Writing Games: Birthday Presents!

    Birthday presents are awesome, and also interesting in the way that they kind of reflect who we are that a certain point. At the very least, the presents we've really, really wanted accurately represent our interests. But have you ever gotten gifts that don't reflect your chief interests, but a smaller aspect of who you are? Like a book about a certain activity that you do in a class--naturally, given by a classmate from that course. In that case, the gift doesn't so much represent who you are, but what another person has gathered about you.
    Wouldn't that be interesting to apply in our stories as a writing exercise? Using birthday gifts as a way to reflect what characters think about each other? The kind of birthday present that the love interest would give the protagonist would certainly be different than the one that the antagonist would give.
    Just like no two people in real life view one person they both know the same way, characters surely would have slightly different views of each other. And any gift is a thing that the giver thinks is appropriate for the receiver. The characters who are really close with the protagonist, mainly the best friend(s) and the love interest, would probably give them a gift that compliments or matches their genuine interests and personalities. Whereas the people they meet only briefly on their adventure would probably give a gift that's more generic, or some kind of reference to something they touched on when they met (like a comment about liking sushi). The antagonist or a rival character, on the other hand, would probably give a birthday "present" entirely meant to jab at the protagonist--it could be something mocking, or it could actually be potentially harmful.
    So what kind of birthday presents would your characters get? Interesting objects? Or are they the kind of character who would really get bland things like a plain coffee mug for their birthday?

 

Writing Games: Shoes

The condition of a person's shoes can tell some
pretty interesting stories!

    You can learn a lot about a person by their shoes. This is something that's been used in many-a-mystery novel; the extremely observant detective, upon studying the footwear of a suspect or a pair left at a crime scene, can piece together little details and deduce not only who the shoes belong to, but what that person has been doing. In some stories, investigators have put together whole stories just based on what they notice about another character's shoes.
    Outside of the investigation context, that would work really well for summarizing and personifying a character; don't you think? A lot of details about a person's life and personality can be portrayed just by focusing on that one article of their outfit, and the description doesn't need to be long and complicated. It just takes asking a few questions, like:
    What kind of shoes are the character wearing? A character well off in the financial sense with a specific taste for fashion might love to wear designer brands; but they might also like special treasures found in thrift stores. Characters who aren't so well off financially might have hand-me-downs; or they could be wearing shoes that belonged to a loved one because that person isn't around anymore. Or, of course, if there isn't some kind of complicated backstory, the character could have just gotten their shoes at a local shoe store.
    What condition are the shoes in? A soldier in the middle of a devastating war would probably have plenty of cracks in the rubber of their boots and permanent stains on the leather from trudging through a dusty/swampy terrain. And an athlete's shoes might have smooth circles near the worn-out soles, from countless hours of training and competing. Even a character with a relatively "normal" life might have bits of candy/popcorn lodged in their shoes if they work in, say, a movie theater.
    Is there anything on the shoes that are unique to the character? Some people like to doodle in the white spaces on their sneakers; a character with special artsy skills would possibly do that. A clumsy person would probably have scuff marks all over the front of their loafers from bumping into things and tripping, making their shoes unmistakable. And a character who has an odd fascination with a certain color might always aim to wear shoes (or just shoelaces) that have that color; which can be really interesting when the color is one like bright yellow.
    So do any of these ideas bring up unique details about a character in your current work? What kind of details; what kind of shoes do they wear?

Writing Games: Second Banana

Some people don't mind playing second banana to
someone equally or even more impressive than themselves;
is the protagonist of your current story one of them?

