Writing Prompt: Day 210

210Day 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.

Writing Prompt: Day 208

208.jpgDay 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?

Writing Prompt: Day 206

206.jpgDay 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.

Writing Prompt: Day 204

204.jpgDay 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.

Writing Prompt: Day 202

202.jpgDay 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.

Writing Prompt: Day 200

200.jpgDay 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.

Writing Prompt: Day 198

198.jpgDay 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?

Writing Prompt: Day 196

196.jpgDay 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?

Writing Prompt: Day 9

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Day 9 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write a love triangle where the main character feels forced by matters out of their control to pick one of the two options.

Shannon: “Choose,” was the word echoing in my head as I tossed and turned trying to fall asleep. They wanted an answer and they deserved an answer. How was I supposed to reveal that I already knew? All this time it wasn’t a choice, and I kept the knowledge hidden because I didn’t want to loose either of them.

Peyton was a perfect choice. She was the most beautiful girl in the school, and somehow, even with her flawless exterior, her interior contained even more to be sought after. I’d had enough study sessions with her to know her peers often underestimated her wisdom. Her jokes could command any crowd, and she was fearless in her execution, knowing exactly when everyone could use a laugh. She was also a very kind and forgiving soul, unless she felt the need to stand up for her neighbor, or herself. That’s why she didn’t’ hesitate when she demanded I choose between her and Hope, and give her my answer after our last class tomorrow.

Hope could go unnoticed in a crowd. There was nothing distinct about her appearance that made people want to take another look. She was smart in some subjects, but struggled in others. Her jokes were quirky, but not everyone appreciated them, so she kept them personally tailored to the people she knew would laugh, mostly me. I’d categorize her as gentle and kind. She took great care with anything she valued, and she placed the most importance on her relationships. Always taking full advantage of the time she was given with them, and always living in the moment. That’s why I figured she never asked if I was interested in something more, because it wouldn’t change her view of me.

If my heart could listen to any reason I would pick Peyton, but I only wanted Hope. I knew the first day she made me smile.  I knew by her eyes, not because they revealed anything about her specifically, but because I found myself lost in them at least once every single day. Her presence had a way of lighting a fire in me that reminded me I was alive. I liked the person I was when I was around her. There was never a choice.

Erin: I had massively ruined everything.

“Ready to go,” Mary’s smile was to my dismay just as breathtaking as ever.

“Yes,” I lied grabbing my gym bag.

Once we were in the car I had to concentrate even harder than normal not to take her hand in mine as she left it on the gears seeming to invite me to do just that. “You seem quiet today,” she finally stopped singing to the radio.

“I’m okay,” I couldn’t stop lying. I couldn’t admit that ride could be the last time we were co-pilots. I couldn’t come to terms with the fact that I would never hear her singing with reckless abandon again. I felt telling the truth meant the last time my running high was boosted by her conversation was behind us. I was afraid I was losing the most precious person in my life, because I was.

“You promised never to lie to me. You promised I was different than Brittney,” she reminded cornering me in my deception.

“She’s pregnant,” I looked between my knees as she pulled to the side of the road. I suddenly felt like I might throw up.

“Who,” I wished I could turn a blind eye to her tears, but her voice showed me my mistake just fine.

“Brittney,” I choked out, suddenly unable to hold back.

There was a long silence, only interrupted by our uneven breathing. “How,” her voice was still higher, but she had gained some composure.

“What do you mean how,” I couldn’t go into detail.

“How far along is she?”

“About three weeks,” I whispered suddenly feeling the worlds judgments on me.

“I gave you time to figure out your living situation and let her down easy. It seems to me that you must have used that time to continue to sleep with her. How is that letting her down easy?” I slowly let my eyes raise to hers. Her face was the saddest sight I had ever seen.

“It’s not like I cheated on you,” I tried to salvage what glimmer of hope I possibly had left.

“Because I refused to be that woman and insisted we wait till you were a single man? I wasn’t giving you a free pass to continue your doomed relationship. I loved you,” the past tense stung. “I wouldn’t have done this to you.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah, me too. Get out, I’m not driving you home,” she unlocked the car and stiffened into driving position. Her hands and arms were cemented to the wheel.

“I still want you, you’re still my future Mary,” I graveled.

“You’re going to be a father start acting like one,” as she looked straight ahead she could be indifferent to my pain.

“I can still be a part of the kid’s life. With you,” I couldn’t remove her from my vision. She was all I knew of love.

“You can’t be a part of mine. I don’t want to hear any more of your bullshit. I gave you too much credit. That sleaze ball that tried to kiss me that night, that’s who you have always been. You told me what I wanted to hear, but if any of that was true you wouldn’t have been able to do that with her,” She tried to reach over and open my door, but I couldn’t be that person. Not to her.

“You don’t understand,” I pulled her arm off, but she immediately slapped it into my stomach to shake my touch.

“Oh, believe me when I say I understand that you are an expecting father and I wasted my life waiting for you. Congratulations on the exciting news, go celebrate with your fiancée.”

In honor of The Bachelor Monday this seemed fitting. What would your story be?

Writing Prompt: Day 8

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Day 8 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Your character is shrunk to the size of a gummy bear… Now what?

Erin: “How do we get in there,” Lilly pointed nearly all the way to the ceiling. That is how huge the fridge had gotten. She had to point her arm as high as she could to have her finger in the direction of the top.

“Are you insane,” I screamed.

“We were shrunk in our coats. That has to be a sign,” she argued. “Now, stop being a party pooper and help me get in there,” she jumped trying to reach the bottom of the door, to no avail.

“You are being an idiot. That thing is bigger than a skyscraper right now. The door is one trillion times heavier than you,” I sat down to prove my point.

“Trillion, that’s dramatic,” she continued jumping starting to pant.

