Day 148 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Make a story focusing on temperature. 

Shannon: It’s so hot. We need to find a place to cool down,” I begged my roommate.

“I’ll go get the fan,” she explained, as she jumped up. The heat hadn’t hit her yet.

“Fine, but we need to get out of here and find some AC, or a pool, or preferably a walk-in freezer,” I joked.

“Actually I do have access to a walk-in freezer,” she smiled deviously as she looked back at me.

Erin: I don’t know why I was being punished, just that I was. My body could not handle heat. That’s why I was so cold all the time. The only problem with that was I never attracted other cold people. I always attracted the warmers. Little did they know they were killing me. I was losing hope until the one day I met my ice queen.

Connect us with the hot and/or cold elements of your story.

Day 147 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about something a character wants to preserve.

Erin: I’d spent weeks perfecting my friend’s cake. “Time yet,” she asked referring to eating my masterpiece.

“Do you realize how long it took to perfect every detail of your childhood home. Let’s admire it just a little longer,” I suggested.

“It’s beautiful but honey I am so beyond ready to taste your yummy creation.”

“Okay,” I gestured for her to do the damage.

“Yay,” she cheered cracking into the roof and my heart.

“Yay,” I mimicked watching her take the first bite. My heart sank more when her face went sour. When I stole her cake, and tested it for myself I realized the reason. The cake had also gone sour.

Shannon: I keep a collection of old newspaper articles in a clear sheet protector I placed in a decorative box where it sits in my closet. They all contain information of a tragic accident where almost an entire family was wiped out in a house fire. The only one who survived was a little girl without a single burn on her body.

That little girl was me, and I don’t remember much about that day. I have short flashbacks of my family, but nothing clear enough to latch onto. There are days now that I’m older where I wish I had one lasting scar to hold onto instead of faded pieces of paper and the few photos people could donate to me. I wanted something of my own to connect me to the people I carried with me everyday.

Help your character preserve through putting their wish in writing.

Day 146 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about someone who takes on a new identity.

Shannon: New assignment:

Scarlett Collins

Engaged to Preston Yates. About to become a very wealthy housewife…

When I first red the description I knew it was a stretch, especially for me. I understood the purpose, and if I could pull it off and gain some trust I could get some valuable information from the other wives. It would be the perfect ploy, but looking at myself adorned in jewelry and ridiculously expensive clothing I definitely wasn’t buying it.

I tried to study, but how was I ever going to keep up after years of lacking in privilege department. Plus, how was I going to relearn how to care what people thought of me again. That ship had sailed long ago, and I was happy to send it off. As of right now, as soon as they saw through my inexperience, my only backup plan was to get one of them to take me under their wing. I was told most of them would gladly take role, considering the act charity work on their part. Not to mention the more people they could keep under their thumb, the better.

Erin: “No,” I grabbed the stylist’s wrist.

“Hey I could have cut you,” he yelled.

“You’re trying to cut me. My hair at least.”

“That is why you are here Jon.”

“My name is Lee,” I jerk reacted.

“It’s Jon,” he yelled back.

“Yes, I am sorry. Cut away,” a tear dropped from my eye as the last bit of my identity started floating to the floor in pieces.

Write about a character who changes into a different character.

Day 145 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about someone who gets stuck in a situation without money.

Erin: “Oh no,” I smacked all of my pockets seven times before finally giving up.

“What,” my friend asked.

“I don’t know where my wallet is,” I felt my heart flutter.

“Of course, you did,” he griped.

“Not on purpose,” I argued.

“Yeah right.”

“Screw you. I’m going to go look for it.” I was fuming and determined to prove a point.

Shannon:  “Pay now, or you’re getting off the light rail at the next stop,” the man was stern.

“Please I’m just trying to get back to my hotel. Someone stole my bag and I don’t have anything right now. I don’t how to get back any other way. Please,” I begged genuinely. I felt naked without any lifelines on hand.

“You don’t think I’ve heard that one before,” he shook his head just as we stopped moving. “Out you go,” he directed me to the door.

“I’m not lying,” I reiterated before I took another step, wanting it to be the last thing he heard.

“You’re not the only one who needs a free ride,” he shoved my back coldly, causing me stumble out.

