Need inspiration? - previous monthly writing themes

[Mantaspook 14]

The theme for January 2010: Violence

 

Write a story that contains a violent act.

 

You have three options:

 

1. Combat scene.

 

Write a short scene only, approx 1-2 pages describing an act of violence. Keep it very simple; don't explain why the violence is taking place or any back story to justify the events you are describing, it would be adequate to simply imply the combatants are at war because they are wearing military uniforms.

 

The objective is to convey to the reader the visceral thrill of battle or the horror of the hand to hand combat - your choice of words will influence how effective this is.

 

Use short, curt words to depict the scene, use first person perspective, the tempo must be fast & furious, if the characters talk, use threatening dialogue (swearing is acceptable, but don't be gratuitous, the scene must justify it.)

 

2. Revenge scenario.

 

Write a short story that has two acts of violence.

 

This is a common film script; typically your innocent protagonist (or their family) is assaulted in an illegal, unjustified act of violence.

 

The protagonist, being a reasonable person, attempts to bring them to justice but is thwarted by the authorities & the law is no help to them, the more ridiculous the loophole they exploit, the more outrage and humiliation at their impotence they feel.

 

Eventually, they take the law into their own hands and dish out their own form of violent punishment which brings the matter to a conclusion. (Usually the death of the bad guys)

 

The objective is to justify the second act of violence; ideally your reader should be punching the air with delight at the demise of the criminal(s) especially if it is done with style and an ironic twist and if your protagonist also escapes justice, so much the better.

 

In this case the back story is important and you must show that the protagonist's progress from victim, through humiliation to the role of reluctant vigilante.

 

As I've said, this is a common film script, (just think of any of Michael Winners' 'Deathwish' films) therefore extra points will be awarded for imagination that puts an extra spin on this scenario.

 

Think: unlikely protagonist that has an unusual skill / deeply ironic revenge death / high tech revenge death that contrasts with the crude violence we witnessed earlier.

 

3.Unexpected violence.

 

Write a story where the violence comes from an unexpected quarter, you can either build suspense / an atmosphere of menace, or describe ordinary, everyday events but use the 'little clouds' technique to hint at what is about to happen, throw in the odd red herring to put your reader off the scent then suddenly hit them with the violent scene that brings the story to a conclusion.

 

This is difficult to pull off, the objective is to keep the reader guessing until the last scene, and is typically used by horror / supernatural writers such as Stephen King. (See his novel 'Dolores Claiborne' for an excellent example of a confessional narrative with some marvellous macabre set pieces and an imaginative ending.)

 

In all cases, keep the objective of the story in mind.

Edited February 1, 2010 by Mantaspook

[Mantaspook 14]

The theme for February 2010:

politics & religion.

 

I'm told that the two subjects you should never discuss in a public house are politics and religion, so we'll write a story about them instead.

 

I'll give you a wide a brief as possible: simply write a story that contains elements of politics or religion, or a combination of both elements - don't forget to show their effect on your characters.

Edited March 1, 2010 by Mantaspook

[Mantaspook 14]

The theme for March 2010: 'Spring.'

 

Spring is seen as a time of growth, renewal, of new life (both plant and animal) being born. The term is also used more generally as a metaphor for the start of better times.

 

Spring could also be an action, your character may 'spring into action' or a thought could 'spring into their mind.'

 

Spring could be a mechanical device that stores force in a helical coil, one that could have dire consequences for your protagonist.

 

Spring could also refer to a place where underground water comes to the surface, perhaps with surprising consequences.

 

Spring is a colloquial term for an escape from prison.

 

 

This month's theme is to write a short story that contains TWO of the above elements.

 

Alternatively, please feel free to introduce another definition of spring into your story that I hadn't thought of.

 

There is plenty of scope with this topic; hopefully it'll inspire a wide range of stories.

 

General notes.

 

The monthly theme is optional; you can upload a story about any subject you like.

 

Themed stories don't have to uploaded within the month. (However, this is good practice for instilling writing discipline!) If you don't finish your story in time then submit them the following month or when it's complete.

