Writing Prompt: Opposites
Visual inspiration + mental exercise to start your writing week
“The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.” — William Faulkner
Metaphortography Prompts are free visual and verbal writing prompts for inspiration and reflection. This is the Monday section of Aimee Liu’s MFA Lore. Our Wednesday section is Writer In The World, a curated collection of essays on the writing life by acclaimed MFA faculty and alumni. Writers in Conversation and other MFA Core essays on the craft and business of creative writing will drop each Saturday.
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They say that opposites attract. Opposites also repel each other. The inevitable result is conflict, like a tug-of-war.
You might think of opposites in terms of difference, but opposition requires a certain parity. If opponents aren’t well-matched, meaning equal in strength, skill, or determination, one will simply overpower the other. No parity means no contest, no conflict, no true opposition.
You might also think of opposites as separate entities — objects, people, animals, teams, companies, or governments. But the most profound and arguably interesting opposition is found within each one of us. Our minds and hearts are constantly fielding conflicts between internal desires, loyalties, needs, and drives that oppose one another. These are the equal and opposite forces that fuel what Faulkner said is the only thing worth writing about: “the human heart in conflict with itself.”
Here is your writing prompt:
As you contemplate the image above, think of a stand-off in your own life or fiction that involves two opposite forces, either internal or external.
What do they have in common? What gives them parity?
What makes them different from each other? What pushes them apart?
What do they want or need from each other?
What are their respective reasons for not yielding?
What lies in that space between them? What other concerns, responsibilities, fears, or dreams hang in the balance of this stalemate?
Now write a scene or story* in which one of those critical hostages in the between space forces the two opposites to either fight or work toward bridging the gap. This could be an internal battle of conscience. It could be a negotiation between adversaries. It could be a duel to the death. Write until the distance between the opposites has significantly changed; maybe they’re farther apart, maybe closer. Now examine what’s been lost, and what’s been gained, not just on either side but for the hostage in the middle.
*If you need a story model for this exercise about opposites, read Raymond Carver’s “Little Things” HERE.
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Oh, Aimee! Always so spot on! I was just talking with someone about creativity today and how contrast forms the basis for a lot of my work. And then your wonderful photo and prompt. And then! “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.” I think you’re in my head, and I’m okay with that.
I can see possibilities for this exercise in my current novel; for two characters, a mother and daughter. Thanks for this exercise!