Impromptu prompting

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I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t generally do well with writing prompts.

I googled a few, to see if I’d find one that I would be inspired to write about.

Here’s one I found – “if I were a superhero I would be…”. Probably Superman or Spiderman. I mean Superman can do just about anything. Fly, deflect bullets, x-ray vision. I think I’d get myself into a lot of trouble if I had x-ray vision.

Spiderman? When I was young(er) I’d daydream at church that I was Spiderman, I’d shoot my web at the big chandelier or candelabra thing and swing from one side of the balcony to the other.

The power of invisibility, that would be a cool super power to have. If I was Invisible Guy… well for one thing I wouldn’t need a superhero costume. Think about it. But if I had the power of invisibility, I think I’d get myself into even more trouble than if I had x-ray vision.

And that’s about all I have to say about that writing prompt.

Here’s another one.

“One day at school, your teacher comes into the classroom, places a box on the floor, and leaves the room. Suddenly, the box begins to move. Write a story about what happens next.”

“One day at school”? Are we talking about high school here? Elementary school? University classes?

Let’s say elementary school… the girls start shrieking in fear. “What is it?” one of them says. The girls cower in a corner, frightened, but curious. One brave little boy, with delusions that he’s Superman, approaches he box and pulls back the lid to reveal…

Wait a second, how would this scene play out if the setting were in high school instead?

The box started to move… the kids pulled out their smart phones and started snapping pictures and video. They uploaded their videos to YouTube, tweeted about it and posted it on their Facebook status…

Okay, that’s just not going anywhere. Let’s try a university class…

The professor walked into the lecture room, disheveled, wearing a trench coat and sunglasses, continually looking over his shoulder. He carried a large box, and seemed oblivious to the eighty students in the hall, expectantly waiting for their class to start. With great effort, he heaved the heavy box onto the long lecture room table and it landed with a sickening thud. Suddenly the professor looked up and noticed the students in the room, peering at him. “Oh dear,” he muttered, and suddenly scurried out of the room. The box began to move. Then the lid popped open and a human arm popped out…

Just so I don’t leave you, dear reader, in mortal suspense, I’ll let you know that what was in the box… in the elementary school scenario… was a cat.

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