The Prompt
Just for fun, write a story through horoscopes.
This could either be a horoscope on a given day for your various characters.
A simplified example is a protagonist’s horoscope that might say, “You’re a curious soul, but be careful who you trust.” And an antagonist’s horoscope that says, “You’re bold and aren’t afraid to get what you want. Don’t let your anger get the better of you.”
But another option could be a series of horoscopes for a given character.
This could be a daily, weekly, or monthly horoscope, which would have “fortunes” for a few days, weeks, or months, respectively.
Horoscope one: The stars say it’s a good time to stay home. Horoscope two: You’ve recently been in an accident. Now is a time to focus on healing. Three: You’ve taken too many risks. Pay more attention to nearby dangers.
You don’t have to know anything about the zodiac to give it a try. Just play around with it.
Marta Pelrine-Bacon
Marta is a writer and artist who drowns her demons in coffee and can’t be trusted with a pen. She has a few stories published (all written during Story-a-Day!) and is currently creating things for her better angels on Patreon.
Join the discussion: what will you do with today’s prompt OR how did it go? Need support? Post here!
I’m out of sync with stories due to time zones and hemispheres so I wrote this one late. Centred around a coffee shop, Amy ridicules the horoscopes in the local paper, but can’t help trying to match them to the other customers with their coffee. Of course, her scepticism is addressed in a glorious twist at the end when she takes a chance to exchange a few words with the man waiting to take her table as she leaves. Totally pantsed this one and slowly learning to trust that the story knows where it will go. This muscle is slowly loosening with the daily writing exercise so thank you, Julie, and the daily prompt creators!
I really loved this prompt
So, I actually looked at a horoscope this morning before 13 grueling (and it’s not always grueling) hours at my day job…and my yesterday and today were spot on. Unfortunately, this day at work has truly kicked my soul so, I vented a little in a journal. It doesn’t quite count, I realize but I’ve missed a couple of days and just wanted to say, thanks for the lovely prompts. I have written every day…mostly stories…but twice, now, have just managed to play with words, which is something I agreed with myself I would do on the busy 12-13 hour work days. Again, thanks. This prompt sprang some pretty interesting ideas.
You DEFINITELY get to call it a win that you journaled after a grueling day.
And these prompts stay up so (shhh, don’t tell anyone else) you can come back to them later 😉
I hope your soul is getting some rest. You definitely have a win with journaling!
Alright, so accountability. I was able to get through the first act of my short story today, which after a very looonnnng dry spell for me, is quite remarkable. I will try to finish it after I finish tomorrow’s story:) Really, this is a great improvement so far, and I’m optimistic that I will at least get some great material by the end of the month. Good vibes to everyone 😁
I’m so happy to hear you’ve broken a dry spell. I’m so glad the challenge is helping you get some material down and build your confidence back up. Keep up the good work!
I had much internal resistance to this prompt, but I was finally able to overcome it. I wrote a story called Lucky Lottery where a young woman who writes horoscopes for a daily paper goes out with a man who writes fortunes for Chinese cookies. Their entire conversation consists of horoscopes and Chinese fortunes, and they end up having a fight. Third person, past tense, 266 words.
How creative! And I also like that they end up in a fight; it’s unexpected and ironic. Great job👍
A, well done on overcoming the internal resistance and B, I LOVE that idea. What a fun combo!
Thanks for giving this a try. Your premise sounds like fun actually.
Fun prompt. Wrote 335 words about a woman with pre-wedding jitters. She’s thinking about postponing the wedding because her horoscope says: Stay clear of all romantic relationships this weekend because they are doomed for failure. His horoscope says: Embrace the one you love. Move up to the next step in your relationship.
Hahahaha, clever! I actually wrote about romance too, and I usually stay away from it like the plague. I think it’s because horoscopes go hand in hand with romantic predictions.
Oh, I love that. Now I need to read it to see what happens!
I deviated from the prompt a bit, using a line from a fortune cookie to draft a scene in which a character is ready to give up but doesn’t.
Persistence. Now what COULD have put that into your head, this month?
I fully support deviating from prompts!
Completed about a 1600 word short story entitled “Behind The Counter With Mrs. Smith using horoscopes as a prompt. It was kind of fun. All caught up with the prompts as of today!
Yay, you! That’s reason to celebrate 🙂
Amazing! Well done!
I’m glad it was fun! And yay on all that writing!
I had to overcome some resistance to write to this prompt. In the end I used a horoscope or aphorism such as one might find in a fortune cookie for my 400 word story.
Here’s the opening:
“Like art-life is what you make of it.”
The tiny slip of paper nestled in the broken shards of cookie mocked her. Her life, just like her art career, was in shambles. There was nothing to either anymore.
On the table, among the empty bowls and plates, the thick bundle of legal papers lay. Glenn even managed to leave his to-go box behind after making a big deal of loading it up with the leftovers. And the check. Of course.
That is a goooood opening.
That is an excellent opening!
Didn’t quite follow the prompt. Instead, I had two characters discussing the accuracy of horoscopes and them having differing opinions on that. 339 words for this one.
Differing opinions=conflict=reader interest.
