Day 358 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: How is your character spending Christmas Eve?

Shannon: She’s going to church with her family, cooking and eating a delicious meal, and finishing some last minute tree decorating.

Erin: Alone. Not lonely. By choice. Having people around constantly makes it hard for her to take care of herself. Someone has to and that is the day she can.

The day before the day.

Day 357 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: What is making your character’s eyes sparkle?

Shannon: “She looks different, doesn’t she?” Will questioned, unable to take his eyes off her.

I smiled watching him, “Yeah, well she’s got hope now. It’s nice to happy again, isn’t it?”

His smirk grew, “It is.”

Erin: For the first time in forever I could see progress in my journey to my dream and that was everything to me.

Let your character shine a little.

Day 356 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: What is the real window to the soul?

Shannon: I’ve always thought you can tell a lot about how a person is feeling by watching their hands. People can easily put on a poker face, but their hands can’t lie. Hands have to follow through. They get nervous. They get excited. They reach out to help. That’s why I don’t look at the eyes when I need to read a person. I look at the hands.

Erin: I find that the little tensions of muscles is far more telling than any other facial or body movements. Going from loose to stiff tells far more than a smile or squinting eyes.

How do we look inside?

Day 355 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about a character leaving something behind.

Shannon: He doesn’t know, but I left the book behind on purpose. Our breakup still continued to sting, but I had one last message to share and he didn’t want to hear it. That’s why I left it in the book. I guess I figured if he missed me, maybe he figure out where to find one last piece of me.

Erin: My entire life was put on hold. I could blame him but in the end it was my own fault. I was the one who couldn’t leave him behind. I was responsible for changing that. I would.

Everything can’t be kept.

Day 354 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about a child with a secret power they are unaware of.

Shannon: “Why do animals always follow you around,” Jacob questioned.

“I don’t know, I guess they like me,” I shrugged before petting the neighbor’s cat that laid down on my feet.

“Yeah right. Every animal just likes you,” he rolled his eyes. “Are you hiding treats? Empty your pockets,” he demanded.

I did to reveal they were empty.

“Something is weird about you,” he shook his head, still trying to figure it out.

Erin: He didn’t even know he was controlling his parents.

Children are powerful.

Day 353 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write about beauty that is kept hidden.

Shannon: “You’re going to have to come back into the light eventually,” I reminded Aurora as she danced around the garden.

“You’re wrong. There is no time limit. I don’t have to leave until I want to,” she disappeared behind a tree.

“It’d be good for you to go back. You’re ready. You’re just waiting,” I pointed out, disappointed in her resistance. There was silence again. She must have already run off.

Erin: Beauty is determined by society. So in isolation is the only option to be ugly? I studied my face and the symmetry seemed to equate to me looking appealing, but with no one to judge it wasn’t a reality.

 A character in the eye of the beholder.

Day 352 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Reveal what your character got in a gift exchange.

Shannon: I really like my job. I like helping people and always being the one people need to save the day. It makes me feel like a superhero. One disguised as Plumber.

Erin: I think mommy has the dirtiest job, because not only does she have to deal with the babies, but daddy too.

Rub some dirt on it.

Day 351 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Write from the perspective of someone who knows your character really well.

Shannon: He’s not as much of a joke as everyone thinks. Yeah, it may seem like all he cares about is getting laugh, but I’ve been his best friend and neighbor since we were kids and I know he’s a lot more complicated. He’s a good brother to younger siblings, and as I watch him I know he cares about people. He doesn’t just brush them off because he could be doing something better. He has a selfless approach to life that isn’t always appreciated by those who don’t see, but I do and I admire him for it.

Erin: Knowing someone as well as I knew her created an element of hatred for those around her. Not because they were terrible, but because they didn’t know what I did. They didn’t know that the seemingly harmless insult would be knives in her gut. They didn’t know posting that picture would lead to her crying herself to sleep. They didn’t know how important attending that event was. It was hard for me to separate my knowledge from there reality. So, to me they were cruel, but only because they didn’t know what I did.

 A character in the eye of the beholder.

Day 350 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Put your character in extreme weather conditions.

Shannon: Everyone kept asking what we were supposed to do to get away from the extreme cold. It was scary and we couldn’t keep it from creeping into our houses. Everyone was panicking and I didn’t know what to tell them. We had to get to bigger building. One that could lock in the heat without killing us in the process of getting there.

Erin: The ice was so bad that my wheels just continued to spin out. I was cold, with no signal, unable to see three yards ahead or behind with the blizzard. I was certain there was no way I’d ever feel more helpless until I did.

What’s the forecast?

Day 349 of 365 Days of Writing Prompts: Send your characters to a festival.

Shannon: In my town there is this ice festival right around the holidays. I’ve watched it for years admiring the ice sculptors’ works of art, but I never knew how to do it myself. That’s going to change this winter. I’m learning how to sculpt ice. Next year I’m participating.

Erin: The festival of prunes was by far my least favorite that my town threw. Prunes were not meant to be in anything and the day was an excuse to put them in everything. No one won at prune fest.

Time to celebrate.