“Is it,” I grabbed a crumb from the floor and it was heavy. “Look at this,” I showed her what was about the size of a beach ball with our current height.

“Wow,” she seemed genuinely surprised for some odd reason. I wasn’t sure how she could be surprised by anything anymore.

A thundering came from the hallway. “Mom,” I groaned sure of our impending death.

“Mom,” Lilly cheered until she saw the threat our gigantic creator had become. When she opened the fridge the ground shook.

“Oops,” our mother exclaimed as a fast food ketchup packet dropped to the floor nearly crushing my sister, who seemed to not understand that was a bad place to be.

“This is our chance,” Lilly grabbed my hand and before I knew it I was dragged onto the packed and holding on for dear life. We whipped up into the air like an amusement park ride and were shot off when our mom placed us down. After our mom grabbed her apple we were left in complete darkness and I rubbed my hurting side. “Yes,” Lily turned on her phone light and shined it around.

“What the flipping hell Lil,” I screamed and she completely ignored me.

“Yay, yes, yes, yes,” she sprinted toward the huge pan of jello from her birthday party. She grabbed onto the cling film and grabbed fistfuls, slowly making her way up.

“What are you doing,” I grumbled leaning against a block of cheese.

“Utilizing a moment while I have it,” she swayed a little getting over the ledge, and eventually stood on the side.

“You’re going to kill yourself,” I sassed.

“You’re already dead,” she flashed the light at me and then took out a pocket knife. She cut a hole in the film and I almost believed her statement as she yelled, “Cowabunga.” That was of course until I saw the phone lodge into the jello with her body. They were both trapped by the jello crack they had created. The light slowly faded to darkness. I let her come to the conclusion on her own. “That was a lifelong dream, but I must say was quite anticlimactic,” I listened to her stupidity in the dark.

“You think,” I added. “That phone may have been able to call mom. You just lost our only chance of us making it out of this nightmare alive. We are going to freeze to death in her,” my teeth chattered.

Shannon: I decided to spend the rest of my lunch in search of a good book. Once I found it, I had enough time to spare to get a good start on it before my next class. “Is this seat taken,” I questioned the girl sitting alone at a table in the back of the library. I’d often seen her alone and never had the courage to ask if she was in need of company until today.

She didn’t respond immediately, and looked a little nervous. “Um, it’s not taken…but a…I don’t know if you might not want too,” she whisper very quietly.

“No I want to” I ensured her. “I’m weird, I like reading with company and I don’t have lot of friends who spend much time here. Thanks for putting up with me,” I joked. “My name is April by the way.”

There was a slight delay, but the corners of her mouth lifted into a kind smile. “That’s not weird,” she shook her head, “And my name is Amber,” she added before looking back to her book. I tried to read the title in case I had ever heard of it, but it looked like it was written in another language that I wasn’t familiar with.

I started reading my book too and really enjoyed the first chapter, but as I continued the words seemed to be getting larger. Then the table started growing too. I was shrinking into the chair and I felt like a little kid. And when I shrunk even smaller I started panicking, afraid I was disappearing, but finally I stopped. I was now standing in the middle of the chair. I figured I couldn’t be any bigger than the size of a bug.

“Oh my gosh,” I’m so sorry, Amber’s booming voice apologized as her shadow towered over me. “Here, I can fix you,” she put her hand in front of me and the wind from her movement knocked me over. This was bad. I regained my footing and was just barely able to hoist myself into her palm.

“Slowly,” I warned and I crawled to the middle digging my nails into her skin to get a safe grip.

She discretely raised me to face level with her back to the rest of the library. “What did you say,” she whispered.

“I said move slowly. It’s a big fall from up here. How did you do this,” I shouted, freaking out.

“I was reading spells,” she admitted ashamed. “I’m sorry I didn’t think they would work. I didn’t think I had the magic to pull them off, and I told you not to sit next to me.”

“Are you a witch,” I asked without fear. I was mostly just intrigued. This was pretty spectacular and she seemed harmless enough.

“We don’t prefer that term. We like to call ourselves magicians.”

“Well congratulations, you’re one hell of a good magician. Can you change me back before I get busted for skipping class?”

“I’ll try,” she stated, unsure. “And you won’t tell anyone will you?”

“I promise I won’t. I don’t think anyone would believe me anyway,” I shrugged.

“Ok,” she placed her hand on the table and I hopped off, happy to be on solid ground. “Get to the end of the table, so you don’t cause a scene when you grow. I don’t think anyone has noticed yet.”

I guess we were decently hidden, but even if we were in plain sight I wondered if our peers would have been observant enough to notice. Everything on the table looked like the biggest oddly colored trees I’d ever seen in my life. I ran to the end of the table and scooted myself so my legs were dangling over the edge. I glanced up at the wall of books in front of me. I always wanted to venture to the world’s largest library someday, but this took my dream to another level. It was beautiful.

I heard Amber whispering behind me some nonsense language. After a while of nothing happening I turned back looking for a progress update. “I don’t want you to panic, but it’s not working. I’ll keep trying, but you may be stuck like that for a bit until I can get help,” she winced ready to be scolded.

I felt my heartbeat pick up. I wanted to freak out, or at least get mad, but as I looked around at the vastness of the room I started to realize this could be fun. I turned around and walked over to leap on top of the page in her book. The words covered the ground the size of a gym floor. I brushed the page with my fingers, and smiled. “That’s ok, but you’ve got to protect me,” I demanded pointing up at her.

“Of course,” she nodded just before the bell rang. “Come on,” she plucked me up by the back of my shirt and placed me in the hood of her sweatshirt, so I could hide behind her hair. This was going to be one crazy ride.

Participate in today’s challenge and look at the world from a different perspective.