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Prompts for the Darien Book Aid Project / Prompts for Wrock and Read Project
Here are the prompts for the Darien Book Aid Plan anthology as provided by the volunteers who work there:
1. A Darien resident who has been volunteering at Darien Book Aid for 38 years says she enjoys volunteering because it is interesting and fun, and she gets a feeling of accomplishing something with each box of books packed. In her comedy/satire/parody, her sidekick would be named Mable, who, after she gets married, changes it to Babe. She is tall, red-headed, in for any joke or caper, and writes funny skits. She is very intelligent and a loyal friend. The setting would be in a small town where everyone knows everyone and any misdeed was reported back to parents—a place where a teacher wouldn’t think twice for taping a third grader's mouth because she talked too much!
2. A volunteer from Stamford who has been with DBA for six years loves what she does. Because she loves getting books as gifts, she loves filling other’s requests. She has many, many favorite authors—too many to name!—But her favorite book is “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn.” In her comedy—or whatever genre the author prefers—her character Cid would be a funny, free-spirited, independent and compassionate girl who is a sidekick. She would like it to take place in New York City.
3. Giving an opportunity for literacy and education to those who might otherwise not receive it is what keeps this Fairfield resident volunteering at DBA for more than five years. Her favorite author is John Grisham and her favorite book is “The Kite Runner.” In her action or comedy, her character’s role is up to the author. She’d like the character to be a charming tom-boy named Tabitha Trudy who is witty, athletic and wise-cracking. The plot and setting are also up to the author, but she thinks the character would be the sort of person who would say, “What are they going to do? Fire me?”
4. A volunteer who has been with DBA for more than two years likes what she does because she knows that by doing this, she is paying back the world for all the good things in her life. Her favorite book is anything published by Lonely Planet. In her action/adventure, the character would be a four-year-old girl named Edie who has super powers and the desire to save the world before naptime. She would like the story to take place in Syracuse, New York.
5. A Lord of the Rings fan who has been volunteering for two years would like a sci-fi/fantasy story where his hero, Cole, is ambitious and clever with a hint of mischief in his eyes and is seriously goofy. If he can be on a road-trip, even better!
6. “I like the opportunity to help people in need and meet new people,” said a volunteer who has been with the DBA for about a year. Her favorite book is “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
She’d like her character to be smart, confident, and curious and be a hero. The genre can either be mystery/suspense or whatever else the author would like. She’d like the setting to be a big city like New York, London, or Paris.
7. A Stamford resident, who has been with the DBA for a year, enjoys helping others. Her favorite author is J.K. Rowling and her favorite book is “The Alchemist.” She would like a mystery/suspense where the Romantic Interest or Sidekick is names Svetlana and is an outgoing, beautiful, athletic, smart, and charming spy.
8. A Norwalk resident who has been with the DBA for just two months likes the camaraderie of volunteering and helping others. She’d like her character to be a sidekick and the plot is up to the author.
9. A new volunteer from Norwalk said, “It’s wonderful knowing that even in one week’s time, I was able to help put smiles on people’s faces around the world.” Her favorite author is Paul Auster and her favorite books are his “The New York Trilogy.” In her comedy, the sidekick's name would be Missy Herbert. Missy is one of those people who knows a lot about her field of expertise, but she lacks common sense. She is clumsy, ambidextrous, and very, very witty. If her character in your story is the sidekick, she’d like the lead character to be a woman as well. They travel around the world trying to find rare types of bugs. She’d like at least part of the story to take place in Madagascar.
Wrock and Read Project Prompts as supplied by Wizard Wrockers
1. Matthew Maggiacomo of The Whomping Willows cites Draco and the Malfoys and Harry and the Potters and his literary inspirations as Will and Lyra from “Amber Spyglass” and J.D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey. He requests a comedy/parody with a hero named Chaz who is a disillusioned twenty-something with little interest in the corporate world. He wants to be a rock star, but is always tired. He possesses a dry sense of humor. Chaz and his sister Jillian have an apartment together in Brooklyn. Their father is in a coma. Their mother is an insane but highly wealthy aristocrat who cheats on their father with a famous British polo player. Chaz and Jillian confront her about it.
2. Michael Gibson of Tonks and the Aurors derives musical inspiration from Miles Davis, Fats Domino, The Who, Jelly Roll Morton, Henry Rollins, and Jello Biafra. His literary inspirations include Saint Exupéry, Henry Rollins, J.K. Rowling, Hunter Thomspon and Brian Bendis. He requests a sci-fi/fantasy in which Emma-Z is a self-aware robot and existentialist who works in a robot assembly plant. She has an existential crisis while dealing with Robot overlords/protectors in a world where humans are an “endangered species.”
