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Writing Prompts Week 3

Student Name

Institution

Course

Date
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Prompt #1.: Berlioz's Head

Scene: Berlioz's Head

Setting: A secluded beach at sunset. Two folding beach chairs are set up facing the

water. A large beach ball is partially visible behind one of the chairs.

CHARACTERS:

 ALICE: A conspiracy theorist in her 40s

 BRAD: Alice's skeptical friend in his 30s

As the scene opens, ALICE is pacing while BRAD lounges in one of the chairs.

ALICE: (Glancing around furtively) Brad, I'm telling you, it's all connected. The

government, the aliens, and the missing composers are all black and white!

BRAD: (Sighing) Alice, please. Can't we enjoy the sunset for once without delving into

another wild theory?

ALICE: (Reaches into her bag and pulls out a magazine) No, you need to see this! (She

thrusts the conspiracy theory magazine at Brad)

BRAD: (Taking the magazine reluctantly) "The Headless Composer Conspiracy"?

Really, Alice?

ALICE: Read it! It explains everything about Berlioz's missing head!

BRAD: (Flipping through the pages) This is ridiculous. There's no evidence—

ALICE: (Interrupting) Evidence? I'll show you the evidence! (She reaches behind the

chair and produces an empty champagne bottle)

BRAD: (Startled) Where did that come from?

ALICE: (Triumphantly) This isn't just any bottle, Brad. This is the vintage that Berlioz

drank on the night his head disappeared!

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BRAD: (Skeptical) And how could you possibly know that?

ALICE: (Holding the bottle reverently) Feel it, Brad. The smooth, cool glass. Smell the

lingering aroma of aged grapes. Is that a hint of ectoplasm? Listen closely; you can almost hear

the ghostly echoes of "Symphonie Fantastique" trapped inside. And look! The label—it's slightly

singed, as if by otherworldly flames!

BRAD: (Rolling his eyes) Alice, you're being ridiculous— (He shifts in his chair and

suddenly freezes)

ALICE: What? What is it?

BRAD: (Slowly pulls out a beach ball from behind his chair, looking bewildered) Where

did this come from?

ALICE: (Gasps) The beach ball! It's a sign!

BRAD: (Exasperated) It's not a sign, it's just a—

ALICE: (Snatching the ball) Don't you see? It's perfectly round, just like Berlioz's

missing head! This is the final piece of the puzzle!

BRAD: (Standing up) That's it. I'm leaving.

ALICE: (Hugging the beach ball) Fine! Go! But when Berlioz's head rolls back into

history, don't say I didn't warn you!

BRAD exits, shaking his head. ALICE sits in a beach chair, cradling the beach ball and

muttering as the lights fade.

Prompt #2: One to two back to Obe

Fears (5-minute reflection)

My deepest fears at this moment revolve around the uncertainty of the future. I'm afraid

of failing to achieve my goals and disappointing those who believe in me. There's a gnawing
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worry about climate change and its irreversible impact on our planet. I fear losing connections

with loved ones as time passes and the possibility of facing health issues that could limit my

abilities.

Joys (5-minute reflection)

Being surrounded by nature brings me the most joy. The feeling of soft grass under my

feet, the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze, and the sight of sunlight filtering through tree

branches fill me with a sense of peace and wonder. I'm happiest when sharing a meal with close

friends, laughing over shared memories, and creating new ones. The satisfaction of completing a

challenging project, learning a new skill, or helping someone in need also brings me immense

joy.

Character Creation and Dialogue

Character 1 (Fear): Shadowself – A position of a wretched and anxious man with quick-

moving eyes and a shaky hand. Character 2 (Joy): Lumina - A tall woman with a large aura in

her flowing dresses and a constant, warm smile.

Setting: A clearing in the forest with fog

Shadowself: (Pacing anxiously) We cannot sit, lie, stand, or walk here. It's not safe.

Gosh, something could go wrong at any one time!

Lumina: But what do we have here? You see The beauty of the Great Barrier Reef. Savor

the serenity in this hour.

Shadowself: Peace? Where is the peace when all that is seen is the decay of what was

once a strong economy and thriving country? Before you know it, it will be time to close up and

go home!
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Lumina: Time is the one thing we have in this world that is given to us freely, my dear

friend. Every second is a chance to change the world, make a vessel, and improve relations.

Shadowself: But what if Schiller’s questions to the Muse have not been answered

correctly, and the Muse did not even bother to respond to Rousseau? What if humankind fails in

its mission or divine assignment and thus is not good enough?

Lumina: Softly: And what will we do if we win? What if we are better than what people

perceive us to be or more than what we think we are?

Shadowself: (Pausing) I. Where can I find belief in that?

Lumina: Well, let me show you. So here it is, my hand stretched out for you to hold; let’s

face it, we're in this together.

Monologue: The Merged Character

A figure emerges and stands in the moonlight, but only the front half of his body is

exposed to light.

I am the murmurs of self-doubt and the chorus of hope that grows with synergistic

complexity as its basis beneath the soil of life. My heart pounds in dread of what is to come, but I

now have a heart filled with hope. I wake up in darkness and fear, but I also wake up to morning

and children whenever something takes my breath away.

The strands of my hair shake as my hands extend forward, and I fear being turned down

or lost. Yet these same hands have the power to make or mold something, to consolidate

someone, and to touch another person. I am the voice that says, ‘What if all turns out to be

wrong?’ I am equally the voice that responds, ‘But what if all turns out to be right?’
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Disappointment: I bear the potential disappointment, but the possible sense of

achievement is light. Thus, in a somewhat unpredictable existence, I experience withdrawal and

advance. I was also the conflict between fear and bravado and solitariness and companionship.

This inconsistency makes me human. It keeps my feet on the ground, my eyes wide open,

and my senses on high alert. My joys make me fly, they make me hopeful, and they give my life

meaning. Altogether, they make me strive, grasp, and thrive in the now, which, despite its reality

and solidity, is, in fact, so ephemeral.

I will be of both the darkness and the light, the skeptic and the believer. Thus, I am

complete and ready to confront whatever arises with fear and victory in this battle.