WHAT’S outside your window or in front of you?

NEW Writing Prompts for June

WHAT’S outside your window or in front of you? Make a list of 10 things you see or hear or smell or feel on this late spring day. Or things you wish you could see or hear or smell or feel. Or things you once saw or heard or smelled or felt.

Add one descriptor to 5 of the items on your list. Star your favorite three. Use one to tell a story–real, imaginary, or fantasy. Let the writing go wherever it wants.  

OR Write a poem from the POV of a character in a book you’re reading. How is she like you? How is he different? Let the writing go wherever it wants.

More Options:

TRY copying the lede from any news article, whether it’s world shaking or home grown. Let your imagination take off. Go wherever the words lead you. Stuck? Go back to the beginning and repeat it or start with a new detail.  

OR write about a June wedding. Were you a participant or a guest? Where was it? Why do you remember it? Is the couple still together? 

Get Involved: 

CAN you suggest a prompt or two for July? Include your name and your website and/or contact information, so we can give you a bit of publicity if we share it.  We’d love to read what you write.

We’ll only say what we love and we promise to ask for permission before sharing it. If we share it we’ll also our website and/or contact information if you want so we can give you a bit of publicity.

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A Sneak Peek at What We Look For in Flash Contest Submissions

Here are some of the things we look for as we read your submissions to our Flash Contests. If you have something that deviates from this, it might still knock our socks off, but these are some general guidelines. If we love or hate your main character, you’ll stand a better chance than if we feel neutral about her/him. 

1. Does the author’s point come across clearly or are you a little confused?
2. Did the characters change? Should they have?
3. Did the action fit the story? Was there too much or too little action?
4. Were the description, sentence structure, pace, tone, and mood appropriate?
5. Is there additional information that would have made this clearer?
6. Did the voice keep you reading?
7. Did you stop paying attention at any point?
8. Was the writing insightful?
9. Do you want to read more work by this author?
10. Did you find something exceptional that is not mentioned above?

If you can’t be objective about your own writing, you’re not alone. Ask a trusted writing partner to read your work and see what she thinks. 

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“Proofread and send what you wrote using any sentence start. Send it in the Contact Box at the bottom of the home page. Let us know if you have questions or if you’d be comfortable with our sharing your work. Thank you.”

May Writing Prompts: Sentence Starts

April Prompts

This photo was taken by my sister-in-law, Marsha Gibson. 

What does the open gate suggest to you? What do the wildflowers suggest? If you went through the gate, would you close it behind you or leave it open for others?

Imagine that you or a character you’re working with finds this open gate. What does s/he do? What obstacle does s/he encounter? What was his/her/their original reason for going through the gate, and what does s/he want or need to do now?  Let your imagination run free. Let it rip.

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Here’s a photo of classic California poppies. What year is it? What must the character who sees these poppies accomplish today? What is in her/his/their way?

Where is the nearest road? Will it help the narrator to get there?

What actions does s/he/they need to do and what does he want to do?

What must s/he/they overcome?

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Who are these women and what are they celebrating?

OR Pick a woman and tell her story. What was her life like, what happened, and what is she like now? 

OR Write about a woman who wants to get out of this group. 

OR Tell how the group was formed.

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What’s her name and where is she?

What’s her issue?

Who does she remind you of?

What advice can you give her? 

 

 

 

ALTERNATE OPTION: What story does one of these pictures suggest to you? Tell the story.

Questions? Please ask.

Want to share your story? Please send it to us using the Contact Box on the home page. It’s at the bottom. We’ll write back, tell you what we love in the writing, and we might ask your permission to share your story.