3. Steph Anderson of Tonks and The Aurors takes musical inspiration from Bruce Springsteen, The Who, and Ted Leo and literary inspiration from J.K. Rowling and David Sedaris. She requests a comedy/parody featuring Chuck, a dinosaur who “loves awesome” on Volcano Island. She requests a plot that includes time travelling, bikes (steampunk) and meteors.
4. Amy Snow of Romilda Vane and the Chocolate Cauldrons cites Regina Spektor, S.S. Bach and The Moaning Myrtles as musical influences and the Harry Potter series, the Twilight Saga, Jane Austen, His Dark Materials, Russell Brand, and Stephen Fry as literary influences. She requests a sci-fi/fantasy in which the hero Seaidin (pronounced show-deen, Irish for small jewel) is an outgoing, bubbly, very strong caregiver with a dark side. She has curly hair and hazel eyes. The story would take place in a castle in Ireland and would incorporate a singer, an important tree, a chandelier and waves.
5. Bradley Mehlenbacher of Remus and the Lupins finds musical inspiration in “Weird Al” Yankovic, Wesley Willis, Alex Carpenter, G G Allin, The Hungarian Horntails, Ween and Kiss and literary inspiration from P.G. Wodehouse, Douglas Adams, Kurt Vonnegut, Franz Kafka, J.K. Rowling, Roald Dahl, and “Chicken Soup for the Werewolf’s Soul.” He requests a comedy/parody where the sidekick is the werewolf professor who likes to eat babies, rats when necessary. He likes to cook and loves to make chocolate-covered strawberries out of the ears of chocolate Easter rabbits. He makes chocolate milk in a wine glass to give to his lovely wife, and makes robots in his basement on the weekend. He escapes from rabid pterodactyls on a hang glider. He shaves his left eyebrow every third Tuesday and thinks cannibals are slightly misguided but on the right track.
6. Kristina Horner of The Parselmouths says Draco and the Malfoys, the Remus Lupins, Harry and the Potters, and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are her musical inspirations and J.K. Rowling, John Green, Scott Westerfeld and Maureen Johnson are her literary influences. She would like a total Mary Sue plot in the form of a mystery/suspense/romance with a villain. The romantic interest should be named “something really girly, popular” who has the ability to talk her way out of anything and make boys fall in love with her.
7. Nina Jankowicz of The Moaning Myrtles cites Ben Folds and Joni Mitchell as her musical inspirations and Tom Robbins, J.K. Rowling and Marion Zimmer Bradley as her literary inspirations. She requests a comedy/parody with Aloycious, who is nerdy, bookish, mathematical, and logical, as the romantic interest/side kick. The plot would involve Aloycious asking his favorite witch at school to Prominus, the next formal event and hilarity ensues.
8. Jason “The Hero” Munday of Ministry of Magic finds musical inspiration in folk, pop, and “dancey” artists and literary inspiration in J.K. Rowling and Shel Silverstein. He requests an action/adventure story in which the hero, Vespian, is strong, brave, quick to learn, reserved, not looking for glory but more for adventure, challenges and new experiences. The story should invoke a solo/independent feel and focus on searching for good and dealing with inevitable evil while constantly learning and growing.
9. Luke Conard of Ministry of Magic is musically influenced by Phil Collins and inspired literarily by Mark Sundeen. He requests a sci-fi/fantasy story featuring a sidekick named Remey Tinklebottom who uses his foul smell to distract his enemies. Hi is 5 foot, 11 inches and weighs 195 pounds and has a ripped left sleeve. He’s cruel. Remey and the lead search for the last remaining survivor of the crash in Tinkletown.
10. Aaron Nordyke of Ministry of Magic lists the Foo Fighters, Coldplay, Radiohead, Death Cab for Cutie and Driveshaft as musical inspirations and Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series, Michael Chabon, and J.K. Rowling as literary inspirations. In his fantasy, the sidekick Popkin is funny, quirky, slightly self-deprecating and doesn’t take anything too seriously. The story takes place during a week-long eclipse.
11. Mark M. “Voldemark” Jennings of Ministry of Magic finds musical inspiration in mewithoutYou, Thrice, Phil Collins, the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Babil, Schoenberg, and Johnny Cash and literary inspiration in the works of Flannery O’Connor, Edgar Allen Poe, and J.K. Rowling. He requests a sci-fi/fantasy/horror/suspense story in which the antihero Didymous (which means twin) has unnatural/beyond normal capabilities that he is torn about how to use. He has a strong moral compass but also has an almost sadistic/sociopathic dark side he must keep in check. In this story, he loses control and kills someone. He owns his own failure in the end and gives his life in an attempt to right his wrong and “save the world” but the “world dies” anyway.
