WRITING EXERCISE: The Quiet Break

WRITING EXERCISE: The Quiet Break

Key Techniques:

1. Subversion of reader expectation through tonal shift

2. Character depth built through contrast between surface mundanity and inner life

3. Strategic narrative voice control to balance irony and empathy

Writing Prompt (500 words):

Write a short scene centered on a character whose daily life is defined by dull repetition. The world around them feels static—same breakfast, same conversations, same route to the same unremarkable destination. Begin the scene immersed in this stillness. Avoid exaggeration or mockery. Use grounded, specific details to make the monotony feel authentic.

Then introduce a rupture. Not a dramatic event, but a quiet flicker—an unspoken thought, a memory, a deviation from routine, a choice that passes almost unnoticed. Let that subtle moment alter how we perceive the character. Keep the pacing slow and intentional. The story should gain momentum not through action but through internal shift.

Evaluation Criteria:

1. Subversion and Shift: The piece must open with believable monotony and conclude with a tonal or emotional change that feels earned.

Strong: A scene that begins in stillness and builds into tension, unease, or poignancy through internal change.

Weak: A jarring or melodramatic ending that doesn’t grow out of the opening mood.

2. Character Depth: The “boring” life must hide something more complex beneath.

Strong: The character reveals longing, resistance, contradiction, or fear in small but telling ways.

Weak: The character remains flat or symbolic, never gaining emotional weight.

3. Voice and Control: The narrative tone should create intimacy or distance with intention, allowing the shift to unfold subtly.

Strong: Voice balances restraint and emotion, guiding the reader from observation to insight.

Weak: Voice calls attention to itself, undercuts the character, or signals change too forcefully.

Follow-up Workshopping Questions:

1. Where does the emotional shift begin, and how is it signaled?

2. Does the internal change feel like a response to what’s come before—or a shortcut?

3. Is the voice working with or against the emotional arc of the piece?

4. Would changing the point of view or narrative distance improve the pacing or resonance?

5. What small details reveal the most about the character’s internal state?

Recommended Reading:

“Fiona” by Alice Munro – A portrait of quiet life disrupted by subtle yet devastating personal revelations. The story demonstrates how internal shifts can completely recast a character’s life without altering their external circumstances.

Strong Example Summary:

A retired bus driver performs his usual morning routine: same instant coffee, same crossword puzzle, same view of the neighbor’s shed. When the crossword clue asks for a five-letter word for regret, he pauses. He picks up the phone and dials a number he hasn’t called in years, then hangs up. He watches the shed for movement but sees none. The routine resumes, but the rhythm feels off, as if something now lingers beneath the silence.

Weak Example Summary:

A bored secretary impulsively steals a client file and runs off to Vegas to start over. The boredom is rushed through, the character’s motivation unexplored, and the shift is too fast and external. The story relies on plot rather than emotional change, missing the subtlety the prompt demands.

AI Disclosure Statement:

This writing prompt was created in collaboration with ChatGPT, an AI model by OpenAI, to support creative practice. ChatGPT assisted with idea generation and drafting; the final text was edited by the author. The illustration was created using Google Gemini.