Looking for inspiration for your next novel or a specific scene? Look no further, as I am here to assist you. I'll be sharing various original ideas that are free for anyone to use. These ideas will cover writing prompts, useful websites or YouTube...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Artist: Tim Mcburnie, A Scent of Betrayal (Artstation)
Write the story or tale of a young woman who returns home after participating in a war that her people did not support. Perhaps she supported a tyrant king, whereas her people who have always been mistreated or seen as outcasts, see her as a traitor. Consider her backstory. Why did she leave? Was she chasing glory, or did she simply wish to run away from home in order to the world and joining the army was her way to do that? What if she wanted to improve her peoples standing by joining the military and rising up throughout the ranks. Does she succeed, having brought home fame and riches to the village or has come home empty handed? What have the effects of war placed on simple village girl whose only knowledge of death may have been the farm animals killed for food? Perhaps she has become disillusioned with the girl she used to be and woman she has become. Maybe she's proud of who she's become, having seen the world and horrors of the world may have scarred her, but they have also strengthened her. This may have been her goal from the beginning. To be strong and knowledgeable.
Does she have moments where her previous innocence shines through, or has the war changed her completely? Does she mourn her lost innocence, or does she cherish the strength she has gained?
How does the village react when she arrives? Is her family still alive? How do they react? Is she welcomed home or is looked upon as a stranger? Was she an only child or did she have a bundle of siblings? How does her family react to her no longer being the same person? Is she shunned, no longer allowed to return home? Is it because she "has blood on her hands" or is she considered a traitor to their ways? How would her siblings react upon her returning home? Has there been any tragedies that have struck the village? Any losses to the family? What about gains? Maybe the family has come across benefactors that have allowed the family to prosper in her absence? If she is shunned, does she leave her village again or work towards redemption? Is there a larger threat where she uses her combat knowledge to defend the very people who resent her?
Did she leave behind a love interest? How has that person changed in her absence? Do they hold a torch for her still, or have they moved on, seeing her now as a stranger? What does she think of them? Did she find any lovers during her travels? Are they still alive or did they die on the battlefield? How might she react to the advances of her past love interest when the wound is still fresh in their heart?
Maybe she didn't become a soldier, but instead decided to become an adventurer or mercenary. How would this alter the narrative and her relationship with her family? How long has she been away from home? Has she become famous in her time away or has she barely earned enough money to scrap by?
Dialogue
1.) "This mirror shows a warrior, a survivor. Where's the girl who once chased butterflies in these fields?"
2.) "You're not the sister we remember."
"And you're not the children I left behind. We've all grown."
