The Prompt
Write a six-word story complete with a beginning, middle, and end. Classic example from Hemingway: “Baby shoes for sale. Never worn.” Suggested prompt word: May. Could be the month, a person, a permission request, a game (e.g. Mother May I?). Or use another word. Bonus points if every word starts with the same letter.
The Author
J.E.M. Wildfire danced on the edge of creative writing throughout her life, culminating with lawyerly briefs and memorandums filled with facts presented as creatively as possible while remaining truthful.
After retiring, she decided to dispense with facts and concentrate on creativity. She discovered that the diversity of StoryADay May prompts sparked her late-blooming talent and led down writing paths she would not have stumbled upon otherwise. Most recently, her work has appeared in the April 2021, issue of “Love Letters to Poe.”
Read A Book, Support An Indie
This year’s StoryADay May official bookseller is Reads & Company, a privately-owned indie bookseller in Pennsylvania. Any purchase from the site this month supports Reads & Co.
Leave a comment and let us know how you used the prompt, and how you’re celebrating!
Here is mine:
PS You won’t see May again.
Uh-oh!
He never forgot what’s her name
Oh, excellent!! So clever!
I did two of these, hehe! Many thanks for the prompt!
https://xenocandela.wordpress.com/2021/05/09/memoriae/
and
https://xenocandela.wordpress.com/2021/05/09/memoria/
[Oh, this is FUN! Thank you!!]:
Muse-moved writer catches the tail.
Morning mountain mists make mysterious music.
Mountain meadow mists move mystical moon.
I want to share something if that’s all right. (I’m writing this post on May 10.) This is context for the meaning of my modest six-word wonder at the end. 🙂
I’m mostly doing the 31 day challenge to internalize the basic story form outline given in the handouts. I wonder if I am the only one. Helloooo, out there. Anyone else feel it?
This structure issue has caused me more writer’s block (for years) than I care to think about. So I’m not writing more than pre-first-draft stories for this challenge. I’m focusing on my BAP (Big-A**-Problem) instead. I aim to fix it.
But I will make full stories out of all I do among you good people here. Even for prompts and styles I would never use for a story. I don’t have trouble fleshing out narratives once I can see and feel the outline. (btw – The outline itself can change up when I do that.) For example, I find memoir-like narratives and anecdotes easy. I’m a blabbermouth, anyway. 🙂
But I want to do pure fiction for real without getting lost–as usual–among the entangled nests and botherations in my brain.
Happily, this challenge is working. It’s actually working. I have kept up–at least to now–and, wow. Eight pre-first drafts that I feel are good so far. That’s more in eight days for fiction than I have produced in twice as many years. I am enchanted with how this process is blowing my structure problems away like leaves in a windstorm fluttering and breaking free.
My stories this go-around are only pre-rough-drafts, thus I feel timid about sharing them. But today’s particular project–a six-worder with may–can’t use that template. So I’ll share my own finished story, in first person at that. It’s a smile at you Storyaday people and at the most amiable Julie Duffy (with a big thank you to her for her efforts).
May Storyaday. I suffer. I stay.
Michael
This makes me very happy!
Mysterious monks move mountain Monastery. Maybe murderously?
Monkey meets magnificent mandolin. Music materializes.
Ha! You know I can’t resist a bit of alliteration. Nice one!
So much fun!
May’s dragon ate the gallant knight.
Here are four:
Beyond our door the bodies stink.
Hearts and hands joined, we unite.
I stand strong in the daylight.
Sentient animals ring around the amphitheater.
Majestic mountain marks misty morning memory
Misty eyes clear, Spring hope here.
I wrote four. Fun prompt for a relaxing Sunday. 🙂
Maybe I will. Maybe I won’t.
Aunt May was a veritable Saint.
Born in May. Gone by June.
May flowers bring thoughts of you…
Love how you got the May into each of them. Well done.
I wrote several.
https://tammysreadinglife.wordpress.com/2021/05/09/day-9-storyadaymay/
Mississippi morning mists May’s marvelous marigolds.
https://lyncrain.com/2021/05/09/story-a-day-with-julie-duffy-3/
Until death parts us. Mission accomplished.
Perfect!
May hates April. Keep the rain!
Better?
This could almost have been a story about two girls!
Mya hates April. Keep the rain!
Remote school isn’t working. Send help.
This musical language, sounds of words.
Wrote two: “Rabbit” and “Water Bearer.”
Might write more if muse agrees.
Intrigued by “rabbit”
I do have an obsession with Alice in Wonderland!
Hooray! Something short for a change!
(That is not the story lol)