For example, if I were to say, "Have you heard of The Princess Bride?"
Hopefully you have, and if so, you would most probably reply something along the lines of, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Or perhaps, "A-a-a-a-s yo-o-o-u wi-i-i-ish!" (If you were really cool, you'd say, "Have fun storming the castle!" But most likely you'd say one of the other two first.)
For something like the film Castaway, you would holler despairingly at the top of your lungs, "WI-I-I-LSOOOON!"
"I've got a bad feeling about this."
"Wax on. Wax off."
"My preciousssssssss."
"YOU! ARE! A! TOY!"
"I think we're going to need a bigger boat."
Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
I promise I'm not just indulging myself here, because all of this is getting to a point. And guess what? This is where you come in!
As some of you might know, it is November, which means this month is National Novel Writing Month or "NaNoWriMo" as they call it. During NaNoWriMo, each person sets a writing goal for themselves. In my case, 1,000 words a day. For the next 30 days, I had to crank out 1,000 words of an original story every day. To some people, that sounds really easy, and to others, that might sound terrifying. To me, it's a bit of both, but mostly, it's exciting, challenging, creative, dogged work. For the past four years, I have done it. I've only succeeded twice, but it is really fun stuff to try. Sadly, this year, I am a super busy snowflake, so I will have absolutely no time to write 1,000 words a day. However, since I still love to write and create, and I'm still bummed out that I won't be doing NaNoWriMo, I have another challenge for you guys! Here it is:
Create a scene. The type of scene that would highlight a book or a movie. Try to incorporate perhaps a time stopping line, or perhaps an ironic, or iconic setting, or maybe an inspiring speech or conversation, or action. Once you've got an idea, write it out and post it. You don't have to freak out and think that it's not as cool as you think. I worry that too. Mostly, your goal should just be to leave me, or yourself, wishing you could read more. I hope you guys have fun, and I can't wait to hear back from you!
What is that smell? John thought absentmindedly as he rolled in his sleeping bag up against the side of the tent. Slowly, his brain processed the electrical impulses it was receiving from his olfactory receptors and churned out an identification. Smoke.
ReplyDeleteWarning bells sounded loudly in John’s mind, screaming at him to get up, to MOVE! His eyes shot open and then he unsuccessfully struggled to emerge from his bedding. He thrashed legs and scratched with his hands before remembering to search for the zipper. In full panic now, he desperately felt around him until his left hand finally found and yanked on the zipper.
It was very dark inside his tent. And, although there was smoke, there wasn’t a thick curtain of it that would suffocate him. Clearly, there wasn’t a fire here. But where had the smoke come from? A forest fire. John grabbed his electric lantern then checked the time on his old-fashioned watch; 2:43am.
His body, after being so rudely awakened, was now very anxious to move. Smoke meant fire. Even if he couldn’t see it, there was a forest fire out there and if the smoke got blown this way then the fire was sure to follow. Fantastic. John quickly dressed then donned his boots. Finally, he picked up a compass his grandfather had given him on a childhood camping trip. Whatever had possessed him to camp in the woods without his phone?!
One final decision to make; which way to go. North, south, east…oh, what’s the difference! The fire could be coming from any direction! “Fine,” he said aloud. “Best go west!” Then he charged off into the night.
First off, I would like to apologize in advance. I wrote this scene based on a single line I concocted recently, which I felt fit the theme. That is all.
ReplyDelete“Here goes.”
She stepped up to the entrance. For an instant, she pondered the necessity of proceeding, but shortly concluded that was a question unworthy of asking. There she stood, with rings on her fingers and bells on her toes (the bells, of course, being figurative). A copy of A Tale of Two Cities protruded from the backpack on her shoulder, and a duo of bright flowers adorned her dark tresses. She braced herself for what lay beyond the ingress. Right arm raised, she gripped the handle of the door determinedly as a newfound feeling of strength flowed throughout her, and felt as if she ruled the world.
The school doors swung inwards smoothly and the familiar hubbub of students washed over her. Suddenly, almost as if the cracking of the door had unleashed a ferocious wave of heat down the hall, a hush fell over the crowd. She could feel the admiration emanating from around her as she walked through the double doors. (At this point, dear reader, I feel compelled to interject. Chances are you are either laughing or giving your screen a strange look. If the former is true, you are likely conjuring images of religious unicorns and certain wigs in your mind. If you are regrettably clueless and now slightly bewildered, please continue reading and take this for what it is at face value).
She scanned the sea of faces, soaking in the praise and adoration as she strolled down the corridor. She smiled and quietly whispered to herself, “Ah, popularity. Aren’t you wonderful?”
I really liked both of these. :D
ReplyDeleteDavid Sheppard's is really intriguing, like the middle of a book where things start to take a turn, and it got me excited. I liked how things slowly came to view to us at the same speed as the character John, as if we were him. Good job!
Instance Newton's sounded familiar and unoriginal. I don't know, for some reason, I felt like I'd heard it before. ;) Good job, though. I liked it.
Thank you guys so much!