Affirmation Prompt:

I draw the rhythm of my day from this ritual of raising my energy, practicing plot, and daily writing.

Today I write.

Plot Prompt:

Sense organs relay messages to your brain: the smell of dust on the road, the taste or rust, the heat of the summer sun beating on your skin.

A setting bathed in sights and sounds, language and climate, draws the reader in at the sensory level. Sensory details, fully realized, reinforce the deeper meaning of a story and evoke emotion.

Before each character is a world only she sees and imagines. The trick to creating a memorable character is finding something special in or about her that makes her “her.” What she attends to in the plethora of details surrounding her reflects her feelings, ones that show life differently than it is depicted in other stories. Only she feels about her life the way she does. Only she sees and hears the world around her in the way she does. Such individuality creates a sense of mystery around each character.

Writing Prompt:

Earlier, you created a broad idea of the setting and the protagonist’s relationship to it. Now, vary the situation your main character is in and write about what she is doing in the here ad now of the story. As always, ground your character and the reader by providing sensory details of the story world.

Highlight those features that provide insight about the protagonist. From all the visual, auditory, and tactile stimulation around her, shows what the protagonist notices about how her world tastes and the smells that sets her apart and gives an inkling about who she was before becoming who she is now. Don’t tell the reader how her backstory shapes her beliefs and expectations of life, as well as her life direction; show us out of everything else, the sensory details that most draw the protagonist’s attention.

Daryl huffed and puffed as he ran around the track. His feet grew heavier with every step, pounding the asphalt in a uneven and feeble rhythm. He gained another wind every time someone passed him, but his lungs were having a hard time keeping up.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Drill Sergeant Brooks running at him. Her face scrunched in an explosive fury that seemed to grow little springs at the tips of his toes, but it was to no avail, he had expended everything and he still had one lap left.

He imagined he’d never sweated this much in his life! His PTs were drenched. He never wanted a shower so badly in his entire life. ‘Oh thank God!’ he thought as he saw the finish line.

He found the left over energy, he forgot he had and sprinted. It was glorious! The line grew closer and closer until he finally crossed at 17 min and 36 seconds…

‘Son of a…’ It didn’t matter. He collapsed into the grass just outside the track.

“Ice sheets!” he heard a drill sergeant call out. He tried to get up to show them he was ok, but he wasn’t fast enough and soon he found himself enveloped in a cold, wet, cottony net, clinging to his skin, giving him the extra motivation to spring up and holler.

In his anxiety, he nearly ran into a column, but Drill Sergeant Daed was able to catch him before any permanent damage.

‘How embarrassing…’

 

Affirmation Prompt:

I believe in an abundance of all things. Everything I commit to in life, I get. I commit to keep writing until I finish my story.

Today I write.

Plot Prompt:

The thematic significance of a story shows what all the words in each scene add up to. At its best, the significance of a story connects each reader and audience member to a bigger picture through a wider complex of thoughts and relationships that exist outside the story.

The thematic significance of a story is a statement illustrated and supported by the writing. Until you know your story and what your story conveys, stick to discovering the various themes. Every story communicates its own unique pattern of themes and ideas.

Writing Prompt:

Themes emerge while you’re writing your scenes. Support the concepts in scenes through the use of mood and tone, voice and word choices, metaphors and similes, and details.

Match the tone and pace of the scenes you write with the story themes. A bleak story about revenge moves at a different pace and with a different tone than does a hopeful story about redemption.

Show the protagonist doing something she is good at as it relates to the overall plot. See what happens. Write that.

 

He strode confidently down main street towards Point Pleasant High School, his arms swang at his side, head bobbing, plugged into his phone listening to Thunder by Imagine Dragons.

He strut. Adjusting his glasses as they slid down his nose, and pushing his poofy curls away from his vision.

It wasn’t long before he opened up the double doors, following the herd of students corraling into the open halls of lockers and open classroom doors.

Daryl smiled at his friends as he walked the halls to his locker. He was now a senior: his last year… He felt a little sad, but things weren’t going to change that much. He would still be around. The town still needed their resident super hero.

In his freshman year, Daryl passed an ordeal that turned him into the Mothman. He had had some scuffles with villains, these four years of school, but now he would be able to focus more on his hero work.

He had plans of attending Point Pleasant Community College, in pursuit of a journalism BA. He figured just like Superman, he would know where the action was at any time he was needed.

Daryl opened his locker. On the inside he had photos of his lair at the abandoned powerplant, and pictures of him with Samantha, his best friend, and other Mothman newsclippings.

He glanced at several unopened envelops at the top of his locker. All from more prestigious schools across the US…

‘Daryl,’ came the cool voice of Kinder, ‘I really wish you would reconsider your choice in college. Point Pleasant is fine, but you have more potential… You need to go somewhere new.’

