Pocket Prompt Expansion: Something Explodes #8 – Endings and Beginnings

So far, while looking at the ‘Something explodes’ card, we’ve looked at types of explosions and Cause & Effect. For the final post in this series, before we move onto other cards and other ways of utilising them, we’re going to look the explosion’s position in the narrative.

We’ll start with one key question: Is this the start or beginning of something?

Explosions cause change, one way or another, and can either alter a story before it begins or punctuate a character’s arc. Two stories about the events of 9/11 – Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Remember Me – look at the explosions of the World Trade Centre at different points in the narrative. One uses the plane crash to launch a character’s story after the death of his father, while the other uses the death of the protagonist to roll out emotional conflict with other characters in the story.

For this post, I want you to answer a few questions that will help you figure out how an explosion can change the narrative.

  • Does the explosion occur before or after the story begins?
  • Is the explosion something that happens as a result of actions in the story, or does it sneak up on the reader as a twist?
  • How early into the story will there be a story?
  • How much do we know about what happened?
  • How much more information comes is revealed as the plot unfolds?
  • Do we ever really understand?
  • Are you ending on an explosion? Why?

Whether an explosion – be it literal or emotional – takes place before, at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of a story affects the sort of consequences that can be felt by it, and the type of story you’re telling. If the explosion is the climax of the tale, you’ll want it to appear later. If it is the premise on which your story is based, it’ll need to happen early enough into the book that the fallout can be felt.

This is true for both literal and emotional explosions. For those of us who focus on the narrative of relationships, a focus on emotional explosions is essential. Some questions you might ask:

  • Do the people involved rely on each other?
  • Are they separated as a result of an argument?
  • Are they stuck together, even if they don’t like it?
  • Have they been fighting since before the narrative begins?
  • Does the reader know this?
  • How does their meeting affect the story? Will they meet at all? Is that the point?
  • If a story is entirely about the relationship, what causes it to grow or break down? What can you do to leave suggestions over what might happen? Can you introduce a twist?

Whether you choose to start or end with a bang is up to you. Explosions within a story can cause a dramatic shift in the dynamics of your characters, and bring out the best or worst behaviour in people. Use tension to your advantage, and answer as many questions as you can about how you’ll use an explosion in your story.

Have you got your deck of Pocket Prompts yet? Order a set today!

Pocket Prompt Expansion: Something Explodes #3 – Dire Consequences

Something Explodes - Literal or Emotional

In my last post, I explores the concept of an emotional explosion, to pair up with the idea of a literal explosion. Today, we’re going to look at a different way of using the ‘Something explodes’ card: it’s time to look at dire consequences.

One question comes to mind every time the news channel plays a story about an explosion in a major city: Does someone die?

Pocket Prompts being what they are – non-specific but useful tools for creative writing – I’ve looked at this point in a number of ways. We have a few paths to take with this expansion, which takes into account literal deaths and metaphorical deaths through the use of hyperbole.

  • If the explosion is literal, does someone die?
  • How do they die? In the explosion, or by being trapped in the rubble?
  • How many people die?
  • If it is an emotional explosion, is the death still literal?
  • Who dies? How?
  • If it is an emotional explosion, is the death hyperbolic? (e.g. dying of embarrassment)

With every question and every additional prompt on the back of a Pocket Prompt card, ask yourself these two questions:

  • How does this affect my protagonist(s)?
  • How does this move the plot forward?

By having an answer to both questions, you’ll be able to make an informed decision about where your story is going, and how to move forward from this point.

Have you got your deck of Pocket Prompts yet? Order a set today!

Pocket Prompt Expansion: Something Explodes #1 – Literal Explosions

One of the first cards I decided upon for the first deck of Pocket Prompts was ‘Something explodes’. It’s bold, dramatic, and can stir a story.

In this series of posts, I’m going to show you how this one card can be used to tell many different types of stories, and affect much more change than you might imagine.

Creative thinking is all about asking the right questions. We’ll address many more of the specifics for an explosion as the month progresses, but for now: will you take the prompt literally, or metaphorically?

If it’s a literal explosion, you then have a number of other questions to deal with:

  • Is there fire?
  • Is it an underwater explosion?
  • Is the explosion a result of a bomb or just a change in pressure?
  • Could it be natural?
  • What sort of consequences are there to a literal explosion?

Some genres don’t loan themselves well to literal explosions, and that’s okay. There’s plenty more to come with just this card.

Have you got your deck of Pocket Prompts yet? Order a set today!

Pocket Prompt Expansion: Something Explodes #2 – Emotional Reactions

Previously, we looked at the ‘Something explodes’ card from the point of view of taking it literally. Now it’s time to step it up a notch.

In this series of posts, I’m going to show you how this one card can be used to tell many different types of stories, and affect much more change than you might imagine.

Something Explodes - Literal or Emotional

The natural follow-up to a literal explosion is a metaphorical explosion. In this case, one small plot point can have a knock-on effect for your characters: an emotional reaction.

Emotions are complicated and varied, which makes this a useful reminder that your characters should feel more than one thing and at more than one level. How a character feels affects how they act, and how they act affects the plot.

Some things to consider:

  • Is it a happy reaction? (e.g. cheering)
  • Is it an angry reaction? (e.g. shouting)
  • Is it a sad reaction? (e.g. crying)
  • Is it a fearful reaction? (e.g. screaming)

The Pixar movie Inside Out explores this concept of emotion well, and demonstrates an important fact to remember: emotional reactions are rarely just one thing.

As we grow older, and develop more intimate relationships, an explosion of emotion can come from a place of anger and sadness, happiness and fear, or any other combination of the above at different levels of potency – an unpredictable emotional cocktail that you wouldn’t order at the bar.

Have you got your deck of Pocket Prompts yet? Order a set today!

Introducing: Pocket Prompts

Launched on October 12th and 13th between the Dublin Comic Arts Festival (DCAF) and Octocon, Pocket Prompts are decks of double-sided cards that provide prompts in three categories:

Each deck comes with 25 cards, totalling 50 prompts, packed snugly to fit in your pocket, in your backpack, or in your handbag, so you can take them with you anywhere you go.

With 15 years of writing experience behind me, and a secondary school teaching degree in English, my focus when designing the cards was on creating something that can be used by anyone regardless of how much they’ve written, without restriction on genre.

Stay tuned for more posts on how I use the cards, and to explore how even the most specific of cards can be expanded for multiple uses.

Bulk discounts (10+ decks) are available for schools or writing groups – simply contact me and I’ll provide a quote.