Nerdy Prompts for Week 1

by syaffolee

As I mentioned in the previous post, I’m part of the NaNoWordSprints team this year. Basically sprint leaders set up times and provide prompts for NaNoWriMo participants on Twitter. It’s really fun to see people get a lot done on their novels with these motivational exercises.

In order not to repeat myself with prompts, I consciously decided to do prompt themes each time I am on shift. For those of you who have missed my prompts, here’s the list of the ones I used for the past week. (And if you want to suggest a prompt theme, please do so! I’m always looking for suggestions.)

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October 31, 8:30pm-10:30pm (UTC -7)
The Sensory Challenges

  • Add sensory details (15 min)
  • Include a visually striking kite (20 min)
  • Include a loud noise (20 min)
  • The smell of food (27 min)

November 1, 10:00pm-12:00am (UTC -7)
Real Genius

  • Write about a skating rink. Bonus points if the skating rink is a converted dorm hallway. (15 min)
  • Your characters discover a guy living in a closet. Bonus points: Closet leads to an underground funicular railway. (20 min)
  • Somebody wins the sweepstakes. Bonus points: They win a year’s supply of Frito-Lay products. (10 min)
  • Include a laser. Bonus points: They’re involved in a tanning contest. (15 min)
  • Include popcorn. Bonus points: Use popcorn to willfully destroy property. (20 min)

November 2, 10:00pm-12:00am (UTC -7)
Tom Selleck

  • Your characters are trying to grow facial hair exactly like Tom’s mustache. (15 min)
  • Three male characters discover a baby! What do they do? (They’ve never changed a diaper before!) (20 min)
  • Your characters go to an interesting locale! Bonus points: They bump into a detective from Hawaii. (30 min)
  • Include a painting. Bonus points: It’s of Tom Selleck. His eyes are always watching you. Or: Include something else super creepy! (18 min)

November 3, 9:00pm-10:30pm (UTC -7)
The Westing Game

  • Include something that is named the opposite of what it is/does. (12 min)
  • Just as the characters in the book got odd clues in envelopes, add a clue in your story! (Or maybe it’s just a red herring.) (25 min)
  • Include a character with a bad name. (10 min)
  • Include each of the cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) in some form or fashion. (13 min)

November 4, 2:00pm-3:00pm (UTC -7)
Triplets

  • Bacon, lettuce, and tomato (15 min)
  • Live, long, and prosper (10 min)
  • Blood, sweat, and tears (18 min)

November 5, 10:00pm-1:00am (UTC -7)
Grizzly Bears

  • Your characters hear a growl behind them. (10 min)
  • Self-defense. You can interpret that in whatever way you like, whether physical, psychological or something else! (30 min)
  • Have a character do something that is unexpected and possibly dangerous. (15 min)
  • Since grizzlies also live far north, include something cold. (10 min)
  • A character discovers a gray hair. (15 min)
  • Include claws or anything to do with scratches. (20 min)
  • Include someone doing the Grizzly Bear dance either inadvertently or on purpose. (lightning round, 3 x 5 min)

November 6, 10:00pm-1:00am (UTC -7)
Doctor Who

  • Include the number 11 in your story. (10 min)
  • Include a tool (like the sonic screwdriver) that seems to do everything. (20 min)
  • Include a fancy article of clothing. (15 min)
  • Include someone or something that always comes back no matter what you do to it. (30 min)
  • Include a colorful scarf, like the one the fourth Doctor wears! (10 min)
  • Your antagonist/villain is stymied by something simple. (15 min)
  • Play with time. You can use time travel, flashbacks, deja vu, blacking out & missing time–be creative! (30 min)

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I have no idea how I’m going to top the Doctor Who theme which was apparently very popular. Maybe I’ll do Sherlock Holmes and My Little Pony next week…