I had a dream last night that I was standing in front of a class as a presenter. A student asked me the age old question everyone asks a writer, “where do you get your ideas from”?
I answered that ideas are everywhere and one student in the front laughed at me saying I was avoiding the question. So I proved it to him.
I asked one student to tell me what one of the books in his bag was. It was an Encyclopedia. I asked another student if he had any strange items on him. He had Binoculars. I asked a girl at the back to tell me something she had done as a child that wasn’t something normal or everyday. She told me her bike was stolen and her and her parents went door to door to see if anyone saw anything or could help.
3 items. For the final piece of the puzzle I asked for the name of guy who had laughed. His name was Dave. So…
A young magician named Dave was taking training in a very special school. The boy wanted to be the very best and decided to sneak into the head master’s chamber one night to peak through the old man’s Book of Knowledge. He was looking for something simple that the head master could believe he figured out for himself. But then he found a spell he had to try. A spell that would make him Far Seeing; to see great distances without traveling them on foot. And all he has to do was say a simple incantation, so he tried it. Well, he turned into a bird and with no vocal cords he couldn’t say the reversal incantation. Now he had a problem. He would have to find someone who could help him out of this mess, without speaking to them, somehow get them to read the incantation at the bottom of the page locked in a tower in one of the most prestigious magic schools in the land and not have the headmaster find out.
Ok so it’s not the best story but it did prove my point.
Now that I’m awake, I pass the challenge on to you. What story can you come up with using the three items from above as your inspiration – you don’t have to use the name. It can be in any genre with any plot line, but try to keep it under 500 words. You just want to create a story idea, not write the whole story. Post your story idea in the comments or post a link to your blog.
This is great way to get over the mid-week slump, and if you are in middle of NaNoWriMo this might give your creative juices a squeeze.
A young man, walking slowly with a limp, enterd the sanctuary from the back door. He had left earlier in the evening threw the same back door to discover who was behind the disappearance of the 'black suroud' the magical coat that he and his family alone were responsible for it's safe keeping.
He was the son of the family who for generations, had the responsibility of the surouds' safe keeping. The horrors that could happen apon anyone wearing the suroud, was terrifying.
After years of bloody battels, the high priests of the land had secured it's safty behind the solid walls of the sancturay. Where noone, except his family had knowledge of it's existance……..