Write-a-Scene Writing Prompt: Who Are You?

Aren’t you glad Halloween is over?

I know I sound like a curmudgeon, but seriously, you try finding Halloween costumes that will make three children happy. To be fair, Wonder Girl and Ninja Girl made fairly quick decisions and we had fun coming up with costumes for a Nice Vampiress with No Ugly Fangs and a Ghostly Prom Queen. Easy, peasy mac-n-easy.

Spy Girl, on the other hand, exhibited all the charms of a pre-teen. “Halloween is all about being who you’re not,” she said, rolling her eyes at me, as I showed her how she could dress like a Hippy Girl or a Rock-n-Roll Star. “I mean, I can REALLY be DIFFERENT, Mom. Don’t you get it?”

And you know what? Spy Girl is right. It’s fun to dress up and act in a persona totally different from how we see ourselves, and for that matter, how others see us. When we’re all dressed up, there’s a sense of power, a way we can build ourselves to command attention. We can be choose to be invisible and observe. Or, we can be out there in our full glory, untouched by furtive glances, the wonder of Who Are You?

We can be brave, courageous, and strong. Smart, talented, and accomplished. Or scary, menacing and evil. We can be anything, under the security of a disguise, and if we dare, we can be so much more without one.

Who do you choose to be?

Write-a-Scene Writing Prompt: Write a scene where your Protagonist shows a different side of herself OR where others see him in a different light. Maybe all you need is to put your MC in an uncomfortable situation or maybe she needs one person she can reveal her true nature. Does your MC needs some sort of disguise? Dress him up for the high school prom, change him into/out of his superhero persona, or let him accomplish something out of the ordinary.

How does she see, feel about herself? How do others see and react to him? Does this change anything in her life? Does she choose to be seen because she likes the power? Or does he want to hide and just observe?

Your scene can be emotional, sad, funny, angry. Anything goes. Good luck!