Daryl let out a low laugh. He seemed to do that more and more lately when Kinder gave him advice.

‘Kinder,’ Daryl thought, ‘Point Pleasant needs a hero…’

‘No they don’t! It’s bad enough every Mothman Festival you make an appearance, but ever since that paranormal investigator, Point Pleasant hasn’t had any real threats. I’d wager she wasn’t really a threat at all. You were just dragging things out.’

Daryl closed his locker, a couple of books in his hand for English class.

‘Hey, she was a real menace! It was a good thing I was here to stop her from destroying the city.’

‘You were in the woods…’

‘Yeah, Flatwood Woods. We both know that place is spooky.’

“Hi Daryl,” said a dark-haired young girl walking up to him.

Daryl paused.

“Are you talking to Kinder? You have that look on your face.”

“No.”

Kinder linked her in. ‘Yes he is, and he is being rather ridiculous. I can’t convince him to go any where but, ugh, Point Pleasant Community.’

‘Seriously? Daryl, there’s no reason to stay here.’

‘Well, what about you? I though you were staying here?’ Daryl thought.

“Oh hell no!” Samantha said a little too loudly. She cringed at her own volume as others turned and stared at them.

‘No, Daryl, I plan on leaving as soon as I walk off that stage.’

‘Where!?’ He tried very hard to conceal his feelings, but it was incredibly hard in the ether.

She looked at him. “I don’t know. Somewhere. I need to go some place else. That’s all I know.”

She turned away. “I’ll see you after school.”

Daryl looked down. His grip on his books slipped and he adjusted them.

‘Daryl, there is nothing here for you. The city has police officers…’

‘Kinder, I’m the Mothman. I have to be here for the city.’

 

**Aside– I guess this didn’t really deal with the pompt but it just kind of came out. I think I already posted something similar to this… Oh well… :)

YDAHOAW

Ignorance drove you from me. I wish I could go back knowing what I know now, but I’d probably do the same thing. I know now your grief. I didn’t understand before, but God is teaching me so much. In my ignorance I followed the teachings of Gray and Style, only to find that it corrupted who I was. I couldn’t accept that you were not interested, but I understand now. The pain I caused you, please forgive me. And I ask that you pray I forgive myself and let go of the pain I caused you.

Though I can’t fully blame you for the pain I’ve caused myself over these two years, I can’t help but feel you pushed me in this horrible direction. I am bitter, but I still love you, because I know who you really are.

(more…)

Affirmation Prompt:

I deserve the time it takes to write a novel. I take this time for me. The time I take away from others, from other actions, and from the outside world I use well.

Today I write:

Plot Prompt:

Every story is made up of subplots that are thematically tied to the primary plot about whether the protagonist will achieve his goal… or not. One major subplot in stories is often a romance plot. Depending on what type of story you are writing, this romance plot can be themed around friendship, a partnership, or love. Determine the romantic subplot in your story.

In BMCR: Boot Camp, Daryl is my main protagonist. He is a young man, and as he is flung into this scenario of serving his government, he is attracted to another monster, by the name of Olivia. She is the loch ness monster. The attraction is not mutual, but by the end of the novel she changes her mind about him.

Writing Prompt:

Two characters meet who represent the romantic plot. Write a front story scene between the two that is uncluttered with back story information about either one of them. Make every word choice emphasize only the information the reader needs to make sense of the protagonist as he interacts with the other character while striving toward his goal. Push to the background all nonessential information.

Keep the reader ever alert as to why the characters are taking action and how that action advances each toward his or her own competing goals.

No matter how at odds the two characters may be or whatever the lack of sexual tension between them when first introduced, show the romantic subplot’s capacity for creating longing and love in the protagonist.

It is still early in the story and your reader is still determining who is important to the story and whose story this is. Provide clues to support the reader in his or her determination.

‘This isn’t a vacation, Daryl,’ said Kinder as they walked over to the table. ‘You’re both here to serve, against your will I might add. Just because things went South with Samantha doesn’t mean you need to be looking for a girlfriend. You should be looking for a way to escape.’

‘Kinder, you said there was no escaping, and I couldn’t agree more. We’re on an island facility. I’m just trying to make the best out of this situation.’

Daryl sat his tray down at the remaining empty spot at the so-called monster table. To his left sat a surly, young man with brown hair and dark eyes, which were cast into his tray. His jaw ground the corn in his cheek, until he swallowed.

To his right was a pale, young lady with short, pale hair. She stared at him wanly, her eyes inconspicuous as she lifted her fork to her mouth. She bit into her chicken with the voracity of a lion that just tackled and killed an antelope.

And in front of him, probably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, with blue hair tied back in a bun and sea foam eyes that he imagined Aphrodite herself possessed. She looked at him indifferently, however, with the slightest hint of contempt as she bit into her apple. He ignored it as he sat down.

