At lunchtime, your character sees a school bus with an unusual logo pick up just one student. Your character tells a teacher, who responds, “Tell no one!” Your character investigates. On a walk. The school across from my house is full of gleeful yelling and laughter. Kids must be out after lunch. The parking lot... Continue Reading →

Describe three very different places in a city. A slight descent into sand surrounded by a concrete barrier. Children laughing and staying away from the iron slides due to the heat. Moms chatting leisurely over coffee, glad to be out of the house. Sprinklers making their clockwork rotations on the dewy green grass. Cars driving... Continue Reading →

A 10-year-old genius who is a senior in high school asks their biology lab partner to prom with an elaborate “promposal.” Write the scene. How does the lab partner respond? “Do you see the pen?” Freddy Wilson swallowed hard, hands clammy and shaking slightly. Fiona Sanders stared blankly at him, waiting for a response. “Say... Continue Reading →

What is a current news story that interests you? Set that story far in the future, on another planet, or in an alternate universe. Dulcich sat on a bench near Ocean Park. It was Thursday, January 16th, 2673. He had a term paper due the next day, but wasn’t worried. He had plenty of time.... Continue Reading →

A lonely elderly woman traps a telemarketer in a conversation. The telemarketer unsuccessfully attempts to stick to their script. Write the dialogue. “Hello, this is George with Relay Communications, calling because you submitted an online interest form in our NEWEST and MOST EFFICIENT HI SPEED cellphone! Do you have a few moments for me to... Continue Reading →

Write a list of words that include the “oo” sound: blue, smooth, tooth, tune, etc. Write a story using as many of those words as you can. Through two shoes a true moo moves. Accrue a new noon to slew the cool pools.

Your character goes down to the basement to get something and notices the pale outline of a hidden door. They open it to find an elaborate labyrinth of tunnels. I jog down the steps to the basement, cursing at myself for not having more than one long phone charger in the house. I walk into... Continue Reading →

Your character is on a road trip when they discover an unusual museum, such as the Museum of Junk Food or the Museum of Unfulfilled Longings. Describe the museum. The radio has been static for hours. Nothing but miles and miles of dead, cold farmland. And.... A road attraction sign, ten miles ahead. It's simply... Continue Reading →

Remember a place you have lived that has emotional significance. In the voice of a tour guide, introduce someone to this place. This pond holds both pleasure and pain. Down by the shore we see the memory of a selfish boy and a girl who is not ready to be married. There are footprints in... Continue Reading →