It is hard to reach a goal without taking the baby steps. You have to practice. You have to develop the skills in order to be better at what you want to do. One of the things I want to do is write stories. What better way to do this than doing writing prompts?
I figure that every week I’ll dump the result of doing a week’s worth of writing prompts instead of one each day. If extra exploratory things come to mind that I want to explore, I’ll likely post them as they complete if the frequency is too high.
Since I reopened this blog on the 23rd, I’ll start from there. The prompts are based on a pdf you can download here. The only difference is that instead of reflecting on myself, I’ll reflect on different characters I’ve created for a story I’m writing. If the prompt is on a pop culture reference, I’ll still do it, but it will only apply to the characters thematically for various reasons. I think it would be a little fun to not layout those character profiles yet as I might end up ret-conning them as even these go on.
April 23rd Character: Jariq Masters Prompt: What song is stuck in your head (or on permanent rotation in your CD or MP3 player) these days? Why does it speak to you? The song that has been stuck in my head for these past few months has been Black by Sevendust. It is an aptly named song that talks of the racism that the lead singer has dealt with over the years. Albeit, he is the only black person in the band, it has become their anthem. This song has meant different things to me over the years. It may have started the same way as the singer, being a man of color and just that. I have none of the stereotypical hobbies, hopes and dreams like I'm supposed to. I'm not a fan of rap music. I don't have a sense of entitlement because of my color. I am a martial artist. I am a nerd. Do you know what that means? If you cross me, I'm equally likely to roundhouse kick you in the face or completely ruin your digital life with my 7" tablet, but I digress. I experience racism just because of the color of my skin and the fact that I'm not like the others who share the color of my skin. I guess this is kinda humorous considering the skin disorder that I have. I've seen other athletes that it eventually consumed them completely. What am I when it happens to me? Will I still be black? Was I ever black? Will I be known as Gaijin? Gaijin. Ha ha. April 24th Character: Aura Masters Prompt: Have you ever had a random encounter or fleeting moment with a stranger that stuck with you? I don't like public transport. That isn't to say that I drive everywhere either, I just love the idea of living within walking distance to everything in your life. Do you want to know what changed this view of my life? College. I started out school in this really cheap apartment that was about twenty miles from school, on the outskirts of downtown. Albeit far, I only had to take a single bus to go to school. It took a little over half an hour, but it was a straight shot. One day I hopped on the bus and noticed everyone was sitting in the front half of the bus exclusively. Usually, this was a tactic followed by classes, but most of the people on the bus were familiar. It was seven in the morning, not really the time for me to contemplate why they did so. I took my usual spot which was across from the midpoint exit on the train. I sat and started to drift off. Right when I was on the cusp of my sleep state, I woke up. My nose was burning. I took a deep breath through my nose and almost threw up in reaction. I suddenly felt like I was on the inside of a dumpster and shot up from my seat. I looked at the seat and it looked fine. I then looked around my surroundings. I recognized again that there was a division between the front and back half of the bus. I was frustrated. The smell kept me from thinking of why, so my only resolution was to look behind me. In last row of seats was a large and dirty man. His shirt had several holes in them exposing his non-pristine self. He was wearing grey sweatpants with.. brown stains on them. The bus stopped and I shrieked in terror. I grabbed my things and slammed on the exit button. It didn't work fast enough so I pulled on the emergency hatch and threw myself out. I ran to the student store buying a new set of clothes and personal items and then took a shower at the gym. That gym was actually pretty nice, too bad I never used it. Moral? Yeah. If people walk off a cliff, I'll fucking walk off with them because they are trying to get away from the greater danger and they'll cushion my fall. April 25th Character: Sakura Haru Prompt: If you could clone yourself, how would you split up your responsibilities? That is simple as I'm split between two obligations that are dear to me: Duty to my country Duty to the family business This country has been in shambles since the last world war where we somehow became a battleground although we by mandate weren't active particpants. Those that brought the war to us should've been punished. Instead, we became a puppet of the USA. Due to the immediate anarchy this caused, my family's business pulled out of the country. I could just move on like everyone else, or I can stand and fight for what it used to be... Even if I was successful in doing my due diligence of bringing back my country from this unfortunate circumstance, I'd be far removed from the politics of my family's business to convince them to come back. As much as I want to believe that I can, I know I can't do everything at once. If I could clone myself to take on these two fronts separately. April 26th Character: Naomi Medvedev Prompt: Tell us about a book you can read again and again without getting bored — what is it that speaks to you? The Art of War by Sun Tzu. The book is short, simple and straight to the point. I probably picked it up at first due to my family's history in security, policing, espionage, ... war. Like a lot of things I've read, the older I get, the more I learn from it. Okay, that is a lie. I'm not really learning anything new. I'm not dumb, just stubborn. I see a situation and reflect back on the book. I then convince myself that I know the better way. I suffer consequences from repeating histories mistakes and then return back to the book. It is a vicious cycle that is entirely my fault. No one else is going to get to see this, right? April 27th Character: Kurino Kruger Prompt: What do you display on the walls of your home -- photos, posters, artwork, nothing? How do you choose what to display? What mood are you trying to create? Well, if I had the power, I'd decorate the entire facility my way, but Sakura says that everything except my room should be neutral. In my room are a bunch of photos of powerful women figures. Oddly enough, one of them includes Naomi's tournament streak. I didn't realize it until she pointed it out to me. I guess that shows that the women themselves aren't the reason why I put them up, but just the concept of women empowerment. To remember that I can be strong and independent. To know that it could never happen again.