I've been spending as much time as I can working on my current script, as I'm trying to finish it by the end of the month. I've therefore had less time to watch and read, and even less time to organize my thoughts in a barely organized blog post. So instead of This Week In Stories, I've decided I'll start posting some of my writing exercises.
A buddy and I trade pictures back and forth via email, along with little prompts/assignments. They're designed to take ten to fifteen minutes, and be done with little to no forethought. On occasion, I'll be posting the pictures/prompts I've been sent, along with my responses. You can sneak a peek into my mind, or, if you're so inclined, can do the exercise as well. (Before digging in, it's worth noting that we come up with these on our own. We're not pulling them out of a book or blog, and they follow no particular writing craft or interest other than our own whims.)
Here's one from last summer:
7/31/17 - Create a world based on the picture below, then tell me the hero's journey through it. Try to do it in 10 minutes. Remember it's okay if it sucks. - KO
My response:
8/1/17 - The world entered another Ice Age, and the majority of humankind went extinct. The most developed nations fell apart, most of their citizens died, because they were unprepared for the new way of life. But undeveloped nations actually did relatively well, particularly those in colder climates, as their ways of life did not change all that much.
Centuries passed, and new larger mammals began to appear. At first, they were hunted, and even just a single kill could provide a number of needs. But one child, while on his first hunt, was separated from his tribe, just as one of the creatures, a young one, was also separated from it's herd during the hunt. The child hid the creature in the forest, and the two became friends. The child realized that there was much more to be gained from keeping the creature alive. But he was unable to provide for it, and understood that he had to lead the creature out of the forest, back to its family. But to do so, he would have to cross the space that he knew his tribe would be, and expose the creature. So he opted to take the longer, more circuitous, far more dangerous route around the outside of the forest. There, he and the creature were exposed to harsher elements, high cliffs, lack of available food, and it was easier to get lost. But they worked together, keeping each other warm, keeping each other company, and eventually found the creature's herd, but not before the child's tribe found them. He led them right to them! He stands between his tribe and the herd of creatures, willing to die for them. Amidst this grand gesture, one of the creatures of the herd thinks the child is threatening their newly returned young and charges. The young creature then gets between the herd and the child. Each of them protect the other from their own kind. - DW
Note: Everything in italics is unedited, lifted straight from our emails. Also, I want to give credit for the picture, but we did this before thinking they'd be public facing. If anyone recognizes the art and could point in me in the artist's direction so I can properly credit them, please let me know. I will be better about this moving forward.