December Writing Challenge: Prompt #1

I’ve set you the challenge to write every day throughout the month of December (with two flexible days off if you need them), so I thought I’d help you along by throwing out the occasional prompt or exercise. I realize not everyone is in the middle of a major writing project, or even if you are, sometimes you need to take a break to work through some difficult scene or plot point. So these little prompts will be here to give you a change of pace.

My goal is to offer up prompts and exercises that you can work on as a stand-alone scene to hone some aspect of your writing skills, that might prompt an idea for a short story, or that could even be worked into an existing WIP. Use them however you like. But if you do happen to write a one-off scene or something similar that you plan to share online, please feel free to link back here in comments. I’d love to see what people come up with. Happy writing!

Prompt 1: Write a scene in which two characters are arguing, but stay in only one of their points of view, using either first or third person. Include the POV character’s thoughts during the argument. Then rewrite the exact same scene from the other character’s POV. See what aspects of the scene remain the same (dialogue, for instance) and what changes. Focus on how each character’s perception of the argument alters the thrust of the scene as a whole. What message does each version send the reader?