{"id":507,"date":"2014-01-29T09:14:11","date_gmt":"2014-01-29T16:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thewritespot.us\/marlenecullenblog\/?p=507"},"modified":"2026-02-03T22:09:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T22:09:25","slug":"how-to-write-fiction-based-on-fact-prompt-41","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/prompts\/how-to-write-fiction-based-on-fact-prompt-41\/","title":{"rendered":"Prompt #41"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Prompt #41<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

How to write fiction based on fact. <\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Part Two of how to write fiction based on fact.\u00a0 Part One is\u00a0Prompt #40<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alla Crone-Hayden began one of her first historical novels with this opening line:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 On the cold Sunday of January 9, 1905, the pallid sun hung over the rooftops of St. Petersburg trying to burn its way through a thin layer of clouds.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The weather matches the mood of character, of story.  Perhaps draws you in.  Maybe you want to know more   .  .  .  does the sun succeed in burning through?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second sentence:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 By two o\u2019clock in the afternoon the dull light had done little to warm the thousands of people milling in the streets.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second sentence answers the unasked question about the sun. Notice the word choices:  cold, pallid sun, thin, dull light . . . words match the mood or tone of the day\/event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alla used weather to match the narrator\u2019s mood. The weather matches the tone of the story. It\u2019s probably not going to be a pretty story. It\u2019s probably going to be gritty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing Prompt:<\/strong>\u00a0 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Prompt #41<\/h2>\n\n\n

Take a pivotal event from your life and write it as fiction.  Suggestions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use weather to mirror your narrator\u2019s emotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Add any details you want. . . whether they really happened or not. Remember, you are writing fiction based on a true event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some lines you can start with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the early morning light, while still calm and quiet. . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sun played peek-a-boo . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as day was fading into night . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I could feel the storm gathering . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sky opened and rain bellowed down . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sunset, that quiet time of day, good for reflection . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mid-afternoon, hot sun beating down . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mint julep time, or as Granny\/Grandpa used to say . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You get the idea. . . use weather or time of day to match the mood of your story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

For brilliant fiction based on fact, check out\u00a0Alla Crone<\/a>, author of\u00a0Captive of Silence,<\/em>\u00a0Winds Over Manchuria<\/em>, and more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How to write fiction based on fact. Part Two of how to write fiction based on fact.\u00a0 Part One is\u00a0Prompt #40. Alla Crone-Hayden began one of her first historical novels with this opening line:  On the cold Sunday of January 9, 1905, the pallid sun hung over the rooftops of St. Petersburg trying to burn […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single_prompt","format":"standard","meta":{"selected_specialist_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[2132,2140,2145,2135],"class_list":["post-507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-prompts","tag-alla-crone","tag-captive-of-silence","tag-how-to-write-fiction-based-on-fact","tag-winds-over-manchuria"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15021,"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507\/revisions\/15021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=507"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/breanamarie.com\/playground\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=507"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}