by Crystal Moore from the August 23, 2021 issue
Tagline: Sharing her home with guests to make some money, Nora is unsure of herself...until handsome singleton Dean comes to stay.
Observations: I always appreciate seeing a story that features modern life and this one was refreshing with its inclusion of the booming industry of vacation rentals and the like. I thought it was a great idea to add that the story of a widow coming to terms with her life after her husband had gone and admitting vacationing guests into her own home. This is a great way to come up with a story idea--think of a tried and true trope and add your own twist to it, or just taking two tropes and putting them together.
For instance, here's a list of fifteen random tropes. Pick two for a mash-up and see if you can think of a story that includes them both.
Library
Nursery (the gardening kind)
Candy shop
Cultural festival
Frozen pond
Mechanic
Grocery store clerk
Single parent
Teacher
Birdwatcher
A puppy
An heirloom
Homemade pie
Blizzard
Family reunion
I choose birdwatcher and library. Maybe someone is new to the neighborhood and puts up a bird feeder that becomes very popular. He or she wants to know what kind of birds are visiting and he goes to the library to find a book on local species. Or maybe I ditch the library. Maybe the person at the store where he/she bought the feeder suggests he/she join the local birdwatching club. Maybe he/she is younger and expects all the club members will be senior citizens, but is pleasantly surprised and meets someone her own age and with many of the same interests.
What if I choose the puppy and the heirloom? Maybe a woman is walking her dog in the park and her dog gets into a scuffle with another dog. No one is harmed, but she realizes her priceless charm bracelet has fallen off her wrist. The owner of the other dog says his grandfather owns a metal detector. Voila. They find the bracelet and love.
See how it works? Just let your mind wander.
Photo by Elizabeth Backus via Flickr Creative Commons License
4 comments:
Great prompt.
Kate, liked the story, love the prompts.
Later comment: I confess that I hadn't read the story yet when I made my comment the other day, just your review. I actually thought this story was adorable. So cute that they got to know each other via phone and e-mail before while he was making his reservations, confirming them, etc.
I am going to print out this list and try it. The story was cute, although I thought he was moving a little fast.
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