Day 278 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write a character who is too big for their environment.

Shannon: “This place isn’t big enough for you. You’ll eventually have to leave you know?” I finally said what I was I’d known for a while now. I just couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud. I didn’t want him to know he was too good for this place.

“What are you talking about,” he let out a huff and shook his head.

“You’re getting out of this boring town and you’re never coming back,” I stuck firm to my prediction, because it was inevitable.

I could he was uncomfortable, but he eventually responded, “And you’re not getting out of here?”

I sighed, “You already know the answer.”

Erin: This world wasn’t made for me. I was two times bigger than the next biggest citizen. That meant I was two times bigger than the biggest furniture could hold and two times taller than the tallest door frame. To cover my body, I had to make my own clothing with my tiny sewing machine. Life was not meant to be this hard.

Time to outgrow the surroundings.

Day 277 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about someone who wants to get in.

Erin: “Why do you want to get into that stupid school,” my friend asked condescendingly.

“They hold my future I explained,” freaking out.

“No, you do.”

Shannon: My older sister took me by the wrist yanked me away from the glass. “It’s not for us,” she growled. “Stop looking.

“Maybe you’re wrong. Maybe I could,” I was sick of hearing I didn’t have a shot at the only thing I wanted.

“You think you’re so different,” she shook her head. “Go ahead, you want to be a part of tat word. “Give it a try. Keep chasing something you’ll never get. Don’t come crying to me when you find out I was right,” she push my shoulder in frustration.

What must your character do? 

Day 276 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about a character softening.

Shannon:  “Leave her,” I heard his friend shout before running off. I expected him to listen, but I watched him struggle to decide. He looked back at me for a few seconds before bolting forward. I thought that was odd, but when I saw him turn around I was even more surprise.

He knelt down to my level. “Let’s go,” he pushed forward his shoulder. I was reluctant to take his help. He wasn’t a kind person, so I didn’t know if I could trust him.

“Why are you helping me?” I tried to read his eyes.

“No time to explain,” he put a hand under my legs and the other on my back as he started lifting. I quickly wrapped my hands around his neck.

Erin: At some point I decided to just stop pretending. I wasn’t what society had labeled as manly. There were some movies that were so cute they could make my eyes water. When people hurt my feelings it did hurt, it didn’t bead off of me like spills in advertisements for a waterproof shirt. I was good at hiding truths like that, but I just didn’t want to. I wanted to watch the movies I liked, listen to the music I liked and be the person I deep down was.

Show us the softer side.

Day 275 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about something that has multiple layers beneath the surface.

Erin: There was a certain point in life where everyone stopped being my perception of them. I never took a human as the face value I had slapped on them. Mr. Ken was one of those people. He was the most pretentious of all of the teachers at Lincoln High. He thought so little of all of us. One day however I found out that he lost his daughter only a few years prior to .my freshman year. She was valedictorian of her class, one of the smartest classes to ever pass through the halls of our school. He wanted us all to live up to her. His hopes were too high for most of us though. That discrepancy lead to misunderstanding and frustration.

Shannon: She couldn’t be classified by one thing. That didn’t do her justice. Most people are easy to understand, but she’s a puzzle until you get used to her. When I first met her I was on the same assumption as everyone else: she was sour and cold. Then I peeled back a few layers and learned that wasn’t the only side to her. There was a lot to admire.

What layers make up the whole? 

Day 274 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write a story that includes a rose.

Shannon: There was a rumor I’d heard from my friends about a rose that was carved into the bleachers right next to the baseball field. They said it drawn by someone in memory of a girl who had died in the girl’s bathroom. I didn’t believe the story, so I went to go check it out, and see if the rose even existed.

When I got there after school I noticed there was a rose on the bleachers, but it was real. I rolled my eyes because I thought my friends were messing with me, but when came closer there was some writing engraved. Odd. I picked up the flower to examine it, and suddenly my view was blurry.

Erin: I had learned to hate flowers. They made my stomach drop, because Ray always gave them to me as an apology. They were never substantial enough to overshadow his wrongdoing. They just made my hurt worsen. That feeling would come back as I looked at any roses from any occasion. It was the thing I disliked him taking from me most.

Roses are red. Or are they?

Day 273 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about a treasure hunt.

Erin: By the time I got to the last location in the hunt it was just a note that simply said “the real treasure is in the journey.” I was ready to take down the monster who had sent me on my wild goose chase.

Shannon: “Do you think this is real, or are we just doing this because we’re bored?” I wondered out loud.

He didn’t take in my doubts. “This map hasn’t been touched for decades. There will be treasure,” he sounded so confident.

I smiled, “Promise you won’t be disappointed if we keep searching and don’t find anything. It’s just…I had a really good time, either way.”

He reached for my hand, “I had a good time too, and I won’t regret one second.”

“X” marks the spot, or does it?

Day 272 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Describe a smell.

Shannon: I was following a sweet smell in the air, and I had to know which stand it was coming from. The only problem was the fair was filled with food options, and all the scents were blurring together. I just had to focus on one, that one smell, and I was sure I’d fine it.

Erin: I never knew a person could smell like home until I met him.

Can you smell that smell?

Day 271 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about what your character decorates with.

Erin: There are times I like to do things the hard way. Decorating is one of those things. I like to scrounge around the thrift shop for hidden gems. Not the kind that are so perfect the project ends there. I like to pick the items that require paints and embellishments until it starts to cost the same price buying it new would have cost. When I look around my space I don’t just see the pretty though, I see the memories.

Shannon: She was a DIY fanatic, so every decoration in her house was sprinkled with her creativity. Though she wasn’t an amazing artist, she was proud of everything she created. Each piece had a story. It had a heart.

What decorations make your character happy?

Day 270 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: What’s one thing about your character’s life that didn’t turn out as planned.

Shannon: I thought I knew what I wanted in life. I had a few simple plans for my future. I just wanted a good career, and a happy life. I didn’t need much. Then my plan got interrupted. My simple life became crazy and chaotic. It’s not what I planned, but I love every moment of it.

Erin: Her career wasn’t how she planned. She never desired to be a millionaire or run a company or work her life away.

That wasn’t in the plans.

Day 269 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about forgotten history.

Erin: “What are you doing,” my friend followed me into the library.

“Mr. Gritch is hiding something from us,” I insisted throwing books to the floor in my frustration.

“Have you gone insane,” She accused.

“Has it ever occurred to you that the watchers are only telling us what they want us to know?”

“Meaning what exactly?”

“I don’t think how they came in to power is as simple as all the adults are leading us to believe,” I reached behind the obvious books to a deteriorating one in the back.

Shannon: “Who is this woman,” I brought a photo up to my grandfather. I seen her in the background in some other photos too, but I’d never heard him tell any stories about her.

He took a long look and I could tell he was replaying a memory. “She was a friend,” he eventually answered.

“Must have been a good friend,” I observed, “But why is she always in the background?”

He didn’t seem to know how to answer. “She was hiding and I was selfish. I wanted to keep some kind of proof of her,” he smiled as he closed his eyes for a second.

“Hiding from what?” I pried.

He shrugged. “The world.”

What can’t anyone else remember?