I like all the dare threads around the site, but I thought we deserved one of our own, so...here we are. :)
The following dare is inspired by the fact that I had to sign some paperwork this morning and the only pen I had was my faithful Fish Pen.
+A character finds a pen shaped like a fish and carved out of wood.
++ If the character uses the pen somewhere in the story.
++ If the character signs an important document with the pen!
Do you have any dares that might have a local flair? Bonus points if you include them when your story isn't based around here!!
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43,880 / 50,000
nov. 5, 2009 - 18 40
I'll take your dare - my MC needs to sign her closing papers for her new house!
And raise you one SpokaNaNo Littlest Wrimo - add our Official Youngest Writer, Myra - age nearly 4yrs old, to your story.
----------+ if you have her tell your MC a story
++ if you post it on our forums.
Dana
"This is a lot more fun when they're not shooting back!"
Spokane, WA - Municipal Liaison
37,030 / 50,000
nov. 5, 2009 - 20 39
I love it! I actually needed a little girl in my story...although she's not going to be feeling very well...it's Halloween and she goes a little overboard on the candy corn. I got the quote "I through up in my pumpkin" stuck in my head for days before November and have been dying to write it. Ha!
And thus, my little child dressed up as a faerie princess is now named Myra!
----------43,608 / 50,000
nov. 5, 2009 - 23 40
Just finished this bit of the story with the first part of the Dares, included.
The scent of salt air, and dead fish was much stronger at the dock yards, and the insistent cry of seagulls was a backdrop to the gruff sounds of the sailors loading, and unloading the cargo. The cheers and taunts of the fisherman as they compared that days catch. And as always the general sound of the crowds trying to find loved ones disembarking from a ship, looking for the ship they needed to be one. And even the heart rending keening of wives and mothers as the realization that they would never see their husbands and sons again drove their sorrow. A flash of light caught my eye near a crate that I was walking by. Looking down I saw what appeared to be a small, longish fish made of gold. Picking it up it felt heavy enough to be gold, and it fit the hand perfectly. Then I noticed the end of it just past the fish’s mouth was shaped like the end of a quill pen. Someone had made a quill pen of gold. Looking quickly around to see if anyone looked like they had lost something I put it in my pouch. The gang plank to my ship was just a few yards ahead so I harried on board and joined the others that were also going to Alexandria. Since it was such a short trip there were no rooms, we all just found a spot on deck and went along for the ride.
Just before we were about to head out the activity of the crew reached a fevered pitch as commands were called out and responses given back. Men chanted as ropes were let loose, and the wooden pulleys creaked under the strain of the load. The man in command of this ship, watched all of the activity with a sharp eye. Once he was sure everything was in order to his satisfaction, he started his rounds to collect the fair. It wasn’t long before there were some raised voices. One of them was from a guy in very worn cloths, pleading with the captain to let him take the trip, that he would be able to pay him back as soon as they landed. The captain exploded “Do you take me for a fool! You are nothing more than a thief and a beggar, and you have no place here on my ship.” Turning to two of his closest crew he said sharply “Hold him”. By now all of the rest of the passengers had turned to watch, and the crew tried to look busy someplace else. The crewmen held the unfortunate man between them. He tried to struggle but it was like a puppy trying to get out of the grasp of Hercules. The captain then said “To be sure that you have not stolen anything from any of the other passengers you will be stripped and all of your possessions, should we find any will be confiscated.” He reached out and ripped the tunic off him. The fabric was so old, worn, and dirty that it gave no resistance at all. All that was left on the frail body was the rope he had used as a belt, and hanging from that were several leather pouches. “Humm, what have we here?” The quietness with which he said it made that one small sentence far more sinister than it could ever have been. Reaching over he let one of the pouches loose. It was a fine green and looked like it could have belonged to a woman. In fact when he opened it several rings, and a necklace was found to be inside. He looked over the passengers to see if any of the women was wearing anything like what he had seen inside. “Let us see what is in these other pouches”. The next to be freed was a larger leather pouch and it had a large amount of coins. The last when the captain looked into it held just a few gems, and several small rings, about the size for a small child. Holding up the two larger pouches he said in a voice that could have been heard all the way across the Mediterranean “I will have these in my cabin, if any of you can identify the contents of these bags, it is yours. If none can lay claim, then the contents will be mine to sell, and share the money with the crew when we get to Alexandria.” Giving the first mate the bags he told him to lock them in his cabin. Then trying to put on his friendliest face, which only made him look even more scary he walked across the deck to where a young lady and a small child were seated. “Good day to you both. I hope that what you have just witnessed isn’t going to ruin your day, however, on my ship I am law, and that man was caught in a lie, and had taken things that didn’t belong to him” He was talking more to the little girl by this time, and she was trying to hide. “What is your name little one?” His only answer was of two coal black eyes staring at him from behind her mother’s cloak. “Her name is Myra, and mine is Joan. She is but four years old, and as you can see very, very shy. I have our fare for you if you would like to take now”.
