Prompt No. 48
But first:
As I write this I am listening to some classic punk by female artists. At the moment, it’s “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill. I never listened to punk when I was in high school when everyone else was, so I’m making up for lost time. It’s a fun song. I’ll keep listening to this playlist.
Also: With regards to my writing, between this 2025 Commitment and the “Kick in the Pants workshop” that Mur Lafferty runs for her Patreon subscribers, I’ve written fifty short stories this year. And I believe I’m on track to write six more. Six more and I’ll have written an original story each week for the year! I’m pretty chuffed about that.
Last week’s story:
In the meantime, with regards to my stories, I am All. Caught. Up. In other words, I finished last week’s story this afternoon, so I don’t have to try writing two stories this week. Last week’s story is called “P-Space” and is a contemporary fantasy-romance. I think I handled the romance aspect well, and I also stuck to the terms of the prompt. I’m pretty proud of it. I think I’ll keep it.
All caught up. Wow.
This week’s prompt:
This week I rolled a 1 on the d8, and a 5 on the d6; thus, I drew the cards from the main deck, and it’s going to be a mystery. So here’s the prompt:
A seductive collector wants to end an obligation to a hotel, but they will have to learn to trust again.
A “seductive collector”. Hm. A sexy Indiana Jones? A sexier Lara Croft? Let’s face it, there’s something sexy about adventuring collectors (and that’s definitely what I’m going for here), and the women who fill that role are almost always conventionally attractive. But I have an idea for the character that will be at least a little bit of a twist on the trope.
I’m not sure how to work the hotel into the equation, but I trust my brain will come up with a way. I know I’ll come up with something. I always do. And this is supposed to be a mystery. That’s the point that will be a challenge. The Mystery roll has come up a few times in the course of this project, but I am not sure I’ve ever nailed it properly. I’ll make plenty of notes this time before I start, and that should help out.
This week’s recommendation:
I’m actually surprised at myself for not having recommended this novel to you, my loyal readers, at any point this year. But Shift Happens is by my friend T. M. Baumgartner, and features her trademark spiffy magic system, her typical deep characterizations, and her amazing action scenes. This novel features a middle-aged woman as protagonist, and Baumgartner handles this character deftly. Honestly, I don’t know why Theresa is not a more popular author.
That’s all for this week!
As always: Stay safe. Stay kind. Stay punk. Keep reading, keep writing, keep on trucking.