I got an email from Creative Writing Now and it had four writing ideas about obsessions. I thought it was really good and wanted to share. And of course one really got my mind rolling and I’ve chosen it (#2) to be a short story for me to write.
Which one would you tackle?
1) Your character passes a stranger on the street and has a powerful sensation that goes beyond mere physical attraction. It is a sense that this is the person s/he is destined to spend his/her life with. But before your character has the chance to react, the stranger gets onto a bus and is gone. How will your character ever find him/her again? And what about your character’s current relationship?
2) Your character is a passionate collector (you can decide what s/he collects — art, stamps, antiques, coins, etc.). One day, s/he hears a rumor that someone else in his/her town has an item that your character has been wanting for years to complete his/her collection. Your character has to have it! S/he goes to visit the person who has it and asks for a price. It’s not for sale, your character is told. But your character is not prepared to take no for an answer. If s/he can’t buy it, then s/he’ll have to steal it…
3) Your character’s best friend has a new boyfriend or girlfriend. This person, on the surface, seems wonderful, and your character’s best friend is ecstatic about the new relationship. But your character can’t shake a sense that there’s something false about this person, as if s/he’s playing a role. Your character doesn’t believe a word out of this person’s mouth. And your character is determined to find out the truth… before his/her best friend gets hurt…
4) Your character loves the apartment s/he’s renting. It’s the first place in his/her life where s/he’s ever felt happy and at home. But the building is about to go for sale, and all the tenants will be forced to leave. Unable to face the prospect of moving out, your character makes up his/her mind to buy the building. S/he has no idea how s/he’s going to come up with that kind of money, but there has to be a way…
Nyrobi Writes 