    We all know what it means to be a second banana, right? To be the Number Two person in a business, ranked just a little lower than the Number One. It's not a bad position to hold; in fact, it's rather distinguished, and the work is satisfying when you love it.
    But some people really can't bear playing second fiddle. Most of the time it's pride, but I think there are also situations where, being used to being in charge or flying solo, the person has to really work to let go of some instincts, and learn to submit to the leader.
    And since so many other things in real life appear in fiction, this second banana scenario must also be applicable to characters in a story, right? If a protagonist finds him/herself suddenly uprooted from their place in the spotlight and put on the sidelines, they'd probably have some difficulty adjusting. So what if that happened to the protagonist of the story you're writing now? What if someone just as (or even more) talented, interesting, unique, and virtuous came along and took charge? And what if that someone is the protagonist of another story?
    Therein lies the writing game! :) Taking a main character from a different work (an old manuscript, or a well-known, published story), putting them in a scene with the main character of the work you're currently writing, and making it so that the protagonist of the current story has to act as the sidekick.  What happens then? Would s/he feel content to yield to the other leader, or would they feel uneasy about not having control for once? Would they be okay with doing whatever the other suggests, or would they occasionally defy an order? Would they accept the other as their leader at all?
    They're interesting things to consider because there's definitely something that differentiates a protagonist character from a sidekick. Sherlock Holmes could definitely not fill the shoes of Doctor John Watson, nor vice versa. Their personalities and other aspects make them fit for their own roles. So putting a protagonist character in a situation where they try to play the role of sidekick could showcase their qualities that are better suited for leadership. If the character is antsy about not having control over what they're doing, it would indicate a confidence in their own decisions. And if the character, even when they approve of the leader, finds him/herself ignoring commands they don't trust completely, it shows that their concern is more focused on doing the job correctly and safely rather than pleasing someone else.
    So, what do you think? Would the protagonist of your current work do well as a second banana? Or are they too independent?

Writing Games: Once Upon a Time

A dramatic event, or just a couple years, can make someone
into a completely different person; what was your main character like,
once upon a time?

    There's a very bright, nostalgic connotation to the phrase, "once upon a time." It's a classic statement of beginnings, the opening to a story.
    Today, an editor would probably groan very loudly if they saw the first line of a non-fantasy/non-parody story read "once upon a time." But what if it's not a first line, and it's not the narrator using the phrase? I once read a book where the antagonist talked about who he was before he turned corrupt, and he started by saying, "Once upon a time, I was . . ." The way the character used that particular line to define who he was before the written story started was really dramatic.
    And it sounds like it'd make a really cool writing exercise. Not only is it great for summarizing a drastic change in a character, but it can also point out one of the most important aspects of a character, a trait that affects everything they do. For example:
    "Once upon a time, I believed in true love." This kind of statement, spoken by a character at the starting point of the story, would show a vital point in the character's history (a broken heart, perhaps). In addition, it shows what the character's attitude towards this major topic in life will be like; she may scorn the "happily ever afters" of movies with a romance subplot, and roll her eyes when a friend talks about how wonderful her boyfriend is. And since this statement showcases what she's like at the beginning of the novel, it also shows how this belief of the character is probably going to change, that she'll find herself falling in love throughout the course of the story.
    "Once upon a time, I was just a girl who hunted to provide for my family." This would be something Katniss Everdeen from Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games series would say at the end of the first novel. It shows how this was her normal life at the start--youth, a low stature in society, and that she applied her hunting skills to deer and other animals--but it also sums up how the story has changed all that. Because of the events of the story, Katniss's youth and anonymity in her community no longer exist, and her skills with the bow and arrow have been given other applications. This "once upon a time" statement not only shows what she isn't, but it portrays a vague picture of she eventually becomes.
    "Once upon a time, I wasn't afraid to talk about the things that matter." This is something the main character in one of my own stories would say, at the beginning of the plot. It shows the inner issue he has to overcome (his fear of speaking up about his beliefs), and it also hints that something happened earlier in his life that taught him to keep his mouth shut. In addition to these things, the sentence is also really helpful in summing up the character's mindset. Since certain fears can affect everything a character does (like in this situation), it's pretty important to be consistent in the way the character thinks and behaves. A short statement in the character's own words like this "once upon a time" sentence can be very helpful in getting a good idea of that quickly.
    So what do you think? Does this sound like a fun writing game? What "once upon a time" statements would some of your characters say?

