The Prompt
Because of the COVID vaccines, travel is opening up.
Write a story that’s also a travel brochure.
You can write as if it’s a fantasy locale or an Island in Greece or an outer space destination.
Christina M.
Christina is a writer who digs dragons.
Join the discussion: what will you do with today’s prompt OR how did it go? Need support? Post here!
Such a great prompt!
I wrote yesterday but forgot to comment here. This was so much fun and sparked lots of different ideas for me that I want to return to. I never think to write outside of the traditional format so it was good to think out of the box. I wrote an advertisement with reviews included for the Cluedo (or Clue) game mansion.
I wrote a brochure for beautiful POPOPOS, where the fruit market and water caves are endless, and the opportunity to help track down an outrageous conspirator against the state requires only the spirit of adventure and the signing of a waiver…
đ and it’s interesting and wonderful to see all the different directions everyone is taking with this one, as always
That sounds really intriguing!
I was a bit stumped at first, then realized I could use this to decide/outline the core setting of my linked stories. Very helpful!!!
I started a story about the youngest sibling in my urban fantasy, wanting to take a trip through a Multiverse Travel Company. A good start, which is exactly what I am aiming for this May!
Meeting your goals. Yay!
When I taught 6th grade ancient civilizations I had my students create a travel brochure for the ancient sites of Greece or Rome. So they drew aqueducts, the coliseum, Roman Baths, structure of Roman roads that linked places to other places, the Appian Way, Roman Villas, and togas.
They loved it and had fun doing research. Not sure what I am going to write about today, so we’ll see what transpires.
I hope you did a travel brochure to an ancient site!
I wrote about a place — one small spot in what we Michiganders call “up north.” But the story is about the narrator, observing the spot for the thousandth time in his life, and what he does this one particular time.
Oh that could be interesting: to visit a place youâve been 1000 timesâŚbut for the first time in that moment of your lifeâŚ
I know I made it a rule that nobody has to share their stories, but today’s was too much fun not to!
https://www.julieduffy.com/never-mind-the-incident-a-short-story/
Hilarious! But your rule is just that we don’t have to share, not that we can’t. Glad you did.
Thanks!
Plus, I’ve never been much for following all the rules… đ
Loved the story! Such a deft skill to have – richly inferring a story in a seemingly innocuous package!
Thanks! I had fun
Hilarious! Two thumbs WAAAAY up đ
Thanks đ
I wrote 616 words. One of our favorite family trips was to Australia. This is a fictitious story about two friends visiting Sydney. One visited before, so she acts as the tour guide, which is fun for a day or two. The other friend doesnât have much say in what they see, do, or where they eat and she is relieved when they board the train to Melbourne, where neither has been before and they can explore the city together. I started in the POV of the character who was there before. I changed to the other characterâs POV, because she was getting frustrated not having any say. I was sidetracked looking at Maps, the webcam, and the memories.
Sounds lovely!
Of course the research rabbit hole is always a temptation!
I had the prompt in my inbox, thanks to the kind lady, Julie, quite early but was confused. A story that is also a travel brochure? Did she mean, a story incorporating a travel brochure? It couldn’t have been about one as that would be some kind of an autobiographical story then? Truth to tell, I was confused.
I was kept busy for most of the day and could only turn back to the prompt after returning home. And I picked up the mobile and let my imagination take hold of my entire being. I don’t know if a travel video can be classified as a video brochure but I didn’t care as long as the story sounded all right to me. If you approve of it, that will be a bonus.
Here is The Sheer Magic of Heavenly Hope :
Simran couldn’t believe her eyes! The colorful brochure Whatsapped by her mother to her was a proof of what beauty and promises the Island of Hope held. Accompanied with some breathtaking photos of the locale that looked simply unreal, the place was the most hypnotic place she had seen in her life. One picture stood out from the rest.
The picture of a barechested man returning with a scoova boat under his arm at the backdrop of a crimson sun on the descent in the horizon, leaving the sky a hue of purple and gold.
Later, Sonam rang up Simran from office.
“Sim, I think that’s The Place. The office is closed on the 28th, which is a Friday as it is a national holiday. Then 29th is Saturday. A half-day. I can manage that. If we book the return ticket on the 30th, we’ll be back in the wee hours of the 31st. I can go to office and no one will be any wiser about my absence than need be.”
“That’s fine with me, Ma, but will Baba agree with the idea of this off-season trip?” Simran asked.
“Leave that to me.” Sonam sidestepped the issue. “Besides, from what a couple of colleagues, who had been to the island, had to tell me – one can visit the Island any time of the year. The climate is moderate and the hotels, world class.”
“Let me find out more about the island then by browsing through the net..”
But Simran was cut short by Sonam.
“I have already sent you the video brochures. Have a look. The first video with the commentator, one Imran or whatever his name may be, giving a practical tour of the Island, is the best in my opinion.”
The whole day, Simran, a 22-year-old MBA degree holder, on the lookout for a suitable job, spent going through the video. The commentator had done a fabulous job. He started off with a clipping of The Superfast Hurricane Express galloping ahead with full speed. He could be seen sitting near the window looking out As Simran kept marvelling at the moving train, there cropped up on the screen a list of other trains from all over India heading towards that destination.
The Man, Imran Mulik, went on to express next why he preferred that train to all other trains mainly due to the convenience of booking the tickets online 24×7.