I headed over to the map with a goal to figure out where I was, and how far I needed to go. My journey wasn’t within walking distance, so I was going to have to get creative, or maybe find a kind stranger.

Money is not everything, but it is something, and your character does not have it.

Day 144 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Start your story with, “The courtship ritual was long and strict. Many would also say disturbing.”

Shannon: The courtship ritual was long and strict. Many would also say disturbing. The process started with the couple creating a fire together, as if they were competing to prove they were capable of survival with only the tools nature could provide them. Family and friends would watch as they struggled with the first step for hours on end. Sadly giving up wasn’t an opportunity to come back later and try again when they were ready. It was giving up on the relationship forever. Their partnership wasn’t mean to be as far as the community was concerned.

Either way it always ended in a dramatic finale with the couple either getting unwillingly torn apart, or they’d moved on to the next step in the process: branding.

Erin: The courtship ritual was long and strict. Many would also say disturbing. The men were entered into a pit at random. They had no choice of which one nor if they wanted to participate. The prize woman watched from above, not able to hear any of the conversations. She witnessed the interaction of the 30 suiters. Every three days she eliminated one man based on the number tattooed on their back. They were allowed to try to woo the woman in the sky by any way they saw fit.

The first elimination was sent to the most “undesirable” bachelorette. The farther in the competition a man got, the more impressive the score of the woman’s pit he would be sent to. There were some men who got stuck in the final pit for lifetimes, until a self-sacrificing bachelorette would pick them so they could die in peace.

Write twisted romances.

Day 143 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Let Jordin Spark’s “One Step at a Time” inspire you.

Erin: $60,000 dollars later and I was so close. It didn’t feel that way though. I felt like I was behind bullet proof glass with a paintball gun. I could see the future I invested so much into, but couldn’t get there. The harder I tried the more I lost sight of the hope. I was at the point where only a sliver of glass was visible. I couldn’t give up though. I had already given my all for four years and I would continue to until someone gave me a chance to prove myself.

Shannon: “It’s not ready yet, but bring me a new draft next week.”

“Seriously,” I cringed, balling my fists. I was sure I had it this time. “Bu…But,” I stuttered. “This may be the best thing I’ve ever written, and you’re not even going to tell me what’s wrong with it?” I tried not to yell at my agent for holding the process up. She always strove for greatness. She never let anyone fall short of their best.

“You’re at the point where you don’t need me to tell you anymore. You show me what you want to change now that your deadline has been extended,” she slid draft back across the table.

“I don’t want to change anything,” I pushed it back. “I want to let it go. I could nitpick it forever, but I’ve given it enough time.”

She pressed her lips together and stared me down. I thought I might have convinced her, but I could see her wheels turning. “I know you have more in you. Don’t rush this. Remember, this is the fun part. Embrace it one last time, and I will pass it along. You’ll regret it if you don’t take my advice. I got you this far, you still trust me don’t you?”

I breathed out, “Yeaaah,” I dragged out the word as I reclaimed my manuscript. “I just hate that your one step at a time approach is genius and frustrating at the same time. You better be right,” I pointed at her as I got up to head out and get started.

“I can’t remember the last time I was wrong,” she called out and I heard her giggle to herself.

One more day of you making progress, what is your story today?

Day 142 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about someone trying to improve their life.

Shannon: I decided I few weeks ago that I had to stop being a victim of what I wished I could change about my life, and instead I had to start hacking away at whatever I could impact for the time being. If I wanted to lose weight I didn’t need a gym membership, a personal trainer, or a dietitian. If I wanted a clean house I didn’t need a maid. If I wanted to start working toward my dream career I didn’t need more free time. I just had to stop waiting for everything to be place, because it was never going to be in place. The time I have now is all I will ever get, so I’ve been making the most of it and it feels good.

Erin: I am purging all of the things that are wasting my life including and not limited to:

Television

People who make me sad more than they make me happy

Social media

Makeup

Cleaning

Cooking anything that takes more than 15 minutes

Shopping for not essentials

Events I go to solely because I feel obliged

I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself now, but I trust it’s going to be good.

Make yourself better by writing about how someone else making them self better.

Day 141 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about a childhood experience that changes your character’s life.

