Day 210 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about a character’s family.

Shannon: My dad is a quiet, but caring man. He’s not the type you rant to about your week, or the type to pry with enough persistence to find out why you’re upset, but he’s always there and you can depend on him for that. He’s there to teach, there to fix your problems, and there to make you smile at every twist and turn.

My mom is so gentle with us, along with the rest of the world. Don’t take that as if she’s weak. No, I’ve seen her protect her loved ones with a vengeance. I’m just saying she does her best to do no harm in this world, and I admire her big heart. I feel lucky every day I get to feel that kind of love wash over me.

My sister is a honey badger, as that is the only way I could possibly describe her to make you understand. If you have ever met someone so sure of themselves that they’re not trying to please anyone’s expectations but their own, then maybe you understand what I’m talking about. She’s the most refreshing type of person you will ever meet. I’m so lucky she’s my sister, and I always find myself hoping a little more of her rubs off on me everyday.

Erin: Our family was small. Just my mom and me. It didn’t feel small most days, but as I got older it seemed to be shrinking. With age, it started to become very clear that my mother was trying incredibly hard to be every other person we could have had in our home. She would be stern like a father, we would bicker and play like sisters, she would look out for me like a bother. Sometimes she seemed to have a hard time distinguishing who she should be. I wish she would believe me when I told her, “just mom is enough.”

Even when your character is gone they are not fully gone.

Day 208 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Let “New Rules” by Dua Lipa inspire you.

Shannon: My phone lit up, and I’ll admit I still felt a jolt of excitement, thinking it might be him. I wanted to answer as soon as I saw his name flash across the screen, but I stopped myself. It’s your choice I reminded myself. Why should I jump every time he decided he missed me? The phone stopped ringing, and I determined it was for the best.

I saw the message icon appear and again I decided it could wait. I got up to get my mind off of the interruption, but the phone was ringing before I could leave the room. I checked the screen and found his name again. What if he needs me? I jumped to the worst-case scenario and almost picked up.

NO my mind restrained me and I flipped the phone over. That wasn’t our relationship anymore. If I wanted him to stop, and if I wanted to stop loving him, then I had to stop being there for him. I had to disappear from his world, no matter how hard that would be.

Erin: “We can still be friends,” my ex suggested. I took it as his way of lightening the blow.

“Yeah. No thanks,” I nearly chuckled.

“Wait why not,” he tried to make me sound like the delusional one.

“I have no interest in you keeping me on the line and slowing my healing process,” I got up to start that growth immediately.

“I’m not going to string you along, I still love you. We could still be great friends,” if I wasn’t there for the beginning I would think I had just dumped him.

“Nope sorry. I’m a love all of me or none of my type of person,” I began to walk away. “Lose my contact information,” I shouted back without looking. I could feel he had taken a few steps in my direction. I wasn’t going to break until he was out of sight though. Once I closed the door behind me I dropped the strong act and started weeping.

How is your character going to get over their last partner?

Day 206 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about the impact a character left behind.

Shannon: She believed in me, and I guess I didn’t realize how valuable her faith in me was until I discovered she was the first one to set me on this path. If she hadn’t been in my life, I wonder if the same things would still matter so much to me these days. Would I have the same dreams, or would I have given up long ago? They were a few simple words on her end, but they meant the world to me, and I just hope she knew.

Erin: “Why do I feel like I can’t do anything right in this position?”

The new girl looked at me with such concern. “Because you’re Jade and not Tanner.”

“Excuse me,” she leaned on my cubical wall.

“Your boss had the biggest man crush on Tanner,” I chuckled as I pressed sort on my spreadsheet. “Even if you were ten times better than him, your boss doesn’t want to see it.”

“So, you are saying I’m doomed,” I questioned with a raised brow.

“No, you’re like fifty billion times better then Tanner. Your amazingness is going to slap him across the face one of these days and he’ll come to his senses,” and I believed that whole heartedly and she would prove me right.

Even when your character is gone they are not fully gone.

Day 204 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about swimming.

Shannon: He pulled me under the water and I attempted to slip past his side, but his arms engulfed me and drew me into him for weightless kiss. If only I could live in that moment a little longer, but I needed air. I broke his hold and kicked my way to the surface, which might as well have been a different world. I immediately wanted to go back down to him, but he’d be up soon too, and that was where I really wanted to be, in whichever world contained him.

