Some writers prefer to start staring at a blank screen. Others need a more concrete starting point. Every month in our SSC Newsletter, we are planning to include a new  “story kit” that gives a writer a scaffolding from which to work. Not a cookbook, but a starting point, a structure to build from and to personalize.

We promise to publish any stories that you create using this story kit.

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DECEMBER 2025

Possible Story Title:

 The Carols of Clockwork Lane

 

  1. The Setup: A Quiet Retreat
  • Protagonist: Eleanor (78), a widow living alone in her long-time family home on a street nicknamed “Clockwork Lane” because of how perfectly regimented and quiet the neighbors have become over the years.
  • The Conflict: Eleanor is highly organized and usually loves Christmas, but this year, after a recent small fall, she has become isolated, withdrawn, and perhaps a bit grumpy. She finds the modern, commercialized Christmas jarring and has decided to skip decorating entirely, focusing instead on selling some old antiques.
  • The Catalyst: She receives a call from her grandson, Miles (30s), who says he won’t be able to visit this year due to an emergency work trip overseas, deepening her feeling of holiday loneliness and disillusionment.
  1. The Inciting Incident: A Hidden Note
  • While sorting through an old, dusty box of Christmas decorations she intends to donate, Eleanor finds a half-finished musical score tucked inside a tattered, homemade stocking.
  • The score is a carol titled “The Clockwork Lane Lullaby,” and written on the back, in her late husband’s handwriting, is a cryptic note: “For our finale. Check the old keys.”
  • This rediscovery sparks her interest. The memory of her husband, a quiet but talented amateur musician, floods back.
  1. Rising Action: Unraveling the Mystery
  • A Familiar Face: A new, younger neighbor, Leo (early 60s), a retired music teacher, notices Eleanor struggling to carry a heavy box and offers his help. He is chatty, kind, and clearly enthusiastic about bringing some life back to Clockwork Lane.
  • The Hunt: Eleanor, with Leo’s surprisingly cheerful assistance, starts searching the house for the “old keys.” This search forces her to revisit parts of the house she hasn’t looked at in years, triggering warm, forgotten memories of her husband and past Christmases.
  • The Discovery: They eventually find a set of antique, non-house keys taped beneath a loose floorboard in the music room. One key fits a locked, small, wooden box hidden inside the fireplace mantle.
  • The Box’s Contents: Inside the box, she finds a finished copy of the “Clockwork Lane Lullaby,” along with a collection of old cassette tapes—recordings of all her neighbors (from decades ago) singing Christmas carols together, including a young, vibrant Eleanor and her husband.
  1. The Climax: A Second Chance Chorus
  • The recordings reveal that decades ago, Clockwork Lane wasn’t quiet—it was a lively street where the neighbors gathered every Christmas Eve to sing. The “finale” her husband wrote about was a planned surprise performance of his original carol.
  • Eleanor’s Decision: Inspired by the warmth of the past and the simple kindness of Leo, Eleanor realizes the loneliness is a choice. She decides to use the finished score and the recordings to reignite the spirit of the street.
  • The Eve Gathering: With Leo’s help, she invites the few remaining original neighbors (now all seniors) and the newer, younger residents. She plays the old recordings and then hands out copies of the “Clockwork Lane Lullaby.”
  • The Performance: As the neighbors, young and old, struggle through the simple, heartfelt melody, a beautiful, slightly wobbly chorus emerges. Eleanor, standing among them, finally feels connected, singing the carol her husband wrote just for their street, giving it the “finale” it was meant to have.
  1. Resolution: The Simple Warmth
  • The event breaks the silence of Clockwork Lane. The neighbors linger, sharing stories and agreeing to make the Christmas Eve carol gathering an annual tradition again.
  • Eleanor realizes that Christmas isn’t about grand gestures or commercial perfection, but about the simple act of showing up and making music (or memories) together.
  • The story ends with Eleanor not feeling lonely, but surrounded. She puts away her husband’s score, not in a locked box, but on the piano, ready for next year. The simple light from her front porch casts a warm glow on the snow, marking the return of spirit to Clockwork Lane.

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