Flash fiction is a short story told in as few words as possible. It can vary from 6 words to a 1000 depending on the publication.

Take the following words to write a story (with beginning, middle and end) that is 850 words or less.

Swede
conserve
box
five

Good luck!
~Amber

It’s mid-July and some places around the globe are experiencing scorching heat.  This won’t last forever.  Think ahead to when leaves have fallen and there’s a slight chill in the air.  Children dressed as witches and goblins go from door to door looking for treats.

Magazines have early deadlines so waiting until September or October to write a Halloween story is too late for that year.  So I dare you to think ahead and write one now.

The Verb has a nice Intense Suspense writing contest with a September deadline.  Imagine your protagonist is in danger and the cell phone won’t work!  I think NPR had something about this… of all the disaster movies, apparently 2012 had the best cell phone coverage.

Good luck!
~Amber

It’s officially summer.  Kids are out of school and on the loose.  Imagine a beautiful day.  Children and adults have money to spend on their favorite dessert truck.  What could go wrong?

Ice cream truck, cupcake truck, ice cream cart… you name it.  Just write about the disaster that takes place.

Have fun,
Amber

You can set a timer if you so choose.  When freewriting it’s best to let yourself write the first things that come to mind.  Don’t let yourself edit it while you’re writing.  When you reread what you’ve written you may find something you want to expand on in a larger piece. 

Photo behind the cut.
~Amber
(more…)

I was planning on using a photo I took a few weeks ago as an image prompt but it seems we’ve had a few photo prompts lately. This afternoon I read a poem about a found digital camera which made me think of a photo related writing prompt without having to use an actual image.  (Yes, my thinking is convoluted so bear with me.)

Write about the loss of a special photo.

Have fun!
~Amber

You don’t have to be a flower aficionado to appreciate a beautiful garden. Write a description of your dream garden – would it have dozens of rose bushes, tulips, lilies, a fountain or two, a bench, or all of the above? Then place a character in it and write about what happens. Perhaps have that character interact with a gardener or other caretaker of the garden.

~ CJ

Nearly all fiction (and non-fiction) has a range of emotions in the work.  That’s what moves the reader to laughter or tears.

Write about a relationship gone bad.

Earlier this month, several US States were witnesses to a meteor hitting the atmosphere. Write about a character’s reaction to this type of phenomenon. You’ll get to know the character better.

We all have deadlines of some sort in our lives.  We have self-imposed ones during NaNoWriMo and Writo de Mayo to write a set number of words or accomplish specific writing goals.

Deadlines are extremely helpful in staying disciplined with our writing.  For today’s writing exercise, pick an item from Duotrope’s Theme & Deadline calendar and respond to it before May 1st. 

Good luck!

~Amber

What if the Easter Bunny was really a Werewolf?  How would that change the holiday?

*Prompt from WritingPerc 2008 Newsletter