the enemy’s life
[Adapted from Lore Segal’s writing prompt in What If? Writing Exercises for Fiction Writers]
Chances are, when you sit down to write, you tend to lean into what you know you’re good at. If you write beautiful sentences filled with great imagery, that’s probably something you find yourself wanting to repeat in your next piece. And because you’re very familiar with the landscape of your own mind, the thought processes and events in your writing likely reflect your internal self.
This writing prompt challenges you to shake things up in your writing by exploring a new perspective and writing style. Here’s how it goes:
Write a scene that brings to fictional life someone you hate. It might be someone who annoys you, or it might be someone who has offended you or done you some harm.
Then, write the same scene from the point of view of the hated person (use the first person for this). In this second version of the scene, try writing in a style that is different for you—one that reflects the hated character, not your own way of being in the world.