off course that they don’t know where the course is, let alone how to get back on it. The compass is gone or broken. The sun or stars are hidden behind the clouds. The radio dead or not receiving signal. How did your character get into this situation? Is is real--as in they are physically lost? Is it metaphorical--they’re in a completely unfamiliar situation with no idea how to get out of it. Most importantly: how are they getting home?

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Now for the current prompt....happy writing!

 

Week of June 18, 2021

 

Pay Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain: What’s going on behind the scenes in your character’s story? Who’s plotting and planning, and what do they have in mind? Is it your character’s nemesis building their next death trap or world-dominating scheme? Is it a rival, itching for the opportunity to embarrass your character at their next meeting or conference? Maybe it's a good thing. Suppose a potential love interest is working up the courage or arranging an opportunity to confess their feelings. Perhaps there’s a companion planning a surprise party, or just a pleasant surprise. Maybe their doctor is trying to figure out how your character’s mild-mannered alter ego has so many grievous injuries. This week, write a story that advances your main story and character, but doesn’t directly involve them.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

If Wishes Were Horses: then beggars would ride. We often think of wishes as something for children, but everyone does it. Wishes can be for anything from a lucky chance through feasible-but-difficult to outright impossible. What things does your character wish for? Little wishes? Not much more than good luck? Middling-possible wishes? Things that could happen given some work and luck? Something that could never happen? Prohibited by the laws of physics or just wildly improbable? There’s nothing really wrong with wishes, however impractical or unlikely. Every so often, wishes come true.

 

Sweater Weather: It’s winter in the southern hemisphere. Definitely time to break out the jackets, scarves, and long sleeves if you haven’t already. What does your character think of cold weather? Are they the ones wearing shorts in the snow, or are they always cold even wrapped in blankets? Do they come from a place with an actual winter, but now live elsewhere with different traditions or no seasons at all? Are they accustomed to an unchanging climate and the seasons always throw them off? What is this “winter” you speak of? Wait, there’s something besides cold? Of course, sweater weather also suggests cuddling, cups of hot chocolate, tea, cider, or even soup. Be romantic, dystopian, or anywhere in between this week.

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Would you look at that.....I'm actually getting the prompt out on time!! :o

 

Week of June 25, 2021

 

Sorry Not Sorry: An apology made but not meant. An apology offered for appearance’s sake but not for the offending act. An apology offered for hurtful, but truthful or sincere, words or actions. An apology offered for hard words said with humor, taking the sting out of the interaction. An apology offered for harmful or foolish actions which would have been done anyway (and might be repeated), despite knowing the outcome. Write about a time when your character or one of their companions was sorry not sorry.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Playing for Keeps: A phrase originally from the game of marbles, if you played for funsies you went home with all the marbles you brought. When playing for keeps, you kept yours plus any you knocked out of the circle, even if they were your opponent's favorites. You might even target those on purpose. Playing for keeps suggests a risk and a chance for genuine loss from which there is no recovery. An outcome which your character does not have full control over, and will likely change things for them. This time, someone loses. Things will not be the same in the aftermath. There's no chance for de-escalation. This week, your character is Playing for Keeps.

 

Mixed Doubles: Combine any two prompts you like and write a story! For added fun, choose randomly. Nine years of prompts means more than 400 prompts to pick from.

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On time two weeks in a row! :eek: Happy Writing!

 

Week of July 2, 2021

 

No Ragrets: Impulsive decisions don’t always turn out bad and mistakes aren’t always permanent...but sometimes they are. Or at least are difficult to fix. When has your character done something ill-advised? More correctly, since we love our characters, when have they done something ill-advised and it didn’t work out the way they thought? When have they planned something and someone else’s mistake ruined it? How do they deal with the resulting problems? Are they even aware something went wrong? And, most importantly, are they good spellers?

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Souvenirs: They’re everywhere. Especially at cultural or historical attractions. Models of famous buildings or statues, clothing with maps or slogans, super-slick guidebooks, posters or postcards. Things for visitors to take home. But at its heart, a souvenir is a physical reminder of another place or event. It might be Official or it might be something ordinary that reminds them of where they bought it. It might even be a scar or injury. What kind of souvenirs does your character have? How and where did they get them?

 

I Dare You!: Few phrases in the English language have gotten people into more trouble, except possibly “Hey watch this!” So how about your character? Do they feel obliged to accept any dare? Do they dare others? Or do they regard the whole concept as ridiculous, an excuse to overrule common sense in exchange for a fleeting moment of acceptance or popularity? I dare you to write about it.

Edited by alaurin
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Happy Friday everyone! You all have been so good that you get the prompt early today.....that and the fact I am leaving for vacation shortly :D. Internet will be spotty for me where I'm going so next week's prompt may be late.

 

Week of July 9, 2021

 

Keeping Secrets: Not always a great idea, but one our characters often do anyway. Secrets can be anything from being Darth Vader’s son to the family fried chicken recipe. How does your character keep it? Not telling is far too easy. If the secret is important to your story, your character should find it challenging to keep that way. Do they rely on half-truths? Out and out lies? Evasion? A clever disguise? There are likely to be holes in whatever fabrications they’ve employed--who finds them and what do they conclude? Is your character the one poking holes in a companion’s cover stories and wondering what they’re hiding and why? This week consider not the secret itself, but how your character--or someone they care about--protects it.

 

*Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust, share it anyway!

 

*This week’s prompt not for you? Look for something more to your taste in the Prompt Archive. Consider all the prompts active and waiting to inspire you.

 

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

 

Distractions- Some characters are more focused than others but everyone gets distracted sometimes. It might be the garden-variety distraction--an urgent message, children, colleagues, some guy who desperately needs six pig’s livers while your character is on their way to save the world. Or your character might distract themselves--endlessly exploring Encyclopedia Galactica instead of completing their research paper, or obsessing over shoe details rather than exercising. This week, write about how your character--Ooo, shiny.

 

Love Language/Showing Affection: Every person, character, has their own way of showing affection. There are culturally sanctioned ways, which often differ by gender and class. Everyone's different, though, and how they show affection is often how perceive their standing in another's eyes. Write this week about your character showing affection in their own way, or recognizing another's unique love language.

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