Sunday, September 27, 2020

Writing Prompt: Steal the Dragon

This is the Chengdu J-20.  It's a fifth generation fighter aircraft commonly known as China's Stealth Fighter.  The aircraft is reportedly capable of Mach 2.  Development may have benefited from American stealth fighter plans.  In addition, favorable foreign trade balances and China's rising economic power have made it easier for China to build an arsenal that includes these aircraft.  There are a lot of mysteries about the J-20.  It's a plane that the intelligence agencies around the world are very interested in.  It could easily lie at the heart of an espionage or military thriller.

 

 

Chengdu J-20 Stealth Fighter - Kaboldy / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

I could easily imagine some thrilling adventures around this aircraft.   For today's writing prompt, you have a mission:.  

Steal this plane!

Steal this plane and take it somewhere for study.  You can steal this aircraft in a thrilling piece of flash fiction or a short story.

 

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Writing Prompt: Set in the Museum

From art heists to haunting to archeological mysteries, museums are an interesting setting for fiction.  You'll find characters from Indiana Jones to Thomas Crown in the halls of the world's finest museums.  They are quite simply cool places to hang out and enjoy arts or artifacts.


The Richelieu Wing of the Louvre Museum in Paris - photo by User:Gloumouth1 / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

Unfortunately, in this world of COVID, we've all been either shut out of museums or found ourselves more than a little reluctant to visit busy public places.  Fortunately, we're writers.  We can take readers anywhere.  For today's writing prompt create a piece of short fiction that takes place in a -

 Museum

For further inspiration, here are 75 of the Best Virtual Museum Tours from UpgradedPoints.com.

 


Saturday, September 12, 2020

Writing Prompt: Cooking up a MacGuffin

Every quest needs an objective.  A hero has to go look for something.  However, the role that the object plays in the story, the importance of such objects, and even the existence of the objects can vary widely depending on the tale.  Contemporary writers have often called these objects MacGuffins or--in Science Fiction-- by the related term Big Dumb Objects.  I found the Wikipedia entries on these plot devices to be great reading.  However, the innocent reader in me doesn't like that these objects of value, awe, or power are just plot devices that manipulative storytelling types are using to hook us into their narratives.

For today's writing exercise, we have to think about the objectives of our character's quests.  What are they looking for?  What do they need to find it?  What history, power, and value does it have?  What do they need to do when they find the objective of their quest?  Is the object of the quest even revealed in your story?  Do they ever even find the objective?  Is it snatched away at the last minute?

For today's writing prompt, create and describe the --

MacGuffin

The Chalice of St. Remigius - photo by Buster.laroux / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)



Thursday, September 3, 2020

Writing Prompt: The Villain

If any character is underappreciated in a story, it is the villain.  The villain makes things happen by directing or taking action against the innocent.  The villain has a world view and is willing to make the world comply with it.  The villain is very busy making threats, engaging in malevolent diplomacy, orchestrating minions, and doing dastardly deeds.  Sometimes, it's enough to make a villain want to take a long nap in his tower. Plus, villains clearly have few friends and confidants.  Why else would a villain take a long break from the pressing task of killing a hero to explain the entirety of his evil scheme?  Clearly villains have feelings, have complex motivations, and have reasons to think that they are on the right side of history.  Perhaps the saying that "hurt people hurt people" is right?  The villain is a crucial character that no one seems to love, or understand, or even extend a hug towards.

However, today is different.  Today, we will appreciate the villain for the important role he plays in propelling stories forward.  For today's writing exercise, create a short piece of fiction where  --

the villain is central to the story!

A forboding castle tower like this one on a corner of Britain's Warwick castle is often home to a villain.  Warwick Castle - photo by DeFacto / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
Warwick Castle - Warwick Castle - DeFacto / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)


Setting Writing Prompt: The Old Shack

America's countryside is littered with old houses, barns, and shacks.  Many of these are documented and explored in Abandoned Places pho...