I hope everyone had a great weekend!
I was thinking... It's been a while since we did a Short & Sweet, so how about we do one today?
 |
| badge created by Loni Edwards |
(Hmm... I've just noticed the Summer Short & Sweet badge says 2012... well, no matter, we're writers, we have good imaginations, we can imagine it says 2013 :))
We'll make it really short and sweet, because I know we're all crazy busy, and it's summer, and we really need to get to the beach or the pool or the lawn sprinkler ASAP in this heat :)
Ready?
Here is the challenge for today:
Make up a character by answering the following questions:
1) boy or girl?
2) human or non-human? (animal, alien, monster, etc.)
3) age 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7?
4) lives in city, country, ocean, underground, or outer space?
Got it? (You can use as much or as little of this as you like - it's just to help you imagine your character a little bit.)
Okay. Now here's the thing about this character. He/she has just gotten a pet. But not just any pet. Your character did NOT get a dog, cat, fish, hamster, gerbil, guinea pig, snake, bird, mouse, rat, or iguana (or any of what are considered usual/common pets.) Oh no sirree bob! Your character got something else entirely! Pick an unusual and/or outrageous animal to be your character's pet. (And if you want to be surprised, or can't think of anything at this hour of the morning, pick a number from 1-12 and go with the corresponding animal below.)
1. elephant
2. zebra
3. tiger
4. otter
5. kangaroo/wallaby
6. ostrich
7. giraffe
8. lemur
9. porcupine
10. penguin
11. camel
12. gazelle
Now. Write the opening 1-5 sentences of a children's story in which you introduce your character, tell us what pet he/she has, and WHY this is a problem and/or WHAT he/she plans to do with this pet.
For example:
Jenevieve had always wanted an elephant, but when one arrived on her front porch two days before kindergarten she found herself in a bit of a pickle.
Mom worked at the hospital.
Dad worked at the firehouse.
Jenevieve would be at school.
Who would take care of her elephant?
Feel free to write as much as you want :) I hope it will spark a fun idea for you. And if your idea stalls out, perhaps someone else's will give you inspiration :) My mind is off and running :) I'm envisioning Jenevieve interviewing potential babysitters, looking for a playgroup or daycare for her elephant, coming up with a list of activities/amusements to keep him occupied while she's gone, or thinking about how she might sneak him into kindergarten.... :)
Have fun, everyone! I look forward to seeing what you come up with!
Happy Monday and Happy Writing! :)
