What have you all been reading this summer? I’ve been trying to catch up on my YA fantasy stack and I’ve been so pleased with what I’ve read.
So much wonder! It’s one of my favorite elements in a fantasy novel.
The circus that appears out of nowhere in Erin Morgenstern’s NIGHT CIRCUS. Scarlett’s self-aware gown in Stephanie Garber’s CARAVAL. The books that titter and feel and wreak havoc in Margaret Rogerson’s SORCERY OF THORNS.
And, of course, JK Rowling does this so well in the Harry Potter books. Magical maps and puking pastilles that get the Hogwarts students out of class. A willow tree that attacks and a clock that tracks the whereabouts of an entire family. All of it designed to enchant and fill the reader with a sense of wonder.
With a little practice, I bet you can unlock some of that magic inside your head. Let’s give it a go, yes?
I’ll give you a paragraph opening and I’d like you to continue on, writing a snippet that includes some bit of wonder. Something of your own making, if you can. You may need to think on it a bit before you get going, but your paragraph doesn’t need to be a long one. Just enough to give us a splash of your awe-inspiring creativity.
Think you can do it?
I bet you can.
Leave your response here in the comments section and be sure to come back to see what your friends have come up with. Here’s that paragraph opening:
I expected to be overwhelmed on my first day of high school, but nothing could have prepared me for . . .
Now! Off you go! Give me a paragraph full of wonder!
Shannon Dittemore is an author and speaker. Her books include the Angel Eyes trilogy, a supernatural foray into the realm of angels and demons, as well as the fantastical adventure novel Winter, White and Wicked. Its sequel, Rebel, Brave and Brutal is due out January 10, 2023.
Shannon’s stories feature strong female leads grappling with fear and faith as they venture into the wilds of the unknown. She’s often wondered if she’s writing her own quest for bravery again and again.
It’s a choice she values highly. Bravery. And she’s never more inspired than when young people ball up their fist and punch fear in the face.
To that end, Shannon takes great joy in working with young writers, both in person and online at Go Teen Writers, an instructional blog recognized by Writer’s Digest four years running as a “101 Best Websites for Writers” selection.
For more about Shannon and her books, please visit her website, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
I expected to be overwhelmed on my first day of high school, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. The place Mother sent me to was far beyond anything I could’ve invented. I arrived expecting to see an everyday school, but it wasn’t at all like that. Who knew you could have school in a tree? And not just any tree. It must’ve been growing since the world was born, for it towered higher than any castle or mountain. Lights flickered among the pearly white leaves, giving it all a dreamy feel in the moonlight. Graceful butterflies flittered among the boughs, reflecting cool light off golden wings. I could hear the sweet sound of music drifting from hundreds of places, and though all the songs were different, they mixed perfectly into one harmonious piece that sent your thoughts to the stars and places you felt you could never go. My mind was ready to burst from the beautiful sights that met my eyes. I must be dreaming. Nothing could make you feel hope, joy, and excitement like this place could.
Ooh, lovely descriptions. I wanna go! :0)
Umm, can you tell me where that school is so I can join, please?
I wish! Unfortunately, it’s top secret. 😉
So much wonder! I love it!
I absolutely adore the idea of a school in a tree! That’s someplace I definitely wouldn’t mind going every day…
That’s so insanely beautiful. I could see that so vividly. I love it! You did what every fantasy writer aspires to do: you created a fictional place that readers wish was real. Nice.
Thank you so much!
I expected to be overwhelmed on my first day of high school, but nothing could have prepared me for my teacher. I’d never seen an Eurdian before. And I still hadn’t, though I tried to track his movement about the classroom.
His voice was softer than a sigh as he drifted closer to my aisle. “Remember that ignorance is loudest. Foolishness the most brazen…”
When a brush like the flight of a gnat whispered across my cheek, I refrained from stirring, lest I startle him away. A fragrance like honey enveloped my senses.
“But knowledge and wisdom must be actively sought.” The Eurdian’s breath tickled my ear.
Inch by inch I moved my hand toward my cheek. If I caught him, perhaps I could see him then. Almost there. Almost… The scent of honey wafted away, and my hand touched naught but my own skin.
Oooo! Super intriguing. At first I thought the teacher was invisible, but then you show us how small he is. Good job!
