The Prompt

Today you’re going to dig into your memories and find one that has emotional resonance.

(Tip: it’s easy to reach for a dark memory, because those have strong emotions attached to them, but don’t be afraid to dig around for moments of joy, surprise, and happiness too. Happy stories can be deep, too!)

Put your characters into a scenario where they will feel similarly strong emotions. Then tell us that story, but practice doing it without ever naming an emotion.

Show us how they feel in their bodies, in what they notice, in any way you can. Make the scenery reflect their mood, if you want! Just don’t name the emotions.

This is excellent practice for any time you want readers to linger in the moment with your characters, or any time you want to highlight that This Is An Important Moment!

If you want more practice with the this technique, check out the One Story Challenge – Show, Don’t Tell Edition

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Julie Duffy

Julie Duffy is a writer and the host of StoryADay. She has been working with authors since 1998 and has run the StoryADay Superstars writing group since 2018. Browse some of her on-demand workshops and workshops, or sign up for a coaching session, here:

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Join the discussion: what will you do with today’s prompt OR how did it go? Need support? Post here!

Remember: Please don’t post your story in the comments here (and I talk more about why not, here). Best practice: Leave us a comment about how it went, or share your favorite line from your story.

 

The Prompt

In March, researchers at Matter Neuroscience installed a ‘Call a Boomer’ payphone near Boston University that connects to a similar ‘Call a Zoomer’ payphone in a Nevada senior living facility.

The project’s goal, in part, is to connect two of the loneliest US demographics and to study the role those interactions have in combatting that loneliness.

Neither callers nor recipients know the other’s identity when they call, and their conversation topics (recorded for the study) range from the weather to dating advice.
Write a story about one such conversation.

Or not.

But be sure to include a payphone.

• What are its features and how does this device fit (or not fit ) into your story world?
• How familiar are your characters with this technology?

A story about a payphone in ancient Mesopotamia, for example, would be wildly different from one set in 1970’s Manhattan.

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Michele Reisinger

Michele Reisinger’s short fiction has appeared in Across the Margin, Stories That Need to be Told, Sunspot Literary Journal, Dreamers Creative Writing, and others. Find more of her writing online at mereisinger.com.

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Join the discussion: what will you do with today’s prompt OR how did it go? Need support? Post here!

Remember: Please don’t post your story in the comments here (and I talk more about why not, here). Best practice: Leave us a comment about how it went, or share your favorite line from your story.

 

The Prompt

 

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Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Debbie Ridpath Ohi is a Canadian author and illustrator whose work has appeared in over 20 books for young people. Her art most recently appeared in books by Michael Ian Black and Judy Blume. Find out more about Debbie and her work at DebbieOhi.com

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Join the discussion: what will you do with today’s prompt OR how did it go? Need support? Post here!

Remember: Please don’t post your story in the comments here (and I talk more about why not, here). Best practice: Leave us a comment about how it went, or share your favorite line from your story.

 

The Prompt

Write a story of exactly 100 words with the theme “Inhuman”.

My illustration for this prompt suggests one way to go with this theme, but I can think of many ways you could twist this and surprise readers.

Don’t forget it’s OK to over-write or under-write and then trim or add, as necessary.

(for more tips on how to write a story in 100 words read this previous prompt: )

Then, consider submitting it to 100 Foot Crow, before their May 15, 2026 deadline.

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Julie Duffy

Julie Duffy is a writer and the host of StoryADay. You can dip in to 300+ episodes of the StoryADay podcast (with writing prompts, interviews, and inspiration) here: StoryADay Podcast

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Join the discussion: what will you do with today’s prompt OR how did it go? Need support? Post here!

Remember: Please don’t post your story in the comments here (and I talk more about why not, here). Best practice: Leave us a comment about how it went, or share your favorite line from your story.

The Prompt

Choose a bleak, hopeless setting (examples: a dystopian city, a prison, a refugee boat).

Write a story in this setting and make everything dark for the protagonists. They can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.

Without changing the setting or the characters (and without writing a sequel/prequel), write a story where everything is hopeful.

• What choices from the protagonists can make that setting a hopeful one?
• What narrative decisions could change this perspective?
• What plot beats could change the story from a dark one to a hopeful one?

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Renan Bernardo

Renan Bernardo is an author of science fiction and fantasy.

He is a Nebula Finalist, Ignyte Nominee, Utopian nominee, and a Locus-recommended author. His work has been published in English, Portuguese, Chinese, German, Italian, and Japanese.

You can find his stories in several publications, including Clarkesworld, Reactor (Tor.com), Apex Magazine, Podcastle, Escape Pod, Samovar, Solarpunk Magazine, Translunar Travelers Lounge, and more.

His collection of Solarpunk/Climate Fiction stories, DIFFERENT KINDS OF DEFIANCE, was published in 2024 by Android Press. His dark space opera novella, DISGRACED RETURN OF THE KAP’S NEEDLE, was published in 2025 by Dark Matter Ink and was a finalist for the Nebula Award.

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Join the discussion: what will you do with today’s prompt OR how did it go? Need support? Post here!

Remember: Please don’t post your story in the comments here (and I talk more about why not, here). Best practice: Leave us a comment about how it went, or share your favorite line from your story.

 

The Prompt

Begin with a confined space. This could mean physically cramped, or that your character is constrained such that they must—for whatever reasons—remain in place for a spell. (A cave and a mandatory business dinner both confine in their own way.)

In this space, a phone that does not belong to your character rings loudly, in succession, at least ten times. (This is about five nonstop minutes of ringing.)

Questions to consider:
To whom might the phone belong? What does the ringing trigger in your character? Who will or will not answer it? Who is on the other end? What do they want? How is the phone silenced and what consequences might result?

Whatever the answers:
It can no longer be ignored.

Enjoy mining the conflicts and compelling needs this may spark. Happy writing!

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Lara Hughes

Lara Hughes is a recipient of the 2025 PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize. Her fiction has appeared in Best Debut Short Stories 2025 (Catapult), The Arkansas International, and is forthcoming in the Indiana Review. She holds an MFA from Vanderbilt University and currently lives in Nashville, where she is at work on a novel and short story collection.

www.LaraHughes.com

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Join the discussion: what will you do with today’s prompt OR how did it go? Need support? Post here!

Remember: Please don’t post your story in the comments here (and I talk more about why not, here). Best practice: Leave us a comment about how it went, or share your favorite line from your story.