Writing Prompts 33: Side Characters

[mbarker]

Just in case anyone is looking for a place to post.

Writing Prompt: Bring a side character from the future, bring them back to the past and write a story about them.

[Dangerbutton]

Um... I don't follow... do you mean to make up a side character in the future and write about an experience they will have in the past? I'm confused....

[mbarker]

If you listen to the podcast (Episode 33 on http://www.writingexcuses.com/ ) it was somewhat confused. I think Dan (aka Fellfrosch) started to suggest taking a side character from a novel you have written, and got tied up in the likelihood that we don't have a novel already written to borrow from. Into this tongue-tied state, Brandon (aka EUOL) swung a giant sword and clove the gordian knot in the interests of time, suggesting that we take a side character from the novel that we will write (in the future) and here in the present (which is the past for that future side character) write a story about them.

Bottom line: swipe a side character from somewhere and write a story about them. Promote them from the sidekick that doesn't have a viewpoint to protagonist. Take Lana Lang and tell the Smallville story the way she saw it. Or Jimmy Olsen? Or . . . pick a side character.

[Dangerbutton]

Okay, now I gotcha.... That makes more sense. . . sorta. Okay, it's still really confusing, but I understand what you mean, now. Cool beans, I'll get going on that one...