Happy New Year!
In my creative writing class last fall, we were assigned prompts to keep us writing regularly outside of “big” projects and focus on introducing a new characters’ interiority in only a few words. I ended up really enjoying these exercises! I think this was mostly because they aligned well with how I think about character introductions in the weekly D&D game I run, but also because they made for a fun challenge when taken a little further.
I ended up not just focusing on introducing a character in a way that makes them feel real and complex, but also adding into as much subtle worldbuilding as I could without it being distracting. That’s what really made writing these little snippets engaging (although admittedly that part was just for me and not really for the reader).
Our first prompt was to write about someone returning to academia after a period of time away.
Now I’ll admit, on the surface that’s not something I would usually write about, which I think adds to the value of it as an exercise. How do you spin a small idea so that it’s something interesting that you would write about? I came up with this:
It’s not like Irene hadn’t known what being back here was going to be like. After all, this had been the plan for half a year after the new education requirements had come out and her arguments about years of experience had counted for exactly nothing at the department.
But there was a big difference between knowing and seeing for herself. Of being physically present in a place she hadn’t stood in a decade and a half.
University of Arcadia, Class of 2008. Was that really that long ago?
She felt oddly disembodied, another ghost haunting the old place, while fresh-faced early-twenty-somethings chattered in their own small groups. She let the noise wash over her, trying to find the familiarity. Everything looked the same as it had before – ivy laden brick buildings in the places they’d always been, the same towering oaks, hell even some of the same professors – just a little older and grayer. The background was the same, but everything else was overwhelmingly different and it was… jarring. Like missing the last step on the stairs. Exciting in a way, but you don’t exactly want your trip downstairs to remind you of your own mortality.
Unfortunately for Irene, pausing to survey all the students rushing to morning class was starting to do just that. She sighed before standing up straighter and squaring her shoulders. She was here for a purpose, and that purpose was not feeling sorry for herself. There’d be plenty of time for that later.
This came from a short story idea I’ve had simmering for a while now, although it would never fit into what I think I want that story to be (like I said, I have no interest in the whole returning to academia bit). I’ll share more about that another time.
For now though, if you’re a writer or artist, I encourage you to try exercises like this – there are plenty of free resources and prompts to be found online. They’re simple, creative, and helpful for getting away from the stress of a larger project to focus on something new.
That’s all from me today! Please like, comment, and share if you enjoy what you’ve read.
Above all, be kind to one another.
Love, Charlotte
Blue Orchid 