Writing Games: Matchmaking

    Happy Valentine's (or "Galentine's") Day, everyone! :D Guess what today's post is going to be about?
    Romance! Relationships and couples in fiction are awesome; they usually have perfect chemistry, we can see their whole beautiful story together, and the characters were actually made for each other. Another awesome thing about fictional couples that writers like us can enjoy is that we can actually make our OTPs ("one true pairings;" two characters we think would make the perfect couple) happen in what we write, whether it's in one of our own stories, or if we're writing fanfiction about other novels/shows.
    Now often, the main characters of a story already have a love interest, but that doesn't mean that a writer can't experiment by writing scenes where they're in a relationship with someone else (there's no harm done to the original couple, after all). It's pretty interesting to tinker with character relationships this way, figuring out how well things would work out between the main character and other characters in the story. Or, in an even more interesting experiment, with a character from a completely different story.
    Is there a character in another novel that would be the perfect partner for your protagonist, antagonist, or sidekick? Would Tris Prior (minus Four) be a perfect match for the kick-butt hero ? Would Sherlock and his mindpower be a great partner for the brilliant best friend? What would make them so great for each other? Shared (or opposing!) characteristics? A similar taste in friends? Shared interests, hobbies, or favorite past-times? What makes them work well together?
    Playing matchmaker like this can be really fun, but the creative exercise gives even more than that. Even though the characters probably won't actually be together in the story, the thought put into what made the characters compatible for each other, and what they would actually do together is good for learning about what the character from one's own story is like in a relationship; and that can help with the romance subplot (or main plot) in the story. Plus, if one's trying to come up with a love interest to give a character, this writing game could help come up with the right characteristics for them to have.
    So which fictional character from another story would be a perfect match for one of your characters? What makes them compatible? Or would the character be the kind of person who hangs out with their friends and family on Valentine's Day?

Writing Games: What Would They Take?

If an unforeseen disaster struck, what items would a certain character
take before running for the hills?

    There's a very classic writing prompt that basically goes like this: The house is on fire and you have five minutes to grab some important items before fleeing, so describe what you would take and why. It's good for describing objects and for prioritizing what's really important to a person, and with a little spin on this writing prompt, it could also be great for developing characters in a story-in-progress.
    If there was a sudden emergency at a character's home (it could be something like a fire or a tornado, or a need to go on the run before the hour is up), and they had five minutes to grab some items, what would they take? How long would it take them to get these things, and would they have any difficulty getting to items? If the house is on fire, going up into the attic or down into the basement would be highly dangerous, and if one item is locked in a combination safe, it might be better to leave that item and take four others instead.
    The prompt could be even more interesting if the character doesn't have a house though, like if they live at a campsite or if they're staying in a hotel room temporarily. This could make their ability to reach items easier and quicker, but it could also make leaving the area more difficult, and change their priorities. For example, someone staying at a hotel wouldn't have the space in a suitcase to fit a blanket or more than one spare set of clothes, and someone living on a mountain might need a lot more time for getting away from the area.
    So which character would you pick; the protagonist, antagonist, or a minor character? Which items would they choose? Would they actually pick the most important ones, or forget vital items they'll need? What are the character's priorities, and how prepared are they for the unexpected?

Writing Games: Never and All the Time

    Have you ever gotten bored of trying to describe characters in one sentence? "John is a sullen person," "Jane is happy-go-lucky." Short summarizing statements like this can be good for making a character's personality consistent, but it can get pretty tricky sometimes to keep from using the same term for multiple characters.
    But what if instead of focusing on one character and one adjective, a sentence like this was used to summarize: "John never smiles, but Jane does it all the time."
    There are numerous helpful things about never/all the time sentences like this. For one, it helps come up with a defining characteristic for not one but two characters, and it does it in a more creative way than coming up with just one word to describe them.

Squirrels in the park are never very
dramatic . . .


    Secondly, writing never/all the time sentences is an exercise that helps one remember characters in their story. It jogs the memory of what they're like and how they might have associated with each other.
    Thirdly, a never/all the time statement might uncover a parallel trait that wouldn't usually come up. Using the John and Jane example: if John never smiles, he could just be a pretty serious person, or he could be hiding his emotions behind a continual scowl; similarly, if Jane's always grinning from ear to ear, she's got to be either uniquely peppy or someone who's very accustomed to masking her real feelings, like John. In this context, the never/all the time sentence doesn't show opposing personalities, but opposing reactions, which can make a relationship between these characters more interesting.

. . . but spoiled housecats, on the other
hand, are dramatic all the time!