Edited March 20, 2010 by Mantaspook

[Mantaspook 14]

The theme for May 2010

The office party.

 

A very simple theme this month: Write a story about an office party.

 

There are a number of elements that are common to this type of story.

 

1. The party is usually at Christmas.

 

2. The characters are usually trapped in their traditional office roles and don't get on well together in a social setting.

 

3. Alcohol may loosen their inhibitions and this may result in an act or a damaging admission that has repercussions in the cold light of day.

 

4. One of the characters may resign or get sacked as result of the party.

 

You can write a story using these traditional elements if you wish.

 

Conversely you could write a story about an office party that doesn't take place at Christmas (you must invent a valid alternative), the characters DO actually get on rather well with each other, there is no alcohol served at the party and someone gets promoted at the end.

 

This is harder to achieve because the opportunity for conflict is limited, you must invent a viable conflict / plot to drive the story forward.

 

In addition your characters must be believable, give them dialogue, give them idiosyncrasies & show the reader how they interact with each other at the party.

 

The object of this exercise is to write clearly and accurately about a large, disparate group of people, therefore the minimum number of characters at your party is eight.

 

Make sure the reader knows who is speaking at all times, it may be a good idea to give them nicknames or certain characteristics that enable your reader to follow the plot without losing track of who does what.

 

Like I said: A very simple theme this month.

Edited May 1, 2010 by Mantaspook

[Mantaspook 14]

The theme for June 2010

 

Embarrassment.

 

This month's theme is inspired by The Duchess of York. (Or any MP that still can't figure out their expenses.)

 

Write a story where something embarrassing happens to one of your characters, you could approach this in numerous ways, for instance:

 

1. Comeuppance. Portray the main character as someone who is thoroughly unpleasant and gets their comeuppance at the end of the story.

 

2. Revenge. After your protagonist is embarrassed show how they get their revenge by engineering a situation that embarrasses their enemy more.

 

3. Redemption. Make the main character more rounded, they will have some redeeming features and through circumstances beyond their control they find themselves in an embarrassing situation, they may be able to avoid the situation, they may not. Either way, please show that the character learns their lesson and how the embarrassing episode changes their life.

[Mantaspook 14]

The writing theme for July 2010.

 

Lottery.

 

What would you do if you won the lottery? Travel around the world? Buy a jet or a luxury yacht? Would you treat your friends & family or would it cause such friction that you'd keep it a secret?

 

This month's theme is to write a short story where one of your characters wins the lottery.

 

The win is a catalyst for change, this may be good, or it may be bad. You decide.

 

Emphasise how the win affects the winner's friends and family; does their attitude change towards the winner when they learn of his / her good fortune?

[Mantaspook 14]

The Theme for August 2010:

 

Dragon!

 

Very straightforward this month, write a story that contains a dragon.

 

The scope of the story is up to you, for instance, you could write about King Arthur's kingdom being invaded by dragons, a war is waged that decimates the kingdom, defeat looms and then the dragon's Achilles heel is discovered and victory is snatched from the jaws of defeat, but does Arthur survive the political ramifications of the aftermath?

 

Alternatively your dragon could be something like a piece of jewelery, the pattern on a Welsh rugby shirt, the not so affectionate name a husband may have for his darling wife or even something more abstract like the name of a computer program...

 

Dragons are magical creatures, bring them to life and astound your readers.

[Mantaspook 14]

The writing theme for September 2010:

 

Back to front.

 

This month's challenge is to write a story about any subject but start with the ending - a short chapter one, perhaps - then tell the story from the beginning.

 

This is a good way of building suspense; you are giving the reader a big tantalising piece of the jigsaw, it must intrigue them, encouraging them to piece the rest of the story together to see how you arrived at that ending.

 

For this type of story to succeed you must try to misdirect the reader a little, the "ending" may not be what it initially appears to be…

 

An abbreviated example:

 

Ending: She smiled and exclaimed "YES! We did it! We're rich!" and they all laughed as the champagne cork popped, spraying the thieves with foam.