Erin: Swimming was one of my favorite things to do. The constant sensation of the water on my skin made me fully aware of my existence at every moment. My weightlessness was freeing. The waves rocked me back and forth. When I was under the water I couldn’t think of a place I would rather be.

Put your character in the water.

Day 202 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Share some items on your character’s bucket list.

Shannon:

1. Fall in love.
2. Swim with dolphins.
3. Compete in a game show.
4. Publish a book.
5. Create something beautiful.
6. Take a risk.
7. See the Northern Lights.
8. Help a stranger.

Erin: Scuba dive

Sew a full outfit

Dye my hair a crazy color

Go on a road trip with my best friends

Climb a mountain

Help us understand your character’s dreams better.

Day 200 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Start this story with three horses.

Shannon: “Three horses stand before you. Each will determine your next destination, as well as your future. Please choose wisely,” the women gestured for me to step into the pen.

I examined each one, all of them beautiful in different ways. One was white, another black, and the last one was a mix of black and white spots. I considered the common expression, “not everything is black and white”. However, I didn’t know if that was the lesson here. Maybe it was about making a clear choice, because you can’t always have both.

Which one did I want? After some thought I realized I’d be happy with any of them, and from what I was observing none of them stood out as any more capable of leading to something great. What really mattered was which horse wanted me.

After some more review, my choice revealed himself. I picked the black one.

Erin: “Pick your partner,” my friend sneered.

“It’s not fair you know which one in fastest,” I argued.

“A poor carpenter blames their tools,” she chuckled.

“Whatever,” I rolled my eyes. She went to grab her riding gear. “Which one of you is going to help me out here?” I scanned the three horses as I whispered. One turned her head away. She was out. The second one kicked his back leg which scared me. I looked deep into shadows eyes. She seemed like a winner. “She’s my girl,” the fear in my friend’s eyes proved I had picked correctly.

Three horses to start, how are you going to finish.

Day 198 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: A masked stranger hands your character an unusual object.

Shannon: I looked down at the stuffed animal in my hands. It was the same one I had when I was a kid, or…was it possible…could it actually be my stuffed animal? The dog was missing the same patches of fur on its back, and it had the same stains on its feet.

Before I could ask, the stranger was gone. Why did he want me to have it? There had to be a reason why he ran up to me with such urgency. I flipped the pup over and caught glimpse of some thread dangling from its belly. That was new. I considered ripping it open, but even after all these years I still had a sentimental attachment to my old friend. I’d have to wait until I was home to figure out what was hidden inside.

Erin: “What is that,” my friend asked pulling at the charm of my necklace. Normally it was hidden in my shirt, but it had slipped out.

“I don’t know,” I took it from her hands back into my own. “Some man gave it to me on the peer one year.”

“Who,” she continued to pry.

“I don’t know he was in an outfit that hooded his face out of my view,” I remembered the strange words he said as he gave it to me, but kept them to myself.

“What’s in the locket?”

“The what,” I asked looking down and realizing the little clasp on the side of the oval for the first time.

“You haven’t opened it,” she gasped trying to take control of doing it herself.

“Wait,” I held the locket in my fist. I had worn the piece for three years and was not sure I was ready to realize what I had traveled with so close to my heart.

What is your character going give your other character?

Day 196 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about a character’s role model.

Shannon: I had a teacher who always managed to see the good in people. She’d work with lost causes like me, and teach us that we were good for something where our minds could excel. Before Mrs. Davis took me and a few other students under her wing in a new after school program, I hated going to school. It was like a video game where I kept losing all my lives at every turn and I never improved. The game was pointless and it didn’t make me feel any closer to the finish line.

I guess the reason why she wanted to help us in the first place was because she felt the same way when she was younger. She felt stuck, and she explained to us how she dug herself out. She started the program because she didn’t want us to be alone in our journeys. For the first time in our lives someone believed in us, and it’s amazing how having someone cheering you on can make you feel unstoppable. When I’m older I want to same thing for other people, and because what I’ve learned from Mrs. Davis I know one day I will.

Erin: A little part of me hated going out with Raven. She painted her make-up on her face like the artist she was. Her cheekbones were contoured razor sharp. Her lips stained a supple red. Her winged liner looked printed on, her false lashes looked real if you didn’t know perfection was impossible, and her shadow drew all attention to her crystal blue eyes. The worst part of it all was that her unbelievable beauty lasted all night perfectly. One day I would finally properly learn from her and my face could be art too.

What character inspires your character?