“Hi everyone!” Daryl said. “It’s a pleasure to meet you all. I kind of thought I was the only one–I mean, I didn’t think there were other monsters like me around.”

“How many have you killed?” the blue-haired girl asked.

Daryl lost his train of thought as he pondered her question. The man to his left looked to Daryl’s face and back to his tray. The other girl sat quietly and eerily still, almost as if she stopped breathing.

“Killed?” said Daryl. “I’m a hero, I haven’t killed anyone.” He laughed. The others were silent.

“You’re a monster like us, but you haven’t killed anyone?” she said. “I mean, I thought you looked pathetic, but seriously?”

Daryl’s face faltered.

The other girl chimed in. “I’ve killed 17. Several were highly trained assassins.”

She smiled, and looked at Daryl daring him to top that.

“Killing people isn’t something to brag about,” said the young man. “I’m Henry Gaines. I was captured, drugged, and brought here against my will. And now I’m going to be trained to fight other monsters… What a circus.”

“I was brought here against my will too,” said the blue-haired girl, smiling at him. “My name is Olivia Poseidon. Can I call you Henry?”

“Gaines, please.” He placed his elbows on the table and folded his hands into his face, so they could barely hear. “Regrettably, I’ve killed 3.”

Daryl tried to stifle a gulp, but couldn’t. It was obvious he was a different sort of monster compared to his peers. But surely, this Olivia wasn’t a mass murderer.”

She looked up, as if hearing his thoughts. “I’ve slaughtered a village.”

“Wow…” said Daryl. “That’s, um, pretty intense. Can I ask why?”

“You can ask,” she said, coyly, “But I won’t tell you.”

Affirmation Prompt:

I respect my writing commitment by scheduling around my daily chores and responsibilities and alerting others about my uninterrupted writing time.

Today I write.

Plot Prompt:

Start your story at a moment of significant change and you immediately invite the reader into the main action of the story. Conceive of a scene in which your protagonist, antagonist, the supporting characters, or the setting itself undergoes an important change.

In most scenes with an antagonist, the antagonist is in control. If that is the case with your scene, plot your scene above the Plot Planner line or your own chart. If the protagonist is in control of what is happening, plot the scene below the line.

Writing Prompt:

Usually scenes where the protagonist is in control have little to no conflict, tension, or suspense unless threatened by an antagonist. The previous writing prompt directed you to show your protagonist confronted by someone or something standing in the way of her goal. Because of what happens in that scene, write the actions the protagonist takes now that her fear, flaw, hatred, or prejudice has been activated, set off, provoked, or sparked.

Show how the protagonist usually reacts to such a challenge and the actions she takes when she is stopped, blocked, or prevented from reaching her goal. Show her emotional reaction by her behavior, her body language, the words she speaks, and what she neglects or refuses to say.

Daryl looked over his rifle, turning it over in his hands, the solid, black metal, heavy in his grip. He looked in the magazine well. Empty. He was happy about this; never had he ever thought he would be handling a gun–a rifle, as Drill Sergeant put it.

He didn’t like guns. He viewed them as cheats–weapons that needed little to no skill to wield. ‘Anyone can be scary with a gun…’ he thought.

‘It’s really no different from your photon blasters,’ said Kinder, knowing the anxiety growing in Daryl.

Daryl shook his head. ‘My energy blasts don’t kill.’

‘You’re in a tough spot then,’ said Kinder. ‘These men want you to. They are training you to fight and kill monsters and people like us.’

‘I’m not going to, Kinder. “I will never use a gun.” He said the last part aloud, and he noticed that Gaines had looked up.

He was sitting on the floor, the white rag of his cleaning kit laid in front of him and on top that were metal pieces situated in a distinct order. Gaines’s rifle lay on his lap, in half, and Daryl wondered if Gaines had ripped it apart with his brute strength.

“You’re never going to use a gun?” he asked. “Kerns, you’re going to have to. There’s no getting around it.”

Daryl’s face flushed. He didn’t mean to say it out loud. He knew that Gaines had his own perspective on their situation, but he, Daryl, as a hero, could not agree.

“Guns are for bad guys,” Daryl said.

Gaines’s eye brows dropped into a ‘not-this-bs-again gaze.’ “Not every gun owner is a bad guy, Kerns. Cops have guns.”

“They’re trained to use guns…”

“You’re going to be trained.”

“But, you know, people like us, what do we need guns for? We have super powers!”

“We have curses. It makes us a liability to the human race…”

Daryl looked into his face. It was filled with the deepest self-loathing.

“You’re, like, super strong and fast. You’re powers are amazing!”

“I’d rather not rely on them… If I can rely on tools to keep peace I will, but my powers aren’t what they’re cracked up to be.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Come on,” he said, “Let me instruct you on taking care of your weapon. My grandpa taught me… Before he died.”