“Actually Joan that will not be necessary, because that man has just paid your passage on my ship. And as she is the only one on board that I believe can wear these. The contents of this bag must be hers.” Joan looking very confused took the small pouch and looked inside. With a gasp, she looked again and slowly pulled out a small silver ring that had three small diamonds. “In truth I have no way of knowing who these were really stolen from. But I am sure that you and she would benefit from these far more than the money my crew would get for them. Please accept them”. Joan stammered out “Yes, yes of course you are absolutely right. But would you keep them safe in your cabin until we reach port”? “Certainly, I will do that for you, and I will make sure that you get it before you leave the ship at Alexandria”. With a nod of his head he was striding back towards his cabin. As he passed the thief still held in the vise grip of the crewman he said “Throw him overboard, then collect the rest of the passengers fares.”
32,867 / 50,000
nov. 6, 2009 - 00 05
+ Make two characters have an impassioned debate over the relative virtues or problems of studded tires.
----------++If it leads to a fistfight.
+++If this creates a major division in your characters' friends and family
43,880 / 50,000
nov. 6, 2009 - 08 27
Nice job! I like how you used both and were brave enough to post it! =)
----------Dana
"This is a lot more fun when they're not shooting back!"
Spokane, WA - Municipal Liaison
43,608 / 50,000
nov. 6, 2009 - 09 25
This is going to be a tuff one since, at least this part of the story, happens a VERY long time before cars were even invented, but who knows. Still have a long way to go yet.
37,030 / 50,000
nov. 6, 2009 - 09 40
++If it leads to a fistfight.
+++If this creates a major division in your characters' friends and family
hahaha I'm now imagining an argument about studded tires on the ambulance....so much fun. Thank you!
----------43,608 / 50,000
nov. 6, 2009 - 09 52
Picking up where I left off last night. I'll be getting back to the pen later, I have plans for that ;)
Things proceeded uneventfully and conversations started up between passengers. I was getting the feeling that I was being watched. At first I thought it was just my imagination, but the feeling just would not go away. As twilight started its march across the sky, and the crew started to light the lanterns around the deck I finally realized why I had the unshakable feeling. It was Myra, she had not taken her eyes off of me for hours now. So I decided to go over and make my acquaintance. “Good evening, ladies” I said as I offered both an apple. “Good evening, and thank you for the apple. Myra, it is good manners to say thank you when someone gives you something.” “Thank you, sir” the words were almost lost among all the background noises of the ship. But, it did help her be a little braver, as I sat down on a crate near them. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Josias”.
