This prompt is one in a series of prompts for those participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).
As you introduce your characters, describe what they’re wearing. What does their clothing say about their social status? What does it say about their cleanliness? Are they wearing something that’s dry clean only? Or is this the fourth day they’ve worn the same jeans?
Write about two strangers who are sitting next to each other on a bus or a train or in a doctor’s office. They don’t really say anything to each other at first, but then they notice that they have the exact same tattoo on their wrist.
What is the tattoo? Did they get the tattoo at the same tattoo shop in Las Vegas or was one done locally and the other done in Thailand? What does the tattoo mean to each person?
The goal of this Halloween prompt is to write a spooky story about a character who has a moment of déjà vu. When they try to tell others about the experience, no one believes them. How does this affect the relationship between the characters? Does your character feel slighted because his/her story wasn’t believed? Do the people who hear about the experience begin to think that your character is losing their mind?
And, of course, here’s the “Glitch in the Matrix” clip.
The goal of this Halloween prompt is to write a spooky story about a person (or group of people) who go through a series of photos from over a few years and discover that there’s the same person—wearing the same clothing—in the background of all of the pictures.
On a carousel horses race around and around in circles, but they never reach the finish line that they appear to be racing toward.
Write a story about two people who are stuck in that race. They are friends or enemies or frenemies who are constantly competing for something that neither of them could ever acquire.
Do they talk about their competition, or is the competition unspoken? Do they talk to they have friends and family who support them in the competition, or do those people think that the competition is petty and stupid? Over time, does the relationship between the two become friendlier or does it polarize them?
Guy Noir, a private detective and notorious feline-hater, has been hired by a young couple (and their young daughter) to find a siamese cat named Ruby.
Why is the family willing to pay top dollar to hire a private detective to find their cat? Why is the cat named Ruby? And why does Guy hate cats?
In search of Ruby, Guy speaks with a cat breeder, the mother-in-law of the husband, and a cable guy. What does Guy learn from each of those interactions?
When Guy finds Ruby, is it because of great detective work or pure luck? Does he share all of those details with the family when he returns Ruby?
Guy Noir, a private detective, has been hired by a businessman to find a pair of missing cufflinks.
What is it about the cufflinks that makes them so valuable?
Guy goes to a pawn shop, an art dealer, and a barber while in search for the cufflinks. What does he learn (or not learn) from those interactions?
Where does Guy finally find the cufflinks?
