It Was a Dark and Stormy Night…
Posted by Silver James in On Being a Writer, tags: contest, fun, Monday, pics, procrastination, writing*ducks* Okay. I just couldn’t resist. However, I do think STORM WATCH might be a good name for our little exercise. For anyone new stumbling in, I’m off for a week. In my absence, folks are going to BS (brainstorm) a story, using some models posted earlier (links below). When I get back, I will incorporate all the ideas into a story and post it here on Halloween. One person who comments (winner picked by random number generator) receives an ARC on CD of my novel FAERIE FATE, a full FIVE months and TWENTY-ONE days before anyone else gets their hands on it. 
As promised, here are the links for our models. First the Urban princesses: Group One and Group Two.
And the men: First, yummier batch and second, okay batch.
Start doing the world-building, boys and girls. Pick the hero and the heroine. Name them if you feel so inclined. Why are they together? Or apart? Who are their friends? Their enemies? Give me a time reference. Past? Present? Future? Alternative? Throw out your ideas, the kitchen sink, the baby, and the bathwater! Have fun! Drink margaritas! Eat cookies! Dance naked in the streets! This will be the only post this week. Come by often as inspiration hits and add to the comments. Every comment is eligible to win. If you feel like adding a paragraph to the story, go for it! I’ll happily incorporate it. To get you started, how ’bout this for the first few lines? And a picture for inspiration. See ya’ll in a week! Hi ho, hi ho, off to jury duty I go!
The storm raged like a shrew who’d just discovered her husband making a pass at the willing wench down the way. Jagged fingers of lightning ripped the clouds. Thunder rattled the window right before jagged fingers of the flesh and blood variety splayed across the glass.
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I hope they throw your ass off jury duty for this torture.
Of those Disney girls, I love the one they did of Belle the best. For some reason she just struck a note with me. And likewise the guys all look like rejects from Play Girl (you know, where they may look great but you just know that most of them are gay?) They do nothing for me. I still hold every hero up to John Wayne/Cary Grant. They have to live up to them for me to really put them up there on a pedestal.
ev – I LOVE Cary Grant. Off to find my copy of The Philadelphia Story – my favorite.
Operation Petticoat. Definately my fave
“It was a dark and stormy night and as usual the dogs had to go out.” (Story of my life actually)
When we had a dog, he wouldn’t go out in the rain or the snow – he looked so ridiculous ‘tip-toeing’ in the grass … such a wussy boy he was
Soon as I think of a another plot idea Silver, I’ll post it here ! Toodles for now !
I agree with Belle as the best female from the Disney girls. Maybe we could use John from Pocahontas as our male lead. I like the idea of the story being set in the future, especially since both characters are really from the past. Maybe a time-travel story.
Personally I’m partial to the Pocahontas and Mulan images but let’s go with Belle ! If she’s gonna be set up with John though, we have to account for Beast. Maybe she didn’t confess her love in time and he was cursed to remain in beast form. Obviously they can never truly ‘be together’ so he swears to protect her the rest of her life. Now we’ve got a little tension between the two men
I like that Beast will always be there to protect Belle and he is stuck in Beast form. I never really liked him as much once he was in her human form.
I’m not normally one to point out simple typing mistakes, as we all make them sometimes and they’re not the end of civilization as some would have us believe. But in this case, my, does one genderflipped possessive change a sentence’s meaning entirely…!
LOL! Thanks Justin. I really did mean his human form. Need to re-read my comments before I hit post, I guess.
I like Belle too and the idea of Beast always being there to protect her…having the story set in the future would be great as well…how about in NO? I think that could work well, especially with some hint of the black arts involved…maybe Beast takes a potion to become human, or he just becomes human at certain times, and Belle doesn’t recognize him….hmmm…need to think about this some more…not quite cinderella-esque (made that one up), but something similar…
Peace and love,
Paula R.
“The storm raged like a shrew who’d just discovered her husband making a pass at the willing wench down the way. Jagged fingers of lightning ripped the clouds. Thunder rattled the window right before jagged fingers of the flesh and blood variety splayed across the glass.
Maybe the next couple of lines could go something like this…
*************
Water slid down the window pane, erasing years of dirt and grime, as she looked out, trying to find him. The ONE who makes her heart quiver in fear, but makes her body feel so alive. Sensitive to the touch of all things, even the rags she wears tramping the streets in the dark of night. Searching for that ever elusive flame that gives her strength to fight another day. The time is nigh, when she must go deep underground, to escape the light and maintain her freedom. The jailers, monstrous beings that they are, show no mercy when you come topside. Thankfully, the storm keeps the light at bay, enabling her to spend time looking for the one thing that can lead to him.
*************
I know it needs some work, but that is what came to me.
Peace and love,
Paula R.
I love the idea of it being set in NO. Such a magically city full of history and mystery. I would say that when Beast is in his human form, the main thing that Belle is drawn to would be his eyes. She doesn’t know why the speak to her and make her feel like she knows him, but she just knows there is something about those eyes that make her feel safe. Maybe we could just have the Beast look like John in human form and do a futurist story of Beauty and the Beast.
Liza, I really like that…the eyes draw here, but she can’t fathom why, when he looks at her, she is drawn to him so strongly….hmmmmm…nice idea.
Peace and love,
Paula R.
Thanks Paula. I just know in the Disney movie his eyes were the only way she knew he was really the Beast. Even with it being Disney, I think it is so romantic. Plus, eyes always draw me in.
Maybe it is that eyes are windows to the soul thing people keep talking about…lol
Peace and love,
Paula R.