Woah. Did you create that Eurdian creature? That’s so cool and so creative. I love the way you played on multiple senses, like the scent of honey and how the character could feel the Eurdian moving beside her. Your character’s voice also contributes to the fantasy tone. Great job.
Thank you both. :0)
And, yep, I made up the Eurdian, which autocorrect keeps disparaging.
I expected to be overwhelmed on my first day of high school, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when I first walked through the double doors of the C.S. Hartman Academy. My parents had described it as a highly prestigious and selective private school, but it didn’t seem like much from the outside. Just a simple one story building, perfectly square, and made of brick. But when I walked in, I learned just how deceiving outward appearances could be.
First off, it was clearly bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. In fact, it was so big, I almost didn’t think I was even in a building. Second off, every aspect of the scenery before me went far beyond the furthest reaches of my imagination.
The floor looked like the night sky, the kind you’d see in a remote field hundreds of miles from the nearest city. I swear I even saw a few shooting stars sail cross it, and I was paralyzed in the doorway, afraid that if I stepped on that floor, I’d fall into the vacuum of space.
The walls were made of full grown trees, and the hallways leading out of the lobby looked like winding forest paths. The ceiling (visible only in the center of the lobby where the tree tops made a clearing) was high as the sky, and it looked like I was beneath the ocean’s surface, staring up at the sun shimmering on the rippling waves.
The only thing stranger than the building itself was the students.
Initially, I was too blown away by the scenery to pay attention to any of the people in it, but then, in the corner of my eye, I saw flames. When I turned my head to see what was burning, I almost screamed. At first glance, it looked like a girl’s hair was on fire. But after a second, I saw that it was actually made of fire. The other girls clustered around her weren’t any less strange. One of them had inky blue-black skin that appeared to have a frog like texture, and thousands of tiny yellow lights dotted her arms, legs, and face. Her eyes were glowing green orbs. Another had scales and talons, and another had antlers and eyes that took up half her face.
I scanned my surroundings, and noticed that none of the kids in this so called school were quite human. A boy who appeared to be made of violet liquid light and mist sailed through the air and landed next to a girl who looked like something straight out of Midsummer Night’s Dream. She kissed him on the cheek, and they flew off together, hand in hand. A group of kids leaped between the trees using sugar-glider like appendages. One broke a branch, and they all sped off as a girl with bark for skin and vines for hair emerged from the leaves and shrieked at them like a banshee. At the base of the trees, a boy whose torso tapered into a serpent’s tale slithered along the roots, past one girl who leaned against a tree, reading a book. The girl appeared to be made of pure electricity. And while the floor was solid for most people, mermaid-like creatures made of a silver and gold vapor wove in and out of it like dolphins breaching in the sea.
My mouth gaped, my eyes bugged, and my heart struggled to find it’s pace again. Surely I was dreaming. This couldn’t be real. It just… couldn’t be.
Before I could pinch myself, a strong current of air soared over my head and nearly knocked me down. A boy with eagle wings growing from his back had flown over me into the school. Midair, he turned back to me and smirked. “Heads up, freshman,” he said. “You’re not in Kansas anymore!”
Wow! So much creativity! It’s just dreamy.
Love this! I want to read this book!
Let me know if you ever publish it!
Thanks to both of you. 🙂
This is packed with creativity. Nice work. And you have me wondering why the POV character is here. Is she not human either?
Thanks. And to answer your question, she’s not human either. She just doesn’t know it yet.
I expected to be overwhelmed on my first day of high school. But nothing could have prepared for the fact that when they said high school, they meant “high”. As in over a thousand feet off the ground, at the top of a sheer cliff with no visible way to climb it.
It made sense. I could already see flocks of students swirling up to the building on the morning updrafts. Who needs roads when you have wings?
I already knew I was going to be an outcast in a place like The Falconer Academy. I’d read all the books about high school loners and misfits. I just didn’t expect to make a fool of myself on the first day.
I should have known better, because that’s how all the books start, don’t they? And who could be more of an outcast than an Aerial who’s afraid of heights?
Fantastic! And already introducing conflict! Good job!
Thank you!
I’d love to read a book about that. You did a great job!
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed this!
I love it. Your character already has such a fun voice, and your concept is really cool.
I’m so thrilled you loved it so much!
Poor kid. Bound to get worse before it gets better. Like your concept here. Nice job!
