A year of writing prompts: 27 November

How to use these prompts

Who is this?
Why is a knight in armour riding a modern motorbike?
Where is he going and why?

Prompts

1. "Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad with power." Charles A Beard
2. Buy Nothing Day is celebrated around now. Your character has decided, for a reason of your choice, to stop buying things for a period of time (again up to you). How do they manage? Do they succeed? Or does a fatal weakness stop them from completing the challenge? If so, what?
3. In 1990, John Major became the youngest Prime Minister so far in the 20th century. The magazine Private Eye celebrated this by serialising his imaginary journal in the style of Adrian Mole. Your character has a responsible and important job - Prime Minister is one option, but brain surgeon, rocket scientist, airline pilot or head of an international company are others. Write their diary in the style of a much younger person concentrating on childish issues and concerns.
4. "It's good to be silly at the right moment." Horace
5. Today is the Festival of Solitude. Your character is alone. Where they are and why they are alone is up to you. Write a stream of consciousness piece detailing their thoughts and feelings about being alone at that place and time.

Character Names

Nathaniel, Virgil, Lauris, Norbert, Keegan, Erin, Astrid

Character Traits

• Impulsive and headstrong, but with sufficient willpower to achieve success and/or fame.
• They will have one purpose in life to which everything else is subservient.
• Can concentrate deeply on things which interest them, but lack concentration otherwise.
• Imaginative with a love of fantasy and fantasy literature.
• Fond of cartoons.
• May have a fiery temper and be temperamental in extreme ways.
• Want to travel, and get restless if constrained.
• May be drawn to study the occult.
• Have big plans for the future , but not so interested in the hard work required to get there.
• Able to deal with volatile situations, which is something they have learned to do as much as being a natural gift.
• Not romantic.
• Likely to be very tall or very short in stature.
• May be drawn to careers connected with fire, explosives or dangerous chemicals.
• Fond of heated debates.
• Danger from fire, explosions, sunburn, fever, volatile situations or burning out from taking on too much.  
• Danger from traps and ambushes.

Possible Themes

Anger.

Destruction and transformation.

The inner child.

A helping hand.

Objects

A steep stairway; a house on fire; a man with green skin dressed in leaves; a forest; the morning star.