    Fourthly, writing never/all the time statements for characters is useful because they could point out a weaknesses of each character, which could be focused more on in the written story. John could look at Jane and think that he's never as happy as her, or Jane could look at John and think that she's never as focused and respected as he is; either of these could add conflict to the story or build on a recurring theme.
    Finally, coming up with never/all the time sentences is also just fun to do; it's a writing game!
    Can you think of a "never and all the time statement" for two characters in one of your stories? :)

Writing Games: Weird Words!

    Have you ever just Googled something like "weird words" to find out-of-the-ordinary terms? You know, the long, difficult-to-pronounce, whimsical-sounding words. Like jouska or pluviophile; peculiar words that are fun to use and to know about . . . the ones that are so awesome that one very much wishes they were used in modern day. These kind of terms are awesome, and it's a shame that they can't be used in writing, since nobody would understand what they meant.
    Or could they be used in writing?
    Maybe not in a novel/short story manuscript (except maybe in the historical genre, depending on the word), but I think weird words like this would make great writing prompts.
    Take pluviophile, for example. It basically means a love of rain, or a person who really likes rain. Using this word as a writing prompt, one could make it a character (a guy named Josh who loves rain), or utilize it for a setting (a region that has only one rain season, which people eagerly anticipate all year long), or it could be an action/event that makes up the situation (a person getting caught in the rain and suddenly becoming fond of the wet weather).
    Here's a short list of weird words that might make a good writing prompt. Have you ever heard of any of them? :)

-Coddiwomple     -Yonderly     -Vellichor

-Slugabed     -Gonzo     -Athazagoraphobia

-Zugzwang     -Overmorrow     -Hobbledehoy

Writing Games: Rewriting the Day!

Doing this writing challenge, one could say that this beautiful tree is
metallic, its usual sheen waning as the horizon swallows up the sun.

    Do you ever write down a specific moment in life like it's a scene in a book? It's a great way to preserve memories and to remember a different time. And it presents an interesting writing game.
    Try to remember a specific moment in life (special or ordinary) and how it could be written as a short scene. Then write it with one major difference: change the setting from the real world to a fantasy or science fiction one!
    Who hasn't ever wanted to live in a different setting like that for a little while? Enchanting countryside castles, floating cities, towns with local superheroes. Those places sound awesome! Rewriting a moment with this kind of backdrop makes it possible to be there in a way.  With the actions in the scene being things you actually did, it makes it easier to picture. Reading a scene like this can make a person feel like they're actually there, or that they were there.
    In history class, you could be listening to a hologram teacher while scribbling notes onto a tablet. You could be serenely watching the sunset with your friend through the window of a castle tower. On a public bus, you could watch the passenger in front of you, the cyborg adjusting his hand. Sitting in the park, you could be listening to the birds and to the singing flowers. Just about anything is possible in writing.
    Do you like writing prompts like this?

Writing Games: Occupation

    What if my protagonist worked in a grocery store? Has anyone ever wondered that? Daydreamed about a particular character in their current project having an ordinary modern-day job?
    What sort of job would they have with their abilities (handiness with tools, superpowers, finely toned charisma)? What sort of environment would they prefer; a busy shopping mall or a little shop with a very small staff? Would they work just to make a living, or because they love their career? What time of the day (or night?) would they work during?
    How would they interact with coworkers, their boss, the customers? Or would they work a job that gives them complete solitude? What kind of ovation (or trouble) do they get in their work? What do they accomplish? How do they get to and from work?
    This writing prompt asks all of these questions and places your character (protagonist, antagonist, sidekick, mentor, etc.) in a place they might never be in the story. It can be fun and a nice way to develop the character more.
    Here are a few examples of places to work:
    -Fast Food     -Restaurant     -Grocery Store     -Library
    -Beach     -Amusement Park     -Thrift Store     -Shoe Store
    -Bookstore     -Car Wash     -Doughnut Shop     -Pet Store
    -Café     -Flower Shop     -Barber Shop     -Electronics Store
    Do you enjoy writing prompts like this?

Writing Games: What's On the Table?