Oooh! Such a creative prompt!
I expected to be overwhelmed on my first day of high school, but nothing could have prepared me for the oh, so high melodious harmony emerging from the music room. I sped down the hall, hoping to confirm my suspicions. My ears entered the room before my eyes did. In fact, it took me a while to even see the room; I closed my eyes to absorb the sharp as crystal, yet sweet as honey life flowing from a human mouth into my soul. Song. My eyelids unveiled my eyes and I took in the beautiful woman smiling at me. No ears should be able to hear the sound that continued to echo throughout the glassed-in expanse. No mouth should be able to emanate such richness. None except for mine- I mean ours. I was not alone.
radiantwords.wixsite.com/blog
That had a strangely mesmerizing and enchanting feel to it. I couldn’t take my eyes away. the wording was beautiful.
Her (his) wonder is palpable in this passage. Great job!
Thanks so much to both of you!
I expected to be overwhelmed on my first day of high school, but nothing could have prepared me for the lake at my school’s address. Being the first one to arrive, I sat on a bench and waited. Half an hour later, after successfully drawing the lake, a bus showed up. As the doors opened and kids started filing out, I stood up and walked over to the group.
“Excuse me, does anyone know why there is water where our school is supposed to be?” I asked.
Nobody answered. The driver pulled me by the arms and put me at the back of the line. One by one, the kids dived into the water. None surfaced. At this point, I was starting to freak out. What kind of person can hold their breath that long? When my turn came, I inched to the edge of the water and saw nothing. Not exactly. I did see seaweed and fish and sharks. But no people. Finally, most likely out of irritation, the driver pushed me in from behind and whispered, “Hold your breath and watch out for Drake.”
Drake? Who was that? I thought as I fell into the lake.
Really creative. that would make a great story!
Thank you! I might develop it further, but I have quite a few other projects I’m in the middle of
I expected to be overwhelmed on my first day of high school, but nothing could have prepared me for the dragon on the front steps. He was a huge affair, purple as my auntie’s underpants, and about as sparkly, too. He didn’t twitch as I emerged from the car. I guess he figured I was doing quite enough shaking for us both. My parents seemed relatively unperturbed, considering the fact that a mythical purple beast was sitting in front of them. After waving to my family I crept nervously around the dragon and opened the door.
The halls were crowded with teens of all ages. I stepped in and became part of the bustling mob of high schoolers. Someone grabbed my arm as I worked my way through. Turning, I met the tanned face and bright green eyes of a girl about my age. “Hey!” she said. “You’re the new guy, right? Jonathan?” I nodded. “So, what’s your animal?” “What?” My bewilderment must have shown on my face, because the girl pulled me after her. We went out of the flow of people and slipped into an empty classroom. “You mean to say you don’t know? But you must, or why would you be here?” I gaped. She sighed. “Ok, I’ll show you.” I followed her out of the classroom and into the school gym. Only, instead of tough guys playing basketball, the room was full of a seething, laughing, whinnying and squawking mass of — Animals! My gape got bigger and she grinned. “Welcome to Singing High.”
Then she transformed.
That was a cool twist at the end! very creative!
Thanks! I really liked yours too.
I expected to be overwhelmed my first day of High School, but nothing could have prepared me for the sheer amount of darkness that consumed the whole place. Demon High’s walls tower in the black of the night, with only the light of the full moon illuminating the structure. I walked up the front steps when I was met by a door guard. Dressed in a dark grey uniform that goes well with his green/grey skin, he looks at me with his beady yellow eyes. “Name and Species, please,” he asks in a gravely voice. “Hildegard DeathWing, Dragon,” I say confidently. The gremlin goes thru the papers on his clipboard, makes a mark, and says “Welcome.” Then, I stride into the school.
The Entrance Hall is packed with new students, from gremlins like the one outside to dragons like myself. I see the other dragons in the school flying and twirling in the air, around 50 to 75 feet above our heads, with another 25 or so above the dragons. I jump and turn back into my dragon form when I hear a familiar voice. “Hey, Hilde!” “Lilith! Glad to see you!” I say. Lilith is another dragon, with scales ranging from midnight blue to pitch black, with all sorts of other blends. We’ve grown up together, she’s a childhood friend of mine. She’s about to say something when a booming voice rings out “Welcome, Creatures of Darkness, to Demon High School!”