Protagonist Description:
Let's name a few: Odysseus, Jesus, Hamlet, Holden Caulfield, Harry Potter. You just have to say their names and you know all about them. In 500 words or less, tell us about your protagonist for your new novel. A physical description, an emotional description, and a little bit of history will help you understand who you're going to be following around for the next two months.
Story Starter:
Box Monster
The monster attached itself to the top of the house and ...
Idea Prompt:
Neighbors
What do you borrow from your neighbors? What is your neighbor into that is kinda weird? If the press showed up to interview you, what would they ask?
3 comments:
Neighbours
The first Month:
I am so happy to have moved here. It is a lovely street with really pretty houses, all the same, box-like for sure but we all have our own little touches which makes each house seem special and yet keeps the whole street looking like a real community.
As I say, I love it.
I have only been here a short time now but already I have really good friends and I am very lucky having Madge as my neighbour.
She is so nice even though she is very shy. I just know that we will be friends for ever.
She is so sweet. She is always putting herself down; saying stuff like "Oh I wish I could be like you? You're so clever and you have such good taste!"
Fancy that! It is lovely hearing someone seeing the good things in me. I am not used to that.
The Second Month:
Madge is a funny girl! She really is! I tell you, the other day she came round and she could not stop talking about my new curtains. She absolutely loved them and wouldn't let go until I told her all about them. Where I bought them, how much they cost and I hung them up.
Honestly she made me laugh! She makes me feel like a genius, she really does.
She is the same about my cooking. I baked some muffins the other day and gave her a few.
Well you would not believe the fuss she made about them. It was the same thing. She wanted to know the recipe and even where I bought the ingredients.
She quite made me blush with all her compliments.
I am so lucky to be in this steeet - I can't believe my luck really.
Until I came here, I really didn't have many friends. None like this any way.
The Sixth Month:
Madge came round again today. That is the third time already this morning.
It is beginning to be a bit of a problem because she visits every day and never just once.
She is very sweet but she just seems to hang on my every word and I sometimes feel mean wanting her to go because I need to be getting on with my housework or doing the garden.
She adores my garden though, the love! She's always asking how I make the soil so rich and crumbly - she's never heard about compost - and then she wants to know the names of all the plants.
You know she even brings a note book round with her and writes everything down!
She is quite a case I tell you!
Well, she means no harm and she is a lovely person so I shouldn't be nasty about her.
It would be nice though if she didn't come round every day.
The Ninth Month:
Well Madge has invited me round to her house tomorrow.
Fancy, I have been here nine months now and never been into her house!
Poor love, I think she is a bit self-conscious about her place. She thinks it can't live up to mine I think!
Well she seems to love my house so much. It is almost as if she would rather be here than in her own home.
I have to say I am very interested to see how she has arranged everything.
The Next Day:
I don't know how to tell you this.
I went round to Madge's house today and, well, I was amazed!
Everything there, down to the teaspoons and even the soap tray, let alone the curtains and soft furnishings, is exactly the same as mine.
I didn't know what to think or say....it was very strange.
It was difficult to be annoyed even though I wanted to say something. I couldn't though because she was obvously so excited about it.
She told me that she was so proud to have met me and that I had shown her how to make a house a home.
She had made lunch for just the two of us and, yes, you've guessed, it was delicious but they were all my recipes.
I tried to be nice about it but after a glass of wine, I think I was a bit too open with her.
I shouldn't have told her what I thought but she had to know that this just isn't right.
She was very upset. Honestly, I have never seen anyone react so badly to a little worldly advice.
Oh well, it had to be said.
Maybe she won't come round so much now - that would be a relief!
A Week Later:
Help me! Please someone come and help me!
I am in her cellar...oh the pain of these cords!
She has tied me to an old brass bed and the pain from my wrists and ankles is so bad.
I tried to shout but she says she will kill me if I do it again.
What can I do? How can I get out of this?
She says she will not hurt me as long as I co-operate.
It is very frightening because she is no longer sweet shy little Madge.
No, she is very strong, with a deep scary voice and a look of hatred in her eyes.
She says she will keep me here until I have told her everything I know.
She is wearing my favourite summer dress today and I am sure she has put on my lipstick.