    Sometimes for a couple moments, it's fun to daydream up a scene where a character is meeting with another--usually someone who's either meeting the character for the first time or has met him/her only a few times--sitting at the  table with the first character's favorite snack set out.
    To be efficient about the creativeness of the scene, one has to think for a couple moments what kind of snack it is. To determine that, some contemplation of the character is involved. Are they carefree and eager to accept the privilege of tasty fast food, or do they discipline themselves strictly to a diet? Do they enjoy the sweet taste of chocolate, or do they prefer the mellower sweetness of melon? Are almonds their fancy, or is buttery popcorn more attractive? Or does this character drink something fun like soda or hot chocolate or tea in their relaxing time?
   And it's not just the type of food that can play a role in this daydream. The condition of the table and the room itself can factor in. Are they even eating at a table, or is this snack being consumed in armchairs or in hammocks or on the floor? Are they in the kitchen, the living room, outdoors? What's the environment like? Clean, fancy, dirty, organized? Are crumbs burning under the oven's range as the two characters chat? Is there a pleasant aroma of freshly cooked/baked food in the air? Is sunlight streaming in through dust-free blinds, or is the place lit by an electric light on the ceiling?
    All of these things can affect which way the conversation goes in the scene, and it shows a little bit more about the focus character's life and personality. All in all, writing a snack/meal scene can be a nice writing exercise.
    So what's your protagonist's (or other character's) kitchen look like, and what's on the table?

Writing Games: Fairy Tale

If you ignore the faint telephone lines by the tree,
this could look like the kind of weather in a fairy tale, right?

Fairy tales are cool.    And not just the ones where the main characters are princes or princesses. The heroes and heroines in some fairy tales have other occupations or even none, rising to fame and victory through skills related to their lifestyle.
    Numerous novels and movies have been modeled after stories like that of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, The Little Mermaid, etc. They're unique stories with varied characters, touches of the unusual, and typically a happy ending. These factors add up to memorability that keeps these stories alive after many, many years.
    Have you ever wondered how the character/s in your project would behave in a world and a situation like that? Would they, having been shaped in a different environment, behave differently in certain ways? Would their core be altered at all? Would the female protagonist throw herself into a prince's arms, or make a run for it? Would the male protagonist climb up the golden rope that suspiciously looks like human hair, or would he do something else? Would the villain send out a huntsman to eliminate an enemy, or would s/he use a different tactic?
    The game is to throw your characters into a fairy tale world and see what happens. Have fun! :)

Writing Games: Sixty Years Later

    It's so awesome having a character you like so much that you want to write about them constantly. What writer hasn't had a favorite? The kind of character you love to daydream about, write short stories about, draw numerous sketches of . . . The type where you want to write about their childhood, or about their pre-adventure life. Those kind of scenes can be a fun exercise.
    How about reversing it?
    It could be an interesting writing challenge to write a scene where a character (the main protagonist, a sidekick character, the antagonist, a contagonist) is a lot older. Like maybe sixty years older than they are in the story. What would they be doing? How would the world around them have changed? How much would they have changed? What would their relationships with the other characters in the story be like so many years after the adventure?
    What do you think?

Writing Games: Personifying Inanimate Objects! :D

    What would Sunday be like if it were a person? How would it interact with Monday or Saturday? How about if a water bottle was a teenager, or a scarf was a little girl?
    Okay, that sounded weird. But it can be interesting. Writing about inanimate objects as if they were people could be a good writing exercise. Fun, interesting, and it gives an opportunity to sharpen describing skills.
    How would you personify, say . . .
-A coaster                                           -An alarm clock
-An egg timer                                     -A flashlight
-A really old book                              -Yarn
-Days of the week                              -Holidays
-Weather (like rain or windy days)    -A cell phone

Writing Games: Holiday Songs

    Everybody likes games, right? And for writers, writing prompts are kind of like that. A creative challenge with an outline.
    Songs tell stories of their own, or deliver a message of some kind--especially holiday songs. Christmas songs in particular tend to tell stories. Lots of them are about Christ's birth, painting pictures of that wonderful and monumental night, and other songs are about different and often modern-day topics. Like "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," "Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer" (admit it, you know the lyrics by heart :)), and "All I Want For Christmas Is You."
    With those kind of songs, it could be really fun to try to think up and write a story based off of it. It's just like a game, a writing challenge!
    What kind of story would you write based off of, say, "Last Christmas" or "Jingle Bells?"