“Very glad to meet you. My name is Joan, and this is my daughter Myra.” Joan’s voice was as lilting, as a summer brook. We sat in silence for a few more bites of apple. When a very soft voice said “Josias, may I tell you a story of who you remind me of”? I thought Joan was going to fall off the crate she was seated on! It took a great deal of courage for her to do this, and I was not about to discourage her. “Of course you may. And if I may ask, who do I remind you of?” I was thinking she was going to say her father, or a brother. I was in no way prepared for the answer I got. Those deep brown eyes seemed to bore into me even further than they already had. Then she said so very softly “Your name means ‘God supports’ and you remind me of Odysseus. Because you are about to start on a great adventure, and discovery”. Joan and I were both taken aback by the depth of knowledge coming from this little girl. Without missing a beat she went on to tell the story. At some point we noticed that the rest of the passengers had stopped there conversations to listen to her. As she gained confidence she seemed to not even be aware of the surroundings and the words just flowed from her lips like honey from the hive. None of us could ever have guessed that this four year old new the story so well, and could tell it so well.
37,030 / 50,000
nov. 6, 2009 - 09 54
+Have a character who looks forward to Fall because they can wear their sandals and socks together
----------++ If that character is NOT a guy/ over 45/Etc
+++If that character wears the socks and sandals to their job
++++If that character has a professional job (lawyer, doctor, etc)
21,819 / 50,000
nov. 6, 2009 - 12 23
Roselyn: I'll try that.
My MC is the deputy chief of police :)
----------“A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.”---Denis Waitley
6,133 / 50,000
nov. 6, 2009 - 19 03
Oh, wow... I do this one in real life :| Female, 34, I wear them to work and I work in Accounting (well: accounts receivable specifically and mine's not a professional office, but still).
----------Nothing interferes with my concentration. You could put on an orgy in my office and I wouldn’t look up. Well, maybe once.
- Isaac Asimov
6,133 / 50,000
nov. 6, 2009 - 19 06
My dare: Use the phrase "It's as bad as a Spokane pothole" in your novel.
+If your characters are not in Spokane
----------++If your characters are in another time/dimension where Spokane does not exist, yet they've still heard about it.
Nothing interferes with my concentration. You could put on an orgy in my office and I wouldn’t look up. Well, maybe once.
- Isaac Asimov
42,894 / 50,000
nov. 7, 2009 - 00 12
I just thought of one.
Have a line that goes: "I see," said the blind man.
----------+if it is incorporated into a very serious conversation
++if the character speaking is not blind.
It's elementary, my dear Watson.
32,867 / 50,000
nov. 7, 2009 - 02 08
Here's a slightly different format. Use one of these Spokane-related vocabulary words a certain number of times.
Words:
marmot
lilac
pothole
ice storm
river
"near nature, near perfect"
clock tower
'74 expo
Fox Theater
Davenport Hotel
Bing Crosby
Bloomsday
Hoopfest
etc. (if you have a better one, use it!)
Times to use
+ 10x in one paragraph
++ 50 times on one page
+++ 100 times in one chapter/section
Be creative! This should definitely get some local flavor in your novel if that's what you're looking for, lol.
----------37,030 / 50,000
nov. 7, 2009 - 07 54
Words:
marmot
lilac
pothole
ice storm
river
"near nature, near perfect"
clock tower
'74 expo
Fox Theater
Davenport Hotel
Bing Crosby
Bloomsday
Hoopfest
etc. (if you have a better one, use it!)
Times to use
+ 10x in one paragraph
++ 50 times on one page
+++ 100 times in one chapter/section
Be creative! This should definitely get some local flavor in your novel if that's what you're looking for, lol.
Haha! That might be fun! The town I've created is actually very much based on Spokane, it's just called Madelia because, well, I didn't want to write about Spokane. :P So including a few of those things might be entertaining. For me anyway!
----------37,302 / 50,000
nov. 7, 2009 - 16 25
Oooh, there are so many interesting local dares! I dare you all to use the terms "black ice" and "frost heave" in a scene--inspired by a story my bff told me from when she was living in Tucson, Arizona. They didn't know what either of these things were. Can you imagine?!!
