Halloween Writing Prompt



Halloween Writing Prompt [handouts/Comp/HalloweenStoryPrompt.doc]

A Night on Brickmore Hill

John Petty was a college student at Brickmore College, in upstate New York. The college had mostly rich students, but John was admitted on a scholarship, and his parents had very little money. He desperately needed a new computer, but he didn’t have any money, so he looked at the Help Wanted ads in the local Brickmore Gazette. One ad was intriguing:

I need a house sitter for one night. I have a large empty house on top of Brickmore Hill, which I have been trying, unsuccessfully, to sell since 1995. It used to be a fraternity house for members of the Brickmore College baseball team, but on October 31, 1995, the boys at the frat had a Halloween Party that ended tragically. I prefer not to say anything about that party because the details are extremely gruesome. The sad fact of the matter is that, for 13 years, I have been unable to sell the house, and I am trying to keep it from falling into disrepair. On past Halloweens, the local kids have broken windows, and worse, so I need someone to stay there the whole night to make sure no harm comes to my building. I will pay $3000 for anybody willing to do this, but I must be completely honest and disclose the fact that previous house sitters have run out of the house in the middle of the night because they were convinced the house was haunted by ghosts. Some of them were so scared that they went completely crazy and had to be committed to a mental institution. If you have the courage to accept this job, please call me. –Dick Shore, 917-555-1221

Finish this story. Put it in the past tense—last year, last Halloween. Make it scary, and remember, a story is only interesting if you provide the reader with lots of details.

• What should we know about John Petty? What kind of guy is he? What does he look like? What are his hobbies, interests or passions?

• Does he have friends? A girlfriend? Boyfriend?

• What else does he need money for, other than a computer? Does he have any problems?

• What is inside Dick Shore’s big house? Is there a basement? What’s in it? Is there an attic? A living room? A fireplace? Bedrooms? A kitchen? A big closet? Bathrooms? A secret room?

• What is there outside the house? Is there a yard? A doghouse? Are there trees? Animals? A garden? A tool shed? Graves?

• What kind of school is Brickmore College? What kinds of students go there now or went there in 1995? Rich and privileged? Middle class? Poor and from working class families?

• What activities go on at Brickmore College today? What kinds of activities went on there in 1995? What kinds of teachers are there/were there? What kinds of courses? Clubs? Parties?

-----------------------

[pic]

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download