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Welcome, all. It's that time again...

Forward:
These prompts exist as a good exercise, and for getting some critique back. If you don't want your work critiqued, just say it's just for fun... but I think the reason people want to write here is to get some feedback. So... yeah. Most of these will be short story prompts, as they're "my thing", and easier to critique. I will generally wait a few days, or at least a few posts, before I post my own.

Disclaimer: My prompts are, admittedly, not for everyone. They're not incredibly "easy" or "broad" at first blush. They're designed to make you think, and hone your ability to tell a story or convey a situation not using your usual methods. Working outside of your comfort zone, as a writer, is a powerful method of growth. If you're looking for broader assignments like "write something about a chair", check out amonkie's series of prompts called "writing challenges".

For this week's assignment, I'm pulling from an old improv scene I once did with a few friends, and adding a personal touch to raise the level of exercise you'll obtain from it. Take it in slowly, because the scene is set quite intricately for you, and might seem lengthy, but the atmosphere actually created is quite banal. Have fun with it.

Prompt [#2]

The Idea:

Emotions in writing are a very important part of storytelling. Without proper control, mood and affects intended for one character spill over into the dialog of another. This is especially noticeable when dealing with multiple characters in the same scene, as you are prone to writing them all at once.

The Rules:

There are 5 characters. Their sexes are all up to you. Four are adults, 30-35 years old, and one is a child, age 10. The adults are sitting around a kitchen table, talking as they play a friendly card game (not like a betting game involving money, just friendly). The adults can be of any relationship to each other that you want (lovers, friends, family, spouses, etc), but they must all know each other well.

The child is in the adjacent living room, which is totally open to the kitchen area (everyone can see the kid, and the kid can see everyone). He/she should be the child of only one of the adults at the table.

The child is sitting on the floor, watching TV. The child does not leave or get up or do anything but sit there, at all, during the scene, and does not talk (not because he can't, because i'm telling you not to make him lol).

--> The 4 adults each relate a story to the others at the table, as in conversation. Set this up however you like. They do not need to be very long, but long enough for the stories to have substance. A well-formed paragraph should do, keeping in mind you're narrating the person's telling of it, not just writing it.

--> Story 1 should be your personal favorite memory, whatever it is, as told by the character of your choosing. Play with the details to make it less personal, if you need to.

--> Stories 2, 3, and 4 should include one account of your saddest memory, one original story which is on par with the sadness of yours, and one original story of any emotion you choose, but not a patently happy story. Make stories 2, 3, and 4 come in any order you wish.

You can ignore the kid completely, but you must acknowledge her/his presence by identifying whose kid it is in some way... or you can feature the kid a lot, but the kid does not talk and has no internal monologue of any kind.

Don't just focus on the individual tellings of the mini-stories, but how the other characters react to them, as well. "The devil is in the details."

Omnipresent narration only, so no internal monologue at all.

Super special bonus points: Narrate the story from the point of view of the child- you are allowed to have internal monologue for the child for this. All other rules apply.

Enjoy... I look forward to reading all of your works.