Take a prompt, Leave a prompt

LaceWing · Mar 1, 2009

This is not a map.

"Morphing The Borg"
by Squidly Doright

The Sound Of Music? Is that like, Fay Wray yodeling, or what?

Magical realism assumes an audience of readers who mostly believe in “objective reality,” and it sets out to undermine that belief.
-- Get Unreal—Bruce Holland Rogers—Flash Fiction Online

LaceWing · Mar 1, 2009

flash as flash can:

because a squid doesn't have wrists for the wearing of watches--
and how would you choose which arm to wear one on if you had eight (or ten) of them?

because prompts can be an art form.
why? cuz it morphs the borg and feeds the squid.

and while I'm here . . . http://slowmuse.wordpress.com/

Shweta · Mar 3, 2009

*holds up a request-for-explanation for the slightly dim and terminally confused*

LaceWing · Mar 3, 2009

Like a penny dish at the Stop-N-Go, for when a prompt is weighing down your idea pocket, or on another day, you reach in but come up with nothing but lint and need some coin of the realm.

badducky · Mar 9, 2009

I'm a pretty smart guy, and I have no clue what you folks are talking about.

You know, when I start a thread - like, for instance, a first line game over at SF/F - I make sure that #1 I clearly explain what is going on, and #2 clearly explain what the heck is going on if someone asks.

So, right now - and I'm a pretty smart guy, like I said - I'm hard-pressed to figure out either my #1, or my #2 in this thread.

So... I'm waiting for my clear and concise explanation.

Vincent · Mar 9, 2009

Okie dokie then.

Fenika · Mar 9, 2009

[Amilyn has lost an arm]
Amilyn: We're immortal, Buffy. We can do anything.
Buffy: Oh yeah? Clap.

Sharon Mock · Mar 9, 2009

My reading is that it's a thread to collect story/exercise prompts, yes? LaceWing can correct me if I'm wrong, or we can operate on my assumption...

... which leads me to an idea for a prompt. What if all of those misunderstandings, those failed attempts to figure things out, those mondegreens and optical illusions -- what if those were real, and the "real" explanations just illusion?

LaceWing · Mar 10, 2009

Sorry, badducky, for not being clear. "Take a prompt, leave a prompt" as thread title was meant to play on "Take a penny, leave a penny."

If you have a prompt to share, drop it here for others to play with. If you're looking for one, maybe someone will have left something you can use.

"Information wants to be free."

AMCrenshaw · Mar 10, 2009

Two people meet on a train or bus or plane. These two people share something unexpected, have experienced something each thought was unique.

AMC

Higgins · Mar 10, 2009

AMCrenshaw said:
Two people meet on a train or bus or plane. These two people share something unexpected, have experienced something each thought was unique.

AMC

Nice prompt. Was what they experienced really unique? Or did they just think it was?

AMCrenshaw · Mar 10, 2009

They just think it was. The degree of non-uniqueness I'd leave to the writer.

AMC

AMCrenshaw · Mar 13, 2009

A famous actor/actress is someone or something's thrall.

AMC

Zonk · Mar 14, 2009

Write a short scene that describes an irredeemable character.

BrittaMoline · Apr 3, 2009

"By the time he wakes up, I'll be gone! He'll never realize--"

Finish this thought.

shokadh · Apr 3, 2009

A guy wakes up naked one day in a walk-in freezer with a paper duct-taped to his head, and has no idea how he got there, or why he isn't already frozen to death. There's a phone number written in lipstick on the paper and a brief message. What does the note say?

MaybeThisTime · Apr 4, 2009

A 35 year old divorced guy who's been fired from his last three jobs is making telemarketing calls for below minimum wage while waiting to be evicted from his apartment because he's behind two month's rent, and his car has just died. For hours, all he gets are no answers and hang-ups, interspersed with loud cursing. At the point when he thinks OK, just one more call then I'm giving up, someone answers the phone. Who is it and what do they say?

dgiharris · Apr 10, 2009

A stranger calls you from a pay phone. She is out of money and mistakenly dailed your number when she meant to call the Suicide Prevention Hotline. Take it from there...

AMCrenshaw · Jul 29, 2009

What would you do for a million dollars*? Respond to this question without answering it directly.

AMC

* can exchange with any reward

LaceWing · Aug 1, 2009

What does The Tooth Fairy do with all those teeth?

escritora · Aug 1, 2009

A stranger calls you from a pay phone. She is out of money and mistakenly dailed your number when she meant to call the Suicide Prevention Hotline. Take it from there...

I'm taking this one and leaving...

Marcia knows firsthand that parents don't always do the best they can. Sometimes they suck on purpose. Like the time when...

xhellakojimaru · Aug 1, 2009

A young parentless child between, (6-11) constantly ignored by her large broken family made up of cousins, nieces, brother and sisters. She tells her deep is darkest secret to an older teenage, young adult male who is the only one who wishes to listen to her serious problems.

Smiling Ted · Aug 4, 2009

Happy Raksha Bandhan, everyone!

Riley · Aug 6, 2009

May I leave some prompts? I thought I had use for these ideas, but I really don't anymore (titles included, by the way. Take what you need.) They were meant to be novels and were fine-tuned for fantasy or a very liberal science fiction tale.

Last Ditch Attempt

Story of a group of characters in a world that's falling apart and their last ditch attempt to do something--anything--to keep it from completely going to pieces.

Koi Dragon

Story about a dragon character with the embarrassing habit of turning into a Japanese carp is witness to a murder whose perpetrator he/she/it must intercept before the murderer goes after a much bigger target.

Akuboshi Atama

Story of a character who claims to be the ultimate evil and how he/she/it ends up doing infinite good instead of infinite evil, and how the 'heroes' almost ruin it all.

giusti · Aug 11, 2009

It's always seemed weird to you that your father was imprisoned 15 years ago for participating in genetic testing when he was an archaeologist. At the eve of your 16th birthday, you get your worst ever birthday present as your father dies and to make it worse, his attorney reveals that he left you but a single piece of paper in his will. As you read the paper, he tells of an archaeological dig that he participated in about a year before your birth. After you set the paper down, you have to think about how you're going to cope with the fact that you were cloned from Jesus's bone marrow.

Take a prompt, Leave a prompt

gone

No Time For Chitchat, Kemosabe.

Cheers

Wing nut

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I'm not Paul Avery.

Now serving Table for 300

Perpetual noob

Disgruntled Scientist

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wowo wubzy, wubzy...

Ah-HA!

They won't let me be good