Start with a physical prop (stone, pen, etc.) and drive out story ideas from there: A story where the object is an integral part ## The Stone > "The stone is a business-man's lucky fortune. Everytime he has to make a decision, he touches it to get the best results. One day the stone goes missing..." ### Exercise 1 Write three more stories where the stone is an integral part: - "*The stone is...* what one pre-schooler tells the other one is 'the source of all evil in the world' to scare the other kid. The scared kid starts on a downward spiral for weeks feeling sick and hopeless because the stone is in his desk."[^1] - "*The stone is...* what the young man picked up as he left his parents house to venture out into the world. It reminds him of everything that's good and stable and safe. One day, the stone falls off the shelf and breaks apart. He gets a call..."[^2] - "*The stone is...* not just a stone. It's a meteorite from the other end of the Universe. It contains a non-terrestrial element that gives its owner super-powers. One day, a kid picks it up." ### Exercise 2 Find your own "idea stone" (could be anything simple) and produce a list of potential story ideas that can be derived from that object #### Possible ideas - Postcard - Knife - Flowerpot - Sticky note - Notebook - Gel pen - Lightbulb - Flower - Pill - Website - Game - Street - House - Bag #### The Bag - "*The bag is...* a magic bag that brings forth anything you can wish for. All you have to do is make a wish, grab inside and pull it out. One day, the bag appears in a small town and people start getting their wishes."[^3] - "*The bag is...* an accessory to a brutal murder. The bag is used to transport the body parts of the victim away from the crime-scene."[^4] - "*The bag is...* a metaphor to where we put all the things we don't want to think about. It's the 'shadow' for all the pain and suffering and worries and negative thoughts that scare us. It's where we put our childhood traumas and our weaknesses. A discussion or what's in my bag and how to make it lighter."[^5] - "*The bag is...* a the missing piece for a struggling young designer who wants to be successful but goes about it in all the wrong ways. He is desperate because no one wants to buy his things until he designs this one bag that becomes an 'overnight success' and we follow him from there on." - "*The bag is...* a portal to another world." - "*The bag is...* what he packs after a long and hard fight with his girlfriend. It's the few things that he has to take away to bring himself to safety. It's his most important belongings after a major defeat in his life."[^6] [^1]: This is a real story that happened to me when I was in 3rd grade [^2]: I feel like I've picked up that rock in my thirties a few times signallig my way of moving away from home [^3]: This reminds me of my favorite story [[Faldum by Herman Hesse]] [^4]: Write about the murder of Kashoggi [^5]: [[Super-Heroes, Super-Villains and an Ancient Code in Obsidian]] [^6]: Topic: [[Domestic violence against men]]