Jenn's World

Title: "De-mom"
Genre: Fantasy
Type: Character

This Monday writing prompt goes out in honor of mother's day.

We've all had moments where we wish our mother could just disappear in a cloud of smoke? Where what if she ACTUALLY could? What if, for all your life, it turns out your mother was masquerading as a human but she actually was a demon.

Now, is she an evil demon? A satanic, red-skinned, horned corrupt beast from Christian mythology or a fantasy demon, one of the lovably stupid monsters whose only purpose is to kill everything in sight? Is she reformed, or is she playing at being human for nefarious reasons. Did she have a child because she fell in love or are you and your siblings just plot pieces in her twisted game against the Gods? And what is she going to do when she finds out YOU KNOW.

Now, find the characteristics in your mother that you consider "demonic" and exaggerate them. Maybe your reformed escapee mother (who fled the netherworld so her child wouldn't be sacrificed on an evil alter) has always been obsessed with cleaning because she knows her former lord and master uses creepy-crawlies to spy. Maybe that's why she's afraid of cockroaches, too. They aren't just carriers of disease that might hurt her sweet, gooey baby, but they're also the minions of evil.

And what about you? Are there any demonic powers you wish you could have? What would you do if you could levitate or conjure sulfuric smoke or that sort of thing. How would you interact with your mother. Would you compete against her for dominance if your powers weren't as developed as hers? Would you feel resentful because you never got a chance to use them before because she made the decision of keeping you ignorant.

The point of this exercise is to draw what you know from real life and warp it slightly. That's how you create true characters.

But always remember the words: motivation, motivation, motivation! A plot springs out of a realistic character's motivations, so you have to always keep it in mind.