Trapped In A Good Book

This is a post from the Writer’s Block Cures section. Click here to go to the Introduction of this section. Click here to find posts under the same section.

I’ve got another suggestion for a short scene that you can use to help improve your writing, or add to your own books.

You find yourself in a room; the only door to exit is locked. How did you get here? Do you know? Have you ever been in this room before? If you have, does it look like how you remember it?

The only window is high above you. Describe it. Is it broken? Is it open? Is it barred? Can you see anything out of the window?

Describe the light. Can you describe your surroundings, or is it too dark?

Suddenly you notice something you didn’t notice before. What is it, and where is it? Can you get to it? If you can, do you go to it to get a closer look? If you do, how do you move towards it — do you run, or creep, or step cautiously…? Are you scared of it? Is it something that could aid your escape?

An Example:

I wrote this example during creative writing club.

I woke up there, unaware of how I came here, not knowing how I could escape. I tried desperately to open the door, but it was locked. There was only one window — but it was at the top of the room. It was wide open, showing me the bright blue sky outside, tormenting me. As I looked around, I noticed the murky air, that weird smell of dust, and the peeling wallpaper that must have once been so grand.

My gaze fell on something in the centre of the room, which I could only just see in the dim light: a dusty book that looked like it hadn’t been opened for centuries. Slowly, I walked towards the book. I couldn’t make out anything on the front, although I could tell there used to be gold lettering. I knelt down and opened it, to reveal yellow, crumpled pages.

Diary of W

The other letters were smudged.

I began to leaf through and different dates appeared, all in the nineteenth century.

They stopped after May 1837; half of the book was blank. There was nothing to hint the author was close to death. They must have disappeared.

If you have any more questions about this suggestion, or advice for other writers on it, comment below, email me (at writing-website@bat400.com) or say something in the Forum! If commenting on this post in the Forum, or emailing me, please write the title (Trapped In A Good Book) so we know what you’re referring to!