Simran looked at the timings and was happy to see that the train arrived at Destiny Station at around 9.30 PM. Good, she thought, they could have an early dinner and get to the station by 9.00 PM. It reached Lover’s Paradise by 6 AM in the morning and the motor ride from there would take then to the Island of Hope at around 9 AM.
When Sonam was back home, the mother-daughter pair spent the next hour and a half making enquiries at some of the three-star hotels ( they didn’t go for the higher-rated hotels due to the budget) as stated in the video.
Imran Mulik in the meantime was giving a detailed run-through of most of the important sites of the place on the video.
“The video runs over nearly half an hour and this Imran guy is happy letting us glimpse through the sites with his back to us all along!” Simran chipped in.
“Didn’t you watch the whole video? The guy is unbelievably rich and runs a tour Agency called, what’s the name⌠?” Sonam stopped failing to recall the name of the agency.
“We’ll find out if we watch till the end,” Simran remarked.
Imran Mulik in the meanwhile was heard speaking about the popular foods, especially something called,The Ambrosia.
“It’s a heavenly delicacy and you mustn’t miss it an any cost. There are varieties of the food available all over Hope but I’d suggest you take it from the stalls near the beach. They serve the best variety. I won’t tell you more about the food just to keep you in suspence. But believe you me that you won’t regret having Ambrosia. Prices may vary but⌠”
Once their travel plan got okaed by Rehan, everything was taken care of in the days following with the train ticket booked, hotel reserved and the tickets for the site-seeing bus paid for in advance.
The video brochure was coming to the end with the commentator about to take his leave. He faced the camera for the first time since the video took off.
God! Simran cried aloud. “What a handsome hunk!”
“And in case you have any problem during your stay in this most sought after, the most incredible Island of Hope, do please note down my number: 9971625543. I do own a small travel agency called ‘For the Lovelorns’ just behind the Lighthouse, and will be glad to help you out. Till then, take care. Hoping to see you in heavenly Hope soon⌠..
Though the day they arrived there, Sonam and Rehan stayed in the hotel due to tiredness, Simran dashed for the beach without a care.
It was around 6 PM. The sun was a circular, golden ball of crimson on the horizon. Surprisingly, there were not many tourists to be seen around. A few lovers holding hands, cooing into each others’ ears sitting on the rocky steps. A family with the father holding the toddler in his arms, with his wife beside him watching intently a boy making a mermaid with the sands on the beach.
The place and the moment were just hypnotic. It was preciaely then that Simran saw him, emerging from the waters, barechested with a scoova boat under his arm. The high waves of the sea were lapping against the shore.
For Simran time stood still as she kept watching him hungrily. She had never seen a handsomer man!
How Simran met Imran, was offered a job and eventually ended up being married to him was due to the sheer magic of the Hope Island but that is another story for posterity.
The end
Yes, this whole week is going to be prompts that encourage you to write stories in unusual forms. Of course, youâre welcome to write anything you want.
I DID write mine as if it was an actual travel brochure, which kept it very short and not in the normal narrative tradition. I love stories that sneak into the edges of everyday documents đ
My short-story is about a hotel that moves and takes its “guests” with it. So I wrote a quickie brochure for it. This was a fun prompt.
The Royal Savoy
~Boutique Hotel~
Located far from the hustle and bustle of the big city The Royal Savoy unplugs you from the modern world.
Chic and Unique.
Beautifully decorated in the fabulous decor of 1920âs Art Deco, with gorgeous views of the surrounding countryside.
Something for Everyone.
Gourmet food, nightly entertainment, and themed weekends. Join us for a poker tournament, dance like Fred Astaire or just chill to the groovy music of the 70âs.
âOnce you have experienced our beautiful hotel you will never want to leaveâ
–Ms Clara Savoy–
Fantastic! And fantastical! Cheers to you, Brenda!
Love that idea!!! What a fun and creative concept!!!
Ha! What if they want to leave? Can they?
And now Iâm thinking that the hotel travels in time as well as space, and that I get to go to the Groovy 70s for realâŚ
Another day of not *quite* following the prompt. Instead of a travel brochure, I decided to do a “Meet the Players” for the team in my Baseball Boys series. 45 minutes and 574 words later, I filled in 5 of them(ones that have had a significant role in book 1). I may fill in the others and keep this for plotting purposes for future books.
…and giveaways for your fans!
This sounds so fun. I admire your inventiveness. đ
This was interesting. I wrote 844 words in the second person, and because it was a story, not just a brochure, something had to happen, yet be resolved enough to keep the destination enticing. In short, you arrive at a child-free luxury island resort for your holiday. Once you’re settled in, a toddler appears, down on the beach. What do you do? How do you feel? What happens to the child? Will you EVER be able to escape the smells of diapers and the sounds of tantrums? Fortunately for all–and you especially–everyone lives happily ever after (until it is time to get back on that crowded flight and endure being squashed together for 7-hours on the flight home again).
That sounds like a lot of fun. I would read that!
Christina – I really enjoyed this prompt!
I took a brochure template and filled it up. Needed just this to loosen me up đ
Excellent idea. I sort of did the same thing, to get a feel for what I wanted to say.
I kind of did the same. Found a brochure template on Canva and used it for the illustration.
I often find it easier to write when I have a particular format/layout to stick to. Youâre right, itâs a great way to loosen things up.