
Jessica Sherry
10+ Writing Prompts on Waiting
We spend a good portion of our lives waiting for something to happen. According to this article in The Washington Post, the average person spends one to two years just waiting in lines. *Fun side note: Stephen King carries paperbacks in his back pocket for this reason.
"Wait for it... wait for it..." ~ SpongeBob SquarePants & me, when hoping for Stephen-King-like-success
It's not just the 'little waits' to consider, though how your MC behaves in a long wait might give insight into her character. Think about the BIG waits, too. Writers have MANY of these--waiting for the query response, the agent, the book deal, the release, the best sellers list. Writing is as much a waiting game as it is a, well, writing one. Here are some ideas for what your character could be waiting for:
The best date ever to call... ring, phone, ring
The New Year's Eve Party where the handsome stranger from last year promised she'd have someone to kiss
The test results to come back
His boss to take the poisoned pills from the Excedrin bottle
The scandalous newspaper article to come out
A call from an agent, producer, bank manager, probation officer
Someone to come home
The beam to give way, plunging her to her death
The election, publication, hearing, trial
The acceptance call/letter/email to college, Chopped, Jeopardy, Married at First Sight, Mensa, Space Camp... whatever
The monster to fall asleep
The voices to stop
The coffee to brew... Need energy for writing
To raise the stakes and heighten tensions, let your main character wait for something... and when she finally gets it, maybe it's not what she wants anymore... or she doesn't get it and she has to rethink her life.
Don't make us wait for your brilliant waiting ideas... share below!
Want more story ideas? Go to www.coffeebrained.com