Erin: “What’s your secret?”

I thought about what the interviewer was asking. I tried to think of something profound, but all I could think was “my mom.”

“Aww,” she cooed.

I didn’t retract my statement though, because it was true. My mom loved me enough for a lifetime before I was even 12. In her doing that I learned to love myself. The confidence that came with that made me “inspiring” to young women. It was a sad truth, but for that reason I was ecstatic to have the mom that I did so I could be the person I was.

Shannon: “You’re weird, we don’t want you here. Just go home and leave us alone,” Ruby giggled looking down at me from the top slide, still declaring herself queen of the jungle gym. Her two suck-up friends were blocking me from even placing a hand on their newly claimed territory.

They were her puppets, and in the past I used to be too, but looking at it from this angle it didn’t make sense anymore. Why did we always let Ruby tell us what to do, and why did we always let her decide who got singled out everyday? I liked having friends to play with, but we only ever played her games. They weren’t fun and they usually just ended with someone running away crying. Beforehand she had never picked on me, so I could easily let it go. “Fine, I’ll start my own kingdom,” I shouted back. “Feel free to join me the next time she kicks you out,” I directed my offer to Harper and Riley before heading over to my bike. “In my kingdom everyone gets to be queen, or whatever they want to be,” I shouted as I rode off.

That day I vowed to never let anyone make me feel that small and powerless ever again.

How has your character’s past changed their present?

Day 140 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about a forbidden relationship.

Shannon: We talked through the fence. I pretended to read, back pressed against the wood and he’d pretend to be working on fixing up an old moped and other pieces of broke down junk that was never going to work. We were told never to speak to each other again, after our families got into a big fight. It’s not that we thought the fight was stupid, I mean it was both of their livelihoods that the other was jeopardizing, but fraternizing with the enemy’s child didn’t seem like such a big deal to either of us. We didn’t think we were doing anything wrong, and we didn’t understand how it would ever work for us to stop being friends.

I peaked through the hole in the fence nonchalantly to get a peak at him, in case anyone was watching from the window. As far as they would know this was just my favorite reading spot. “You still working on that moped,” I smirked, book blocking my mouth.

“You still reading the same book,” he responded with the other end of our own greeting to let the other know the coast was clear. We had our own secret language and code words. We made sure nobody else would ever know, and that’s what made our bond so strong, because we were the only two people who could keep it alive.

Erin: The problem that I had with the government genetic modifications was that they thought they knew too much. They thought they knew that I a girl of my status would never give a guy of his status a chance. But I did. Not only did I give him a chance, I fell in love with him. Our chemistry was toxic when mixed though. I didn’t care tough. I let him hold me and I held him. While we were comforting each other we were also killing each other. However, I would rather live a short passionate life than a long life of nothing.

Write about what you shouldn’t be allowing.

Day 139 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about a group traveling together.

Erin: “I can’t take it anymore!”

“I know,” my sister agreed.

The RV was starting to make me claustrophobic. Too many family members in one place lead to be slowly being driven to insanity. “I’m hungry,” my cousin started grumbling.

“We just went a buffet,” I reminded.

“I only had two plates,” he argued and I scoffed.

“Can’t you give us the back room alone for two minutes?”

“You already had your two minutes. I need time away from my mom too.”

We all needed time away from everyone. When there was clunking sound and we rolled to a stop I feared that was not going to be a reality for a long while.

Shannon: When I was younger I used to wonder what it was like to travel with the cast of a musical, now years later I finally landed myself a spot on a tour, and I’m living out my fantasy. We spend a lot of time in buses, planes, and hotel rooms always flocking together in one big herd. I like traveling with the group, it reminds me of school field trips. The way they can make you feel small, yet important at the same time. Considering you can get lost so easily exploring, but no one would ever let you get left behind.

We are familiar with each other, and know everyone’s name, but we break off into our own family-like subgroups, because you need close friend when you’re on the road. They’re temporary family you can take with you. My group is the dancer-focused singers. We were never good enough to make it on dancing alone, but we pass as multi-talented background. It’s nice to be around people who understand you, and that you can share life experiences with. I wish I could do this job for the rest of my life.

Write about a group that travels in a pack.