The Writing Reader
Currently viewing the tag: "mischief"
Send to Kindle
I was good at football, so I survived school well enough. But my brother was legendary. They were reading The Old Man and The Sea in English class, and Raphael blew up at the teacher. She said that lions were a symbol of Hemingway being lionized when young. She said the old fisherman carrying a mast made him some sort of Jesus with his cross. He told her she had a head full of nonsense. I can see him doing it. He would bark with sudden laughter and bounce up and down in his chair and declare, delighted, “That’s blasphemy! It’s just a story about an old man. If Hemingway had wanted to write a story about Jesus, he was a clever enough person to have written one!” The headmaster gave him a clip about the ear. Raphael wobbled his head at him as if shaking a finger. “Your hitting me doesn’t make me wrong.” None of the other students ever bothered us. Raphael still got straight As. -Geoff Ryman, What We Found, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Extended Edition(Sept/Oct 2011)
Writing Prompt: Write a scene, story or poem about a kid like Raphael.
Journaling Prompt: Write about a kid who went to school with you.
Art Prompt: Class clown
Photo Credit: adecker31 on Flickr
Send to KindleSend to Kindle
Are your friends a bad influence on you?
The rewards outweigh the risks — when you’re in a group, anyway. A new USC study explains why people take stupid chances when all of their friends are watching that they would never take by themselves. According to the study, the human brain places more value on winning in a social setting than it does on winning when you’re alone.
“These findings suggest that the brain is equipped with the ability to detect and encode social signals, make social signals salient, and then, use these signals to optimize future behavior,” Coricelli said.
As Coricelli explained, in private environments, losing can more easily be life-threatening. With no social support network in place, a bad gamble can spell doom.
In group environments, on the other hand, rewards tend to be winner-takes-all. Nowhere is this more clear than in sexual competition, where — to borrow a phrase from racing legend Dale Earnhardt, Sr. — second place is just first loser.
“Among animals, there are strong incentives for wanting to be at the top of the social ranking,” Coricelli said. “Animals in the dominant position use their status to secure privileged access to resources, such as food and mates.” -Science Daily
Writing Prompt: Write a scene that demonstrates the subtle peer pressure of making decisions in a group.
Journaling Prompt: Write about a time that you made a risky decision that was influenced by the presence of a group of friends.
Art Prompt: Risky decisions
Photo Credit: epSos.de on Flickr
Send to KindleSend to Kindle
“All children, except one, grow up.” -J.M. Barrie, The Complete Adventures of Peter Pan
Writing Prompt: Write something using the first line above as your inspiration.
Journaling Prompt: What would you do if you could go back to being a child and could stay a child forever? OR What would you do if you could stay the same age as you are today?
Art Prompt: Peter Pan
Photo Credit: Loren Javier on Flickr
Send to KindleSend to Kindle
We’re all growing older. When we’re young, we can’t wait to be older. But as we age, that changes. Suddenly we would do anything to stop aging. I’m in that second stage, and that is why I disagree wholeheartedly with Clovis in today’s quote. I think that’s the whole point of growing older 
…it’s no use growing older if you only learn new ways of misbehaving yourself. -Saki, The Chronicles of Clovis
Writing Prompt: How does your protagonist feel about growing old? Write a soliliquy in his voice decribing his attitude.
Journaling Prompt: How do you feel about aging?
Art Prompt: Aging
Nonfiction / Speech Writing Prompt: Write a humorous article or speech about your aging process.
Photo Credit: SpaceShoe [Learning to live with the crisis] on Flickr
Send to KindleWelcome to the Writing Reader
I believe that the most important thing about writing is to HAVE FUN! You can worry about things like commas, point of view, tenses, etc., later. Right now, just start writing!
If you respond to one of the prompts on your blog, be sure to come back here and put the link in the comment section for that prompt. Share your brilliance!
The Writing Reader Facebook Group
The Writing Reader on PinterestLink to the Writing Reader
