Howard the Duck (writing prompts!)
And some inspiration from Hanya Yanagihara.
Let’s start with a reading.
This is Hanya Yanagihara talking about A LITTLE LIFE: “One of the things my editor and I did fight about is the idea of how much a reader can take. To me you get nowhere second guessing how much can a reader stand and how much can she not. What a reader can always tell is when you are holding back for fear of offending them. I wanted there to be something too much about the violence in the book, but I also wanted there to be an exaggeration of everything, an exaggeration of love, of empathy, of pity, of horror. I wanted everything turned up a little too high. I wanted it to feel a little bit vulgar in places. Or to be always walking that line between out and out sentimentality and the boundaries of good taste. I wanted the reader to really press up against that as much as possible and if I tipped into it in a couple of places, well, I couldn’t really stop it.”
So for fun and to take a cue from Ms. Yanagihara, let’s all try to “TURN IT UP” in our writing this week.
Today’s prompts were all inspired by the movie Howard the Duck.
EXERCISE #1: “Desperate ducks commit desperate acts.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about a time in your life when you acted out of desperation.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, do some freewriting about your protagonist’s most desperate moment. How do they behave when they’re trapped in a corner?
RANDOM ELEMENT: a pungent odor
EXERCISE #2: “Howard may be a duck, but you people are animals!”
JOURNALING PROMPT: If you were an animal, what animal would you be? What characteristics do you share with this animal?
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, pick two characters from your Work-In-Progress and pick what animals they would be. Then write a confrontation scene between them incorporating some of those animal characteristics.
RANDOM ELEMENT: negativity
EXERCISE #3: “As duck climbed the evolutionary ladder, he said adios to his wings.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about your relationship with flight. Both literal and metaphorical.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a “flight” scene – a scene where your protagonist experiences some sort of freedom or euphoria.
RANDOM ELEMENT: an observer
EXERCISE #4: “No more Mr. Nice Duck.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write a rant about something that pisses you off.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a “fight” scene where two of your characters debate something they’re passionate about. Let them be didactic and too talky. Don’t worry about if it will fit in a final product. See how far you can push the argument.
RANDOM ELEMENT: confusion
EXERCISE #5: “I want that duck dead or alive.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Have you ever had a near-death experience? A really close call? One of those “my life flashed before my eyes” moments. What was it like? How did it change you?
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a monologue for your protagonist where they talk about a near death experience.
RANDOM ELEMENT: waiting!!
EXERCISE #6: “Just one goodnight kiss, sweet ducky?”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about a perfect kiss.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a romantic scene between two of your characters. Include one kiss and at least three inappropriate lines of dialogue.
RANDOM ELEMENT: a glimpse of the future
EXERCISE #7: “You are going to go play sitting duck in a jail cell.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Make a fast list of 5 crimes you’ve committed (even if they aren’t technically illegal – they could be five “wrongs” you’ve committed that you felt guilt over). Then pick one and write about it in more depth.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, do this same exercise – list five of YOUR OWN crimes. Then give one of them to your protagonist and write a scene either where they commit this crime or confess to it.
RANDOM ELEMENT: distance
EXERCISE #8: “I’m sorry, we don’t allow pets on the premises.”
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write about a time when you didn’t feel welcome, when you were made to feel like you didn’t belong.
FICTION PROMPT: If you’re writing a narrative, write a scene where one of your characters is asked to leave a situation. Go big with their emotions.
RANDOM ELEMENT: a moment of dance
Get my prompt books: https://www.camdenhighstreetbooks.com
Attend a writing sprint with me on Zoom: https://www.patreon.com/erikpatterson
Commission a prompt via Cameo: https://www.cameo.com/erikpatterson
Read one of my plays: https://www.camdenhighstreetbooks.com/plays