Monday, July 13, 2009

Monday Writing Prompt: Road Trips

Everyone's done it, or at least talked about it: taking off on the quintessential road trip. Windows down, the road stretching in front of you, no destination in mind, just enjoying the sights. I've taken a few of these in the last month and a half or so, including a day trip to New Hampshire last week to see my old college roommate and her fiance. You forget how good it feels to get away, even just for a few hours, until you finally do so.

Give your characters the same freedom. Put them in a car - or a bus, a train, a van, a flying saucer - and let them explore their new environment. Maybe this will breathe some life into a story that currently feels stale, stuck in a rut. Even if they never reach their destination, perhaps you can discover something new and exciting about your characters.

I'm hoping this works for me, as I plan on using this prompt with my novel, And You Tell Me I Am Home. I've been having trouble getting through the first round of revisions, so new ideas are always appreciated. If the scene goes well, perhaps it'll give me the encouragement I need to blow through those last 50 pages or so and get the draft out to my readers - so the real revision can begin.

Let me know if this works out for you, either by dropping a comment here or sending an email. With any luck, Emma, Zeke, Leigh and Jay will have surprised me by Friday!

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Don't like this week's prompt? Check out previous ones through the Monday Writing Prompt tag.

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