Muse Inspired

Author: Muse Inspired

  • Character Development – How do they handle a stranger approaching them at a bar?

    Character Development – How do they handle a stranger approaching them at a bar?

    How does your character handle being approached by a stranger at a bar?

  • What’s the story? – A gold coin at the end of a rainbow.

    What’s the story? – A gold coin at the end of a rainbow.

    There is a gold coin at the end of a rainbow. What’s the story?

  • Character Development – What are five songs that would be on their playlist?

    Character Development – What are five songs that would be on their playlist?

    What are five songs that would be on your character’s music playlist?

  • What’s the Story – A fan that wins a contest to meet their favorite idol.

    What’s the Story – A fan that wins a contest to meet their favorite idol.

    A fan wins a contest to meet their favorite idol. What happens?

  • Character Development – Whose number is at the top of their emergency contact list?

    Character Development – Whose number is at the top of their emergency contact list?

    If your character was taken to the hospital, whose number would be at the top of their emergency contact list?

    You never know when you might have an accident – and that is no different for our characters. Who would be the top of the list for your character? Would it be a parent? Their spouse? Children? Perhaps it’s someone unexpected. They may not even have someone that can be contacted at all. Who they have on their list can give great insight to their relationships with the people in their lives.
  • What’s The Story? – The Djinn of Apartment #12.

    What’s The Story? – The Djinn of Apartment #12.

    There is a djinn in apartment number twelve. Nothing is normal when a genie is next door.

    Djinn If you’re not sure what a “djinn” is, that is one of the alternate names for a Genie. When you hear the word genie, most people will probably think about Disney’s Aladdin. Which is pretty cool – you can’t go wrong with Robin Williams! The classic djinn tropes often include magic lamps and the granting of wishes, along with the warning that you should never trust a genie. They are prominent in Arabic and Islamic mythology and according to the wikipedia page on Jinn they are one of the three “sapient beings of God” along with humans and angels. I thought that was a very neat and very muse enticing tidbit.
  • Character Development – Describe their eyes in detail.

    Character Development – Describe their eyes in detail.

    Eyes

    Eyes – Everyone has them, describe them in detail for your character.

    The eyes are the window to the soul. We hear this all the time. For this exercise, describe them in as much detail as possible. Here are some things to consider!

    The Shape

    Almond, round, squinty, upturned, hooded, monolid, downturned, etc. Fonfabulous has a GREAT shape guide.

    The Spacing

    Wide set, close set, deep set, tilted, parallel, and so on. They may be really close together, or far apart. Consider that everyone has a perfectly symmetrical face, perhaps this is a unique character trait.

    The Color

    Blue, green, hazel, brown, gold with flecks, or even unrealistic shades. Playing with color and descriptive details is a fun way to add a little flair. Are their hazel orbs more green with a little ring of brown, or do they have ocean blue pools?

    The Mood

    What sort of emotion would some see if they stared in to those eyes? With just the right words, you can convey all kinds of things. The sadness hidden beneath a sunny gaze, or the cold dead emotionless stare of a serial killer.

    The Makeup

    There’s a whole world of possibilities here. Makeup is a wide and varied art form in many cultures. This Tumblr search can give you loads of inspiration.

    Other Details

    Tattoos? Shape and thickness of the brows? Long lashes, normal, or heaven forbid – none at all! Maybe they are missing one or both. Perhaps they are made of glass. Laser beams could shoot out every time they take off their sunglasses.
    For added fun you can see what shape might mean for personality with this cool link. Obsidian Bookshelf also has a really great guide for describing them in your writing. Now Novel contains excellent advice on the subject, while Words to Use provides you with a big list of descriptive words!
  • Describe the Setting – A den of taxidermy animals.

    Describe the Setting – A den of taxidermy animals.

    You have walked in to a den of taxidermy animals. What do you see?

    Taxidermy Animals A den of taxidermy animals. It invokes an instant image in your brain. Describe this setting with as much detail as you can muster. This could be a hunter’s lodge deep in a fantasy world’s forest, or the very strange garage of someone’s modern day house. Could you imagine the kind of creatures one might find in a space station’s taxidermy shop? If you’re not familiar with the basics of taxidermy, the wikipedia has just what you need.
  • What’s the Story – A blog post someone didn’t want posted in school.

    What’s the Story – A blog post someone didn’t want posted in school.

    School blog post?! Someone’s nightmare has happened and a post they didn’t want seen has been posted up at school.

    What’s the story? These days EVERYONE has access to the internet. High school students, middle school tweens, and even elementary school kids are sporting laptops, tablets, and personal cell phones. Between Facebook, Twitter, and random sites all over the net, there is a TON of ways for school kids to interact. Can you imagine the chaos and drama that would follow if your private online blog suddenly got posted up for the entire school to see? Imagine your crush getting the truth about your feelings, or that one person that ticks you off getting to see mile long rants about how much they suck. Your life, inner thoughts, and deepest secrets. There’s a whole world of fun school-involved drama you can write up for an unsuspecting set of characters. Need a little help for getting in to the mind of the modern school students and faculty? You can search a ton of hosted blogs at WordPress.com. If teenagers are not your cup of tea, consider writing from the perspective of a parent or a teacher at the school. Some parents are heavily involved in school activities, what would they do to find out their personal business is now posted all over the school? How would a teacher react to finding out they are being talked about in student blogs? The janitor might have a double life that no one knew about or even suspected was possible. It could even be an official school blog post – just not one anyone was meaning to post! Consider that things involved in the blog post might not be bad things. A list of the top hottest teachers in school, or the town’s sexiest single dads? Perhaps it’s the best dressed students of all time and someone is really embarrassed to be publicly noticed.
  • Character Development – What is their current job?

    Character Development – What is their current job?

    Employment is an important part of a person’s life. What is this character’s current job?

    Current Job People spend the vast majority of their life working. At least most people do! This has been true since the dawn of time where the primary jobs were hunting and gathering. The jobs has a person has done gives them experience and encounters – this adds up over a lifetime. Even if your character is just a teenager, maybe they are after their first job or just starting one. Adult characters can be struggling to find new employment, loving or hating their current job. Maybe they are out seeking inspiration for a new career! Need a little help in thinking of a good job history? This List of Careers is a great resource.