Each week, ORW will feature a new writing prompt meant to spark your creative juices. Use it to generate new fiction, creative non-fiction or poetry, or apply the prompt to a current project. Even if you don’t create a scene that fits with your project, you may find that you’ve learned more about your story.
Recently I read a travel article in which the writer described ancient cave paintings, which included handprints of the artist. One finger print indicated that the finger had been broken. My mind has been playing with the “how” of that finger break ever since. For this writing session, consider a physical flaw of your protagonist. How, metaphorically speaking, did the character break his or her finger? Write a 1,000 word scene, third person p.o.v. in which your character sustains the damage seen later as a physical flaw. Pay special attention to description of the character’s reaction.
As always, I’d love to hear from you if you use this prompt. What was the flaw about which you wrote?