Today’s a great day to write a warm-up story before StoryADay

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Today’s prompt

Write a story inspired by this image

Remember: If you’re planning to write a LOT of stories this month, they’re going to be short, often Flash Fiction (fewer than 1000 words). That means your story’s scope has to be narrow but deep. 

You can’t tell the story of this person’s life, just the story of this moment. Everything else, you can hint at.

Warm Up – 5 minutes

Look around around your space and picking out details. Think about things you can see, touch, hear, smell, and yes, even taste.

Spend five minutes writing descriptions of several of those things. Try to find new ways to describe elements that have clichés attached to them: for example, don’t say “the computer fan purred like a kitten”, instead say something like “the white noise from my computer’s fan utterly failed to mask the sounds of my mother crashing around in the kitchen below.” (Or something better that comes from your unique brain and experiences).

Invite the reader into the sensation with your words.

Brainstorm – 5 minutes

This picture depicts a moment in this person’s life. 

• What are they looking for (what do they desire)? 
• What are they anticipating is about to happen and why? 
• What will change for them if they gets what they want? 
• How many thoughts will run through their mind as they looks out of this window?
• What actions do they take to distract themselves from whatever it is they’re anticipating? 
• What has already happened, before they lean forward to look out of the window?
• What point of view and style of story will you choose to help readers inhabit this moment? A first-person stream of consciousness monologue? A slow, lyrical depiction of the moment? A more action driven scene that shows us all the things the main character does before, during and after this moment? A second-person reflection on what it is to wait or anticipate (“you stand at the window, bent at the waist, unaware of the dawn chorus in the long grass outside. All you can think about is…)

You can’t write about all of these things, but you can choose one, two or three and have them add up to a story (think of it like a puzzle for the reader to solve).

Discussion: How did you get on with your short story? How are you feeling now that the challenge is right around the corner?

🌟 Superstars Edge: You will hit bumps during the challenge. The difference is, the StoryADay Superstars writers have a place to land — to recover, to reset, to keep going. That’s why they finish. That’s why they grow. Join us!