I am so frightened.
Wolfgang Glinka
Box Monster
The monster attached itself to the top of the house and Kyle ran outside, stomped his foot, and put his hands on his hips.
"Reggie! You can't climb on top of the house, you'll break it! Now get off!"
The enormous rusty bug-like contraption with its boxy head and gangling limbs groaned and creaked and made a hissing noise as it pulled itself down from the roof. It's yellow eye and crooked antenna glowed brightly as steam rumbled out of the creature's mouth. Reggie pulled itself up close to Kyle and screeched out a horrifying sound.
"I'll take that to mean you're sorry," Kyle told the naughty pile of bolts. "Now bend down here and let me upload your bug fixes."
Kyle ran back into the house, grabbed his laptop, and a USB cord and came back outside. Reggie lowered his face frighteningly near to Kyle's and a tiny door opened next to Reggie's ear. Kyle plugged his laptop into the box monster and transferred the new data into Reggie's head. The laptop screen displayed a sign reading "Tandy Corporation Cyberbot Software Upload Complete. Thank You and Have Fun!"
Owning Reggie turned out to be more of a full time job than fun. When Tandy Corporation built the original cyberbot in 1963, it came pre-packaged with batteries and mechanical motions. Now after decades of improvements by the robotics division, kids all over the world owned enormous playmates with nearly human behaviours. The corporation provided weekly updates on the operating software with plenty of randomization to keep each robot unique.
Kyle's robot seemed to be the recipient of a lot of random numbers from the precociousness matrix. Reggie liked to try silly things, he would sometimes break the rules to see what would happen, he refused to use the human voice synthesizers and only squeaked and squawked at his owner. Kyle's mother repeatedly threatened to return "that thing," but Kyle insisted his best friend just needed a little more fine tuning. Kyle spent so much time trying to teach his robot proper behaviour, he didn't have time to get into any trouble himself.
After each software upload, Kyle hoped Reggie would be a little less trouble, but even as Kyle unplugged the cable today, he knew the weekly update wouldn't cure his metallic friend of his bad behaviour.
"How do you feel?" Kyle asked, staring into Reggie's one yellow eyeball. Reggie refused to light his second eyeball no matter how many switches Kyle forced inside his preference settings.
Reggie's car-sized head spun around about six times knocking Kyle to the ground and nearly crushing him before playing a recording from a movie Kyle had never seen.
"You know what she did? Your cunting daughter?"
Kyle stared up at Reggie with a frustrated look on his face.
"Reggie you knocked me down! And what did you say?"
"Lick me! Lick me!" Reggie bellowed and raised up and began dancing down the street.
"I'm gonna turn him off," Kyle said to himself and raced after Reggie fully intending to pull the plug on his best friend.
Thank You Neighbor
[Bb] Tinfoil in your windows freaks everyone [Eb] out. But not [Bb] me.
[Bb] Chevy up on blocks in your yard makes people [Eb] mad. But not [Bb] me.
[F7] I hope you never move [Eb] out.
[F7] You're suspicious there's no [Eb] doubt.
[NC] You make me look [Bb] good.
[Bb] You play metal on your stereo way too [Eb] loud. That's fine by [Bb] me.
[Bb] You sleep all day and you're up every [Eb] night. That's fine by [Bb] me.
[F7] When the cops come they'll give me a [Eb] pardon.
[F7] 'cause they will never look into my [Eb] garden.
[NC] You're the neighborhood [Bb] scar.
[Bb] Shingles blow off your roof and into the [Eb] street. You go [Bb] girl.
[Bb] The trash on the side of your house really [Eb] smells. You go [Bb] girl.
[F7] I hope you never move [Eb] out.
[F7] You're suspicious there's no [Eb] doubt.
[NC] You're the bad girl in the [Bb] hood.
[Bb] Your garage is packed to the rafters with [Eb] junk. I don't [Bb] care.
[Bb] Peeling paint and rotten planks look [Eb] bad. I don't [Bb] care.
[F7] When the cops come they'll give me a [Eb] pardon.
[F7] 'cause they will never look into my [Eb] garden.
[NC] That's where the bodies [Bb] are.
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