12. Max of Mary and The Grand Pres lists Harry and the Potters and Scarlet Women as musical influences and J.K. Rowling and Shakespeare as literary inspirations. He would like a story featuring a character named Asterix who has courage, self-respect and wings. The setting would be Germany, where there is snow, rain, and lava.
13. Tracy of Hawthorn and Holly finds inspiration in the music of Linkin Park, Blue October, Alanis Morissette, and Oliver Boyd and the Rememberalls, and in the words of J.K. Rowling. She requests a sci-fi/fantasy story featuring a sidekick named Squirt who is a high-strung squirrel that wears a pirate hat and sneaks on board a flying ship.
14. Devon Bennett of Fred and George, The Band finds inspiration in the tunes of Flogging Molly, They Might Be Giants, Cobra Starship, and Wizard Rock, and in the words of J.K. Rowling, Douglas Adams, Gordon S. Wood, and history books. She requests a story with a romantic interest named Roisen Duhb, who’d be “everything I’d always wanted in a daughter.” She’d be stubborn, down-to-earth and have a full head of long, curly red/ginger hair. As for plot, Bennett says, “I totally love a good human-falls-for supernatural being story, and I’m dying to find a truly unique one.”
15. Brian Ross of Draco and the Malfoys cites Ween, Frank Zappa, Slash from Guns N’ Roses, Pink Floyd, and “Weird Al” Yankovic as some of his many musical influences and Carlos Castaneda as his literary inspiration. He would like a story featuring Mooooo Slinky Moo who shoots lasers out of his eyes, but they don’t burn anything; they just light up and look cool like a laser pointer. He’s 85 years old, but only looks 84, and does not like milk. He tries to be a villain but fails miserably, to the reader’s amusement. He plots to eliminate the dairy department form his local grocery story by meticulously designing a bakery department scene on large science fair cardboard backgrounds and placing it in front of the milk coolers. Plot option two is that he tries to shut down a local milk supplier by eating all of the cows alive. (Bradley Mehlenbacher, also of Draco and the Malfoys, contributing to this prompt, or at least added his name.)
16. Denni Towle of The Cruciatus Curse is inspired musically by Korn and literarily by J.K. Rowling, Tolkien, Dan Brown, Michael Crichton, and Arthur Conan Doyle. He requests a mystery/suspense Sherlock Holmes/Scooby Doo-type story featuring a character named Dragon, who is out going, funny, intelligent, deductive and a partier.
17. Emma Brice of Bella and le Strangers finds musical inspiration in the music of Draco and the Malfoys, the Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Queen, her dad, and her brother and literary inspiration in J.K. Rowling, Enid Blyton, and Roald Dahl. She would like a mystery/suspense story featuring a villain/ romantic interest who is evil, and very manipulative. She is in love with her Master, but willing to marry someone lower in the chain of command to gain power.
18. Kyle Bradshaw of The Mudbloods is inspired by Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Woody Allen, and Mark Twain. He requests a comedy/parody in which the sidekick Henry is shy, skinny, and awkward, but has a sharp wit and is surprisingly strong. The story would take place on school playgrounds and would involve rival baseball teams and a championship game played in the rain.
19. Tyler Nicholas of The Remus Lupins and The Mudbloods is inspired by Draco and the Malfoys, The Red Hot Chili Peppers , the Beatles, Philip Pullman, J.K. Rowling, Kurt Vonnegut, Robert Frost and Edgar Allen Poe. He requests a comedy/parody featuring a sidekick named Tiger Bates who is tall, skinny, puny and clumsy, and always comes into play saying random statements that give the story more color.
20. Adam Dubberly of The Mudbloods, finds musical inspiration in Wilco, Ryan Adams, Bruce Springsteen, and David Wilcox, and literary inspiration from David Eggers, J.D. Salinger, and Harper Lee. He requests an action/adventure/comedy/parody/romance featuring Axel McDeath (whose real name is Henry) who is super badass (but not really), macho (over compensating), and a womanizer (who never actually kissed a girl). He may be a struggling actor of a stunt man in L.A. and that is why he has a fake name.
21. Jack Kelly of Tonks and The Aurors cites “rock, jazz…everything” as musical influences. His literary inspirations include Hunter S. Thompson, Dynamite and the Beat Generation. He requests a horror/supernatural tale featuring the hero Frank, a strong, lady-loving, gun-totin’ sonofabitch in a world with zombies, monster trucks and monster zombie trunks.
22. Christie of Hawthorn and Holly gets inspired by the Beatles, J.K. Rowling, and Anne Rice. She leaves the genre and plot up to the author, but would like the story to feature Adeline, who is kind of timid but doesn’t want to be.
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