avatarJF Danskin

Summary

The webpage offers a collection of dark and uncomfortable writing prompts designed to challenge authors by placing characters in tense and difficult situations.

Abstract

The article titled "Making Your Characters Squirm!" presents authors with a dozen writing prompts that delve into darker themes, encouraging them to explore scenarios where characters face unsettling circumstances. These prompts range from encountering mysterious creatures outside a window to dealing with the aftermath of a major crime revelation. The article also references previous successful prompts and invites authors to share their responses, suggesting that these exercises can serve as a creative outlet or distraction from writing challenges like NaNoWriMo. Additionally, the piece provides examples of how other authors have tackled similar prompts and encourages submission to the Fiction Writer’s Den for potential publication.

Opinions

  • The author of the webpage believes that writers enjoy putting their characters in distressing situations, as it adds depth and tension to their narratives.
  • The article implies that engaging with these prompts can be a form of therapeutic relief for writers, particularly during challenging writing periods like NaNoWriMo.
  • The inclusion of examples from other authors suggests a community-driven approach to writing, where sharing ideas and stories is encouraged.
  • The author expresses enthusiasm for the writing process and the potential for these prompts to inspire a wide range of stories, from drabbles to full-length narratives.
  • The invitation to submit stories to the Fiction Writer’s Den indicates a supportive environment for writers to showcase their work and receive recognition.

AUTHOR TOOLS | PROMPTS

Making Your Characters Squirm!

A dozen writing prompts with a darker side.

Photo by Pelly Benassi on Unsplash

We’ve featured some gloriously ghostly and spooky stories here lately, many in response to our recent Hallowe’en writing prompts. I gathered responses in the story below:

This month, as the days grow darker, so can our writing! I want to revisit and adapt some of the best prompts from this publication, focusing on putting characters in very uncomfortable situations.

We know you authors love to torture your protagonists. So go on, have fun! And maybe distract from your NaNoWriMo woes, as well...

Idea 1

You (or your protagonist) are lying in bed, trying to sleep when you hear a scratching noise from outside the window. An intruder? No — you realize that whatever it is has claws, and is making a hissing noise. Write what happens next. This could be a drabble.

Idea 2

Write a flash fiction piece involving a panicked conversation on an airplane that’s about to crash, or onboard a spacecraft that has lost contact with mission control (example response by Jay C Wells here).

Idea 3

Craft a fiction piece in which where a pair of travellers stop on a patch of grass to enjoy the sunshine. However, they have only been lying and chilling for a few minutes when they realise that both of them have been swarmed by hundreds of tiny beetles. What happens next?

Idea 4

Craft a very awkward family meal scene where a young adult has brought their partner to meet the parents for the first time. This could be an ordinary day or a gathering such as Thanksgiving.

Idea 5

You are on a train journey in a compartment of a carriage. You quickly realize that at least one of the other travellers is very strange. Describe their appearance and actions.

Idea 6

Write a short, tense scene in which a character has just gained a lot of money and has to take it somewhere safe. It could be a contemporary story where someone wins big or gets a lot of backpay, fantasy fiction where they find a treasure horde, or anything else that you choose. They have way more money than they feel comfortable carrying around. What kind of obstacles could get in the way of making it home with the loot?

Idea 7

Write a flash fiction story about a highly overconfident person who wants to prove that they can cross the desert (on foot/on a vehicle? You decide). Ten miles in, they begin to have serious second thoughts. But is it too late to turn back?

Idea 8

Write a spooky scene or story featuring the densest fog you can imagine (example response by FJCMontenegro here).

Idea 9

Focus on a character who killed someone or committed another major crime in the distant past. Nobody in their life knew anything… until one day, someone shows up and starts dropping hints that they know the secret. Describe the first scene where they meet. And now what is your character going to do?

Idea 10

Write a very short piece in which a character asks for a raise. It could go either way — your choice!

Idea 11

Write a double-drabble involving a curse that changes a character’s fate. Perhaps they are cursed never to be restful in death, or with lycanthropy…? (a recent one... example response by Andrew Crocker here).

Idea 12

Have you ever met someone really defensive? Write a flash fiction story where one person is trying to give an uber-defensive person some helpful advice or guidance. Perhaps it’s a co-worker who has made a simple mistake, for example.

I hope found some inspiration from these prompts. Below is the full list where most of these and many others are listed:

And if you use any of the ideas above, why not tag me, and also share a link to your writing in the comments? And consider submitting to the Fiction Writer’s Den.

Writing Prompts
Fiction
Creativity
Writing Challenge
Nanowrimo 2023
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