 

Read the story about a bank robbery, detective falling in love with bank clerk etc then

 

2nd to last sentence: "The policeman pushed the door open slightly with his gun and caught a glimpse the money piled high on the table. A woman that looked very familiar entered the room with a bottle of champagne and a really smug look on her face…

 

The main objective of this exercise is to arrive at the penultimate section in a satisfying way that makes the reader think "Even though I knew the ending, I didn't see that coming."

Edited December 1, 2012 by Ron Blanco

[Mantaspook 14]

The writing theme for October 2010.

 

Crash!

 

Write a short story that involves a crash of some kind, here are some examples:

 

• 
   
  
• Two people crash their trollies into each other in the supermarket.
   
  
• A minor or major car crash. (On a motorway, a race track)
   
  
• A train crash, either two trains, or a car and a train at a level crossing.
   
  
• A crash between aircraft.
   
  
• A crash between two ships. (Or a yacht, an iceberg, the shore etc.)
   
  
• A computer crash.
   
  
• A stock market crash.
   
  
• A crash caused by sabotage.
   
  

 

The description of the crash must be dramatic, use short, violent sentences to convey exactly what is going on.

 

It's up to you to decide the degree to which your characters are injured (if any) and the effect it has on their lives.

 

You may have more than one type of crash in your story, for an extra optional challenge see if you can get at least two crashes into your story.

Edited December 1, 2012 by Ron Blanco

[Mantaspook 14]

The writing theme for November 2010.

 

Ticking clock.

 

Write a short story that involves a countdown of some kind.

 

Here are some examples:

 

• 
   
  
• Your characters have to race against time to prevent a bomb going off.
   
   
  
• An ambulance crew have to deliver a donated organ to an operating theatre that is at the other side of a large city, the surgeons are waiting and someone's life depends on how fast they move.
   
   
  
• A young girl is kidnapped; can the police find her before her captors flee the country?
   
   
  
• An airline captain has to land on the runway despite the adverse weather and / or technical problems he experiences, he's got ten minutes fuel left…
   
   
  
• A man is running late for an important job interview; describe his controlled panic as he battles to get there on time.
   
  
• As a lifeboat crew races towards a stricken ship her captain calls them on the radio and tells them they can't last more than 20 minutes.
   
   
  
• A pizza delivery man must find the address within 20 minutes of the pizza is free and it is coming out of his wages / and he may be sacked.
  (Spiderman anyone?)
   
   
  
• A young boy is bitten by a snake, the antidote must be administered within one hour and he's 100 miles from the nearest hospital…
   
   
  

 

The object of this exercise is to create tension, the ticking clock must always be there forcing both the pace of the story and the behaviour of your characters as they attempt to beat the clock.

Edited December 1, 2012 by Ron Blanco

[Mantaspook 14]

The writing theme for December 2010: Snow

 

Inspired by the current weather, this month's theme is a very simple one - write a short story about snow.

 

You decide the setting, here are a few examples:

 

It could be heart warming story about a community that is snowed in and how they all pull together.

 

It could be an arduous trek across a frozen wasteland, or a man just trying to get home from work, or the last thoughts of a melting snowman.

 

Or how about a group of Saharan desert nomads seeing snow for the first time, how do they react, what emotions do they feel? How did the snow get there?

 

The scientists tell us that each snowflake is unique and that is what your story should be too, think of how other writers may approach this subject in a conventional manner then add something, go for the unusual, the quirky, or something downright strange to make your story about snow unique.

Edited December 1, 2012 by Ron Blanco

[Ron Blanco 10]

January 2011 theme: A New Start

[set by Tallyman]

 

Happy New Year!

 

The January theme is 'A New Start'. What with New Year's resolutions still echoing in our heads, and Mantaspook's retirement as Group Leader, it seemed an appropriate subject.

 

Any story with a 'New Start' connection would fit the bill, whether it's about new resolutions, a new relationship, new job, new house, new post apocalyptic beginnings, or anything else you can think of.

Edited March 20, 2011 by Ron Blanco