Describe a lake as seen by a person whose child has just been killed in a war.

Authenticating Details: In a few sentences each, describe someone experiencing at least 5 of the following emotions, without using the word (or any synonyms): excitement, sadness, anger, disappointment, fear, jealousy, serenity, hope.
Characters, Conflict, and Dialogue: Choose one of the scenes below. You may give your characters any physical, mental, emotional, or psychological characteristics that are consistent with the above scenes. Develop the characters through dialogue, appearance, actions, thoughts, and appearance (if relevant). Let the conflict be furthered through dialogue as well—remember to include only dialogue that is relevant to character development and conflict.
Character A and Character B get a flat tire and stop to fix it. Character A has just broken up with Character B, ending a 3-year relationship. Character B doesn’t know how to fix a flat.
Character A gets off at the wrong bus stop and asks Character B for directions. Character B is a lonely compulsive liar. It is raining.
Character A witnesses Character B shoplifting. Character A decides to confront Character B outside the store. One of them is accompanied by a small child.
Creating Round Characters: A person arrives at the emergency room, alone, with a broken arm. In a few sentences, describe the scenario that brought them there. Then, consider the following about your character, and how these details can help explain who they are and tell us more about their story.
What’s in their pockets right now?
What did they have for breakfast this morning?
What was the last thing they thought about before falling asleep last night?
Who was their best friend in kindergarten?
What were they doing on the last New Year’s Eve?
If they won the lottery, what would they buy first?
What part of their physical appearance are they most insecure about?
What do they secretly want to be when they “grow up”? (a character of any age can answer this)
What does their favorite pair of shoes look like?
How do they feel about their mother?
If they could travel anywhere in the world, where would they go and what would they do there?
What’s one thing they wear or carry every single day?
What’s their biggest fear?
What was their last summer job?
What do their fingernails look like?
What do they want more than anything in the entire world?
Igniting the Story: Imagine that a person has set their house on fire, but insurance money is not the motive. Plot the story that led them to this point (i.e. desire/obstacles, external/internal conflict, rising tension & crisis). Briefly sketch out the plot through these elements. Then choose two moments to put into scene. Write those two scenes, paying special attention to what we’ve learned about characterization.
Starting Lines: Write a piece that begins with one of the following lines. Feel free to change the pronouns.
For the past two hours, before the doorbell interrupted, he had been sitting quietly, contemplating his situation.
The place was an absolute mess.
“It should have been me,” she said.
Shifting Setting: Describe a lake as seen by a person whose child has just been killed in a war. Do not mention the child, war, or death; then describe the lake, in the same weather and at the same time of day, as seen by a different person who is happily in love. Do not mention love or the loved one.
Other People’s Secrets: Visit Post Secret and select a secret. Flesh out the details of the character who has the secret, and their story. Use the first-person (I, me, my) POV.
Compress/Expand: Tell a story in one page. Then tell the same story in one paragraph. Then tell it in one sentence. In your process, you can start from either direction, either expanding the shortest version or compressing the longest.
Minor Mishaps: Tell a story in which a minor mishap leads to significant consequences. Choose one from this list: getting drenched in a storm, bumping into someone, burning the roast, dialing the wrong number, dropping a glass bowl, spilling coffee, being late for class/work, tearing a sweater on a nail, failing math, ringing the wrong bell, getting lost, following the wrong person, tripping over a toy, throwing the ball out of bounds, taking the wrong road, telling a bad joke, getting off at the wrong stop, buying the wrong size, cutting a finger, catching a zipper, missing a cue, losing money, stepping in a puddle, saying the wrong thing, singing off key, driving off the road, chipping a tooth.
Could’ve but Didn’t: Imagine something that could have happened to you but didn’t—something you wanted or feared. Use some true details of your situation as the foundation; then take the story in whatever direction you envision for your character.
Creating Connections: Consider the two people in this image: twopeople.jpg Wirte a short piece in which you bring these two people together. Are the young child and the older adult the same person? If so, what happened between first picture and second picture? If they are two different peoplcixe, who are they and how are they connected?

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