You know what you’re doing, Fallon!
I always believe in leaving the prompt behind if it suits you! And differing opinions makes a story.
The Destined Scolar
I was in Class-IX when I came back home one day to see a dhoti-clad, tall man being surrounded by a host of our family members in the courtyard.
I saw him examining the palm of a dear Sister-in-law and pronouncing things that took everyone aback!
“You’ve a tendency to commit harakiri, Ma’am. Be careful. This may be bad for you in the long run… ”
I was surprised for I had never heard, let alone seen, her trying to put an end to her life. But later, my relatives told me that it was true.
That astrologer-cum-Physics Teacher really took the steam out of everyone in our house that day, and when he predicted a cousin to be married to the same person she was having an affair with, people were stunned. His prediction was to prove spot on but that is another story.
Naturally, when that cousin having taken my palm in her hand, put it forward to the man, I was curious.
He spoke of a lot of nice things including that I was destined to be a great scholar… ..
By the time, I was in Class-X, my Sanskrit Teacher, Mr. Nikhilesh. Acharyya who also happened to be a Gold Medalist in Astrology and owned a Chamber near our school, told me in the class itself without looking at my palm or anything like that! ( He kept staring at my forehead though.)
“You are destined to be a renowned scholar, Raj. Keep my words in mind.”
I felt so awkward that I didn’t know where to hide my face. This happened in the middle of the class, mind you, with nearly forty-five pairs of eyes fixed on me!
I was inwardly in the seventh heaven though. If it was my fortune to be a scholar, let it be so. Aren’t scholarly people respected everywhere in the world. What did Sir Acharyya teach us in Sanskrit?
Bidyattyancha nripatyancha noibo tulyong kadachana/ Swadeshe pujjate raja, Bidwan sarbatra pujjyate.
(There can be no comparison between a King and a Scholar. A King is only worshipped in his native place while a scholar is worshipped all over the globe.)
My cup of tea was full when just before my Higher Secondary Examination, a neighbouring Sister-in-law introduced me to her brother, a fat man with a bulging tummy and receding hairline in her house.
“This is my brother, Raj. He is a palmist and can tell you a lot about your future. Why don’t you show him your palm?”
The world was very innocent then and I saw no harm in doing her bidding.
The man told me the best that I heard from anybody till then.
By the time my HS result was out, I knew that the doors to my being a renowned scholar were closing one after another. I had turned out to be a poor student academically, and the least said about my future, the best.
I met Mr. Acharyya in the market then one day and couldn’t help asking him:
“Didn’t you say that I was destined to be a scholar, Sir?”
“I did but that doesn’t mean that you could be somebody without any hardwork.”
I was on my way back when he called out to me, ” Let me tell you one more thing, Raj. Don’t go around showing your palm to every Tom, Dick and Harry. There’re palmists who can steal your good fortune and replace it with the bad ones.”
I could make neither head not tail of what he was talking about. His words came back to me when I met a young chap in a wedding reception.
The place was teeming with good-looking girls and there was this chap sitting smugly in a corner having the time of his life with some of those girls leaning against him.
He took the palm of a very attractive one, examined it and said something like :
“If you don’t mind your steps, you’ll regret it a lot later.. ”
The lass, worried, craned her face closer to the palmist with a pleading look as if she was asking him to be her saviour.
I felt like cursing the chap and couldn’t stand the sight of him. I knew that he was a hoax and didn’t know a thing about astrology. But he had those girls literally eating out of his hand. There was no point trying to put some sense into the heads of those girls surrounding him. So, I left him with the brainless beauties, flabbergasted.
As luck would have it, I met the chap within the university premises (I was pursuing my Master’s at that time) one day with a stunning-looking girl from another department.
“Hi, aren’t you the astrologer?” I asked him jovially.
It was a beautiful evening. The ducks floating without a care underneath the small, wooden bridge in the lake with the lush greenery all around might have prompted me to act so bravely.
“Yes,” he replied trying to trace me.
“If you’ve the time, I’d like you to read my palm.” I uttered that, knowing full well that there was a lady with him.
He hesitated before saying, “Ok. But let’s get done with this fast.”
He handed the leather diary to his companion and glanced at my proffered palm.
“Hmn… I see some disaster… but not to worry… ” He went on to tell me a lot of rubbish next.
He was taking the diary back from the charmer beside him when I cried out :
“I ain’t an astrologer but I can predict your future too.”
“Can you?” There was a smile at the corners of his mouth while his eyes squinted. “Why don’t you tell me my fortune?”
I kept staring not exactly at his forehead but beyond him while the girl got curious in me for the first time.
“I know you’re a playboy and married. Mend your habbits, youngman if you don’t want your baby to have your kinda fortune.” I blurted out.
The deadly look in his eyes said it all. The looker freed her hand from his grasp saying, ” Oh, I’ve to get back home early today as… ”
She almost broke into a run, followed by the fake astrologer.
I nearly forgot to tell you one thing before I wind up. I have recently received an offer after that self-gratifying incident, from The Manchester University as a Guest Speaker on The Art of Story Writing.
The end
I enjoyed your humorous take on the prompt!
Fun take on the prompt!