----------Nikko Blue
"I was born like this, I had no choice..."--Leonard Cohen :-)
37,302 / 50,000
nov. 7, 2009 - 16 27
AND, this is off topic but I really need help--does anybody know where you can buy cheap bubblegum--the hard pink squares in the blue and yellow wrappers? My Halloween supply has run out and I really need it to novel. I discovered.
Anybody want to face off like the old-time Hubba Bubba gumslingers? :-)
----------Nikko Blue
"I was born like this, I had no choice..."--Leonard Cohen :-)
17,050 / 50,000
nov. 7, 2009 - 22 32
Taube: I think that might be a little too easy for mine*cough* unfortunately, it takes place in spokane, so these things would be a bit important to talk about, though I have lots of valley so far*laughs* I'll have to incorporate a few more of these...and the black ice...
----------"It is wise to listen to everyone, and [yet] not to believe entirely [any of] those around us, except for the good that they are compelled to admit in their enemies and for the bad that they try to excuse in their friends; still wiser is it to test for on
37,030 / 50,000
nov. 8, 2009 - 11 20
We discussed this out loud but I thought it would be important to put in on the thread for those who weren't there:
-Include a mention of a gypsy curse in your novel!
-Include a red wagon (big OR small!)
-Have a serious collision caused by a pothole!
++ If this is a major plot point in your story
+++ If it involves MC/ Villian/ major characters
-Have two fire engines meet at an intersection at collide at full speed (yes, this has happened in Spokane)
++ If they were going to the same fire
+++ If one or more of your characters happen to witness the collision, comment on it, then go on their way
Okay, that's all I can think of for now. :)
----------43,608 / 50,000
nov. 8, 2009 - 12 41
This part of the story takes place just a few blocks from the great library of Alexandria.
Finally the door opened just far enough to let us pass through. The room that we walked into was just as dingy, dusty, and gloomy as the rest of the place. All of the window shutters were closed. Lances of light shone through the cracks and holes in the shutters, and where ever those rays of light fell and created a bright spot it seemed that was absorbed by a layer of dust at least as deep as my hand that covered everything. “Well Heka, my friend, and guide. The first thing is to get some light and air in this place.” We set about to opening all of the window shutters to let light and fresh air into the rooms. Something that I do not think had been done in decades. With the extra light shinning in it was even worse than I had first suspected. “This is as bad as a Spokane pothole.” I muttered under my breath. “What did you say?” Heka timidly asked. Boy, that Aapep had this boy cowed! “Oh, nothing. It was just a phrase I heard on the boat coming over here, and it seemed to fit the state of these rooms”. I replied.
Just a quick question. Are supposed to post the dares when we do use them?
43,608 / 50,000
nov. 8, 2009 - 13 44
Your mc is taken to a bar, and ends up singing Karaoke
** if it is sung well, and the person is not drunk.
*** if karaoke hasn't been invented yet.
51,297 / 50,000
nov. 9, 2009 - 11 07
Wow.. I can't even think about participating in this thread... my book... is young adult! LOL!
53,649 / 50,000
nov. 9, 2009 - 13 06
lol -- you're obviously writing the wrong genre; didn't you rack up huge amounts of words last year with racy love scenes?
----------_________________________
Samantha
Spokane, WA - Municipal Liaison (2003-2009)
Age Group: 50-Plus - Moderator
51,297 / 50,000
nov. 10, 2009 - 10 07
I dunno if they were racy... in retrospect I think they seemed racy at the time but when I go back and read what I wrote last year...
... well now I think that what I wrote last year was complete crap LOL!
40,020 / 50,000
nov. 10, 2009 - 12 08
-Have two fire engines meet at an intersection at collide at full speed (yes, this has happened in Spokane)
++ If they were going to the same fire
+++ If one or more of your characters happen to witness the collision, comment on it, then go on their way
OH MAN. I totally needed to have some sort of epic car crash clog up traffic. THIS would be beautiful *totally doing this*