How to tickle a plot bunny...

[owned_by_a_cat]

Chained to my desk this afternoon trying to get stuff finished before a week in York.  Wondering why crises never make appointments. Like disasters, apocalypses and.. other reasonable things.

Having dinner beside the keyboard (and a glass of wine) reading email.  My eye is caught by one of the daily Groupon ads:
Appple MacBook Pro, Lash Serum, Hells Kitchen Baking Set, Japanese Maple Plants

And because I've not got enough to do yet (and absolutely nothing to write) my Pinot Noir soaked fiction brain now clamours to connect these random items with an orderly plot spiced with some drama.  When did my head get changed to one of those plot generator programs?

Just wondering...

Comments

[tylashke.livejournal.com]

=P That is a cool way of thinking of prompts. XD

Speaking of those, I've a post up on my LJ collecting prompts for the holidays. Do leave me one or a few (but not that random one above XD), so I can write you something to thank you for the Ken/Shuu and Bya/Ren you've been writing.

[owned-by-a-cat.livejournal.com]

Not sure if it's cool or not. My brain goes off on its own track sometimes. Often it's food, sometimes a snatch of conversation. Prospects started with the image of a giraffe at a petrol station. (and I'm still not entirely sure where the whole thing will end!)

And no, I won't inflict lash serum on your prompt list. Whip or eye, regardless. But thanks for the offer of a fic. It's lovely and I'll bend my brain to construct a suitable prompt.

[sardonicista.livejournal.com]

I think of this as a sign of mastery, based on two [disparate] examples:

1. An NPR holiday special a few years back that featured a composer challenge, in that the guests [one of whom was PDQ Bach/Peter Schickele] had to come up with a novel arrangement for a Christmas carol, involving styles and instrumentation selected by their competitor. All I remember was a version of 'In Dolci Jubilo' involving a musical saw and a koto...I laughed so hard that I cried.

2. Iron Chef. It takes a virtuoso to combine such disparate elements that would result in Orihime-level culinary disasters for mere mortals and bring them together in a memorable, delicious fashion.

So...I guess this could be the inaugural round for the Groupon Prompt Challenge? You first. =)

[owned-by-a-cat.livejournal.com]

Well, today's headline was better: a weekend in the Peak District, a giant bean bag and Christmas cards. Maybe I should give your idea serious consideration.

We used to have what I believe is a similar cookery program, called Ready-Steady-Cook, where the contestant brings £5 worth of groceries and the chef has to construct something edible.

Being a food fiend myself, I found the first couple of shows entertaining, but after that the selections appeared so contrived that I often came up with the same idea as the chef and lost interest.

Still, the real challenge here would be to use the ingredients to come up with something unusual. And why ever not?