Archive for category Prompts
Physical Description of Setting Exercise
Try describing a room from three perspectives: through the door, looking in; from inside the room for the very first time, and then from the perspective of being an active participant in the room’s use on a regular basis, maybe focusing on a couple particular elements within the room.
Next, interject a character at the three different points.
How does the room’s view change the character? The mood? Does it affect the relationship between the character and the reader? If so, in what way?
Exploring these aspects will help you, the writer, engage or disengage your reader as you so desire. This is a useful tool to learn and master!
Good luck and, as always, write on!
Describing the Physical Setting
The topic of our upcoming craft chat (Saturday, January 24, 2009) is how to describe the physical setting in your novel. Over the next two weeks, we’ll attempt to post prompts and challenges along with some helpful tidbits about this topic here.
One thing that seems to be overlooked when writing a scene is using several senses. Draw your reader in by including at least three of the five senses: smell, touch, taste, sight, and sound. Thinking about the five senses, how could you describe an artist’s studio? Try playing around with the five senses, using a different set of three each time. How does it change the feel of the room?
Character Study
Write a description for one of the "characters" shown below or go to Flickr’s People Pool to find a character to write about.
This Old House
Writing prompt:
Write about a situation where the first character wishes to achieve a certain goal, but is prevented by the second character.
Character 1: Octavio Washer
Goal: To restore a creepy old house
Character 2: Paul Shaner
Writing Prompt: The Snooping Neighbor
Write about a situation in which an obstacle causes problems for this character:
Character: Daisy Swiss
Obstacle: A snooping neighbor
Writing Prompt: Character vs. Character
Write about a situation where the first character wishes to achieve a certain goal, but is prevented by the second character.
Character 1: Rebecka Lorenzo
Goal: To die penniless
Character 2: Roland Woodring
Writing Prompt – Character’s Physical Description
Entertain some dialogue between two of your characters. As you write the dialogue, only focus on one particular physical description, such as their eyes, their hands, chins, etc. Pick only one. Try to write your physical descriptions to convey emotions, or better yet, have the emotions from one character contrast dramatically with the other character and show that through how you portray their physical description.
Writing Prompt: Character’s Physical Description
Introduce the antagonist in a story, allow his physical description and body language to convey his/her sinister or selfish nature. (From: Creative Writing Solutions)
Writing Prompt: Garbology
From Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft by Janet Burroway
If people are characterized by the objects they choose, own, wear, and carry with them, they are also revealed in what they throw away. Garbology is the study of society or culture by examining and analyzing its refuse. Write a character sketch by describing the contents of your character’s waste basket.
Character Development: Writing Exercise
Create a list of people and then add an adjective. You might have woman, man, child and then adding the adjective have: sleazy man, woeful child, lunatic woman. Try on professions for size: timid garbage man, boastful weight lifter, etc. Once you have a list (keep it for future reference) pick two characters and decide what one wants from the other.
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