I’ve
discovered in the last year that I LOVE to first draft stories. I really do! I’ve
read a lot from authors lately who say that their favorite part of writing is
the rewriting, because they get to polish the story into the gem it was meant
to be. Maybe I’m just too inexperienced at rewriting to really enjoy the
process, but rewriting is really painful for me. For me, the fun of writing
comes in discovering the new worlds that crop up out of nowhere every time I
sit down to start another story. I get to meet people and see places and experience
things for the very first time and there is NOTHING about writing that can beat
that!
Last year I
did Camp NanoWrimo in April. I decided I was going to focus on short stories.
Partly because I wasn’t sure how much time I was going to have. Partly because
I struggle to create a cohesive storyline and learning by writing 10 short
stories sounded easier than trying to write 10 novels. At that point, I wasn’t
entirely sure I even knew how to tell a good story. The writing part has always
been easy for me. It’s story that I struggle with.
Much to my
shock, I enjoyed the heck out of the month and walked away with 6 short story
drafts, all in different worlds. And now I get to do it again! A whole month of
short story creation stretching out before me!! I can’t wait!!! (What’d I tell
you about the exclamation points?)
So in honor
of my month of short story drafting, I’m posting another list of story prompts.
Some are more complete than others. Some are bits of dialogue or just an image.
Some are sci-fi but most are whatever you want them to be! Use them any way you’d
like!
25 Story Prompts
1.
A semi-truck high-centered on a boulder.
2.
Even very long hair stands straight up on end
before a lightning strike.3. Use sound as a weapon
4. An explorer fabricates evidence to keep the program running.
5. “Is that still hard you?” “Of course. Always.”
7. “How can you not know what’s in your own museum. And how on earth did it get here?”
8. The story of a woman doing something alone for the very first time.
9. Having to apologize for doing the right thing.
10. A blank message left on a newly occupied hotel room.
11.
A disappearance
12.
A prison break13. An archeological relic
14. Human/animal chimera
15. Sacrifice brings blessings
16.
A building site is chosen by shooting an arrow
high in the air. It lands in the back of a deer. He runs.
17.
Rumspringa for a king.18. Two siblings. One trying to get the other to reconcile with the parent before it’s too late.
19. What would happen if we managed to sterilize EVERYTHING?
20. Lost in a corn field.
21.
Bridge to nowhere
22.
A technology that’s needed desperately, but it’s
too terrifying to use.23. Refugees are disappearing
24. Mining the landfills for plastic because we’ve run out of oil.
25. Two is one and one is none.
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