Prompt Archive (2012 - 2023)

Prompt Archive

Please note that we are no longer accepting submissions for prompts from previous years.  Our next project takes place on 15 June 2024.

The live prompts will be posted on the front Write-In page, one per hour on National Flash Fiction Day.  On Sunday, 16 June 2024, they will be posted on their own '2024 Prompts' page, accessible from the main menu.

 

 

2023 Writing Prompts

 Welcome to The Write-In! This year, we're celebrating the 2023 National Flash Fiction Day Anthology theme of time....
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0: Time to Start....

Write a story involving a conversation in which no one finishes their sentences. Or, if you prefer, write a story in which you don't finish any of the sentences.



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1: Twenty-Four Seven


To celebrate our 24 hours of The Write-In, Prompt #1 is to write a 24-word flash. Give it a 7-word title, just to keep you in a flashy mood all week.


Hyphenated words count as one word. (For example, ‘twenty-four hour clock’ would count as three words.)




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2: Period!?


Write a flash that does not use a full stop or period as a punctuation mark. You can use any other end punctuation you like, or none at all, as long as you avoid the '.' mark.


What about ellipses you ask? Oh, sneaky. Go on then. If you must.


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3: Third Time’s a Charm



Write a piece in which you have three sets of three repeated lines or phrases. How you structure the piece is up to you, as long as you include three things that are each repeated three times.

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4: Time Travel **

You’ve travelled through time and encounter a younger version of yourself. You want to leave them an anonymous note. What life lesson would you share? Feel free to write from the point of view of yourself or a fictional character, whichever you prefer.

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5 Split Second


Write a triptych (three flashes meant to be read together) or a three-part flash (one flash made of three distinct parts) where each section takes place in the same moment of time. Maybe each section is written from the point of view of a different character, or maybe it's the same character or situation, but things are a little different in each telling.


We appreciate it's tricky to write a triptych in 300 words, so if you're writing a triptych, you can have up to 150 words per section (450 words total).


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6: Time will tell....


Write a flash in the form of a daily planner page, a weekly to-do list spread, or a timetable. (If you use visual elements, feel free to send us an image of your piece.)



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7: Once upon a time....


Write a version of a traditional fairy tale, folk story or fable, but set it in more modern times. What would be the same? What would be different? Feel free to interpret and play!



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8: No Time Like The Present

Write a flash set at least 100 years in the past, but write it in the present tense, as if it the story is unfolding right now. (Bonus points for each century back you dare to go!)

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9: Roll Back the Clock


Write a story in which the action happens backwards, e.g. you move farther back in time as the story progresses. Each sentence or each paragraph (your choice) should describe events that happen earlier in time than than the one before.

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10: Desperate Times **



Write about a moment where you were afraid to do something but did it anyway. You are welcome to write about yourself or a fictional character.

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11: Just a Moment....


Write a 'breathless paragraph' flash where the whole story takes place in just one moment. This could be right before, right after, or right as something happens. It's fine to allude to things that have happened or will happen, but the story itself must take place in the moment.


A 'breathless paragraph' is a flash that is written in one paragraph. It often is written as one big, long run-on sentence, or with no punctuation at all.




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12: Sands of Time


To celebrate the launch of our 2023 Anthology, Prompt #12 takes its inspiration from the cover art and the 100-word limit of our annual microfiction competition (published within). Write a flash of exactly 100 words that uses the phrase 'sands of time' somewhere within the story (and not the title). You can make the story 100 words exactly with or without the title included in the word count.



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13: Time Out!



For this prompt we're borrowing inspiration from the Oulipo tradition, and trying our hands at some constrained writing.

Try writing a short piece without using the letters T, I, M or E.

(If you're having trouble getting started, you may wish to consider experimenting with writing in the second person....)

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14: In the Foreseeable Future

Write a flash completely in the future tense.


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15: Time is of the Essence

In this prompt, it’s time to loosen up, let your hair down, and embrace the cliché!


Find a time-related idiom or phrase and use that as the title for your piece, and feel free to use every cliché, idiom, or well-worn phrase you can think of. Feel free to get silly.


It’s not required, but bonus points are available if you do so in the context of a genre piece.... Maybe it’s a whodunnit called ‘Killing Time’, a Western called ‘Spur of the Moment’, a courtroom drama called ‘Just in Time’, a space opera called ‘Once in a Blue Moon’, or a comedy called ‘A Laugh a Minute’. (Feel free to use these if you like, or come up with your own.)


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16: Show Time **


Write a story in the form of a film trailer. You can focus just on the text of the trailer, or if you wish, you can intersperse descriptions of the images that would display alongside your text.

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17: Happy Hour

Write a flash with a joyful, happy ending.


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18: Off Season

Write a flash that takes place at a location during an off season. Perhaps it's a seaside resort in the winter