December Writing Challenge: Post #3

It’s December 17th and we’re just past the halfway mark for the month, and so also with the Writing Challenge. How are you all doing? Is holiday shopping trying to distract you? Have you found yourself mindlessly humming along to carols instead of getting your writing time in? Don’t despair. I’m here with another prompt that will, I hope, inspire you to get back to work.

It’s hard the miss the recent popularity of mashup novels. Books like PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, for instance. These books take a common practice to the next level, which is to combine two existing stories, themes, or ideas — preferably popular ones — in order to create something a little bit different.

So, for prompt #3, try coming up with a mashup of your own. It need not be something you intend to write all the way through — though it’s great if you do. Just brainstorm a bunch of twists on some of your favorite stories. A steampunk version of PERSUASION? LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIES OF… PLUTO? (Yes, I realize they’d be fields of ice or something similar, but you see where I’m going.) Either add a major change to a favorite book, or take two very different ideas and see how they might work together. Then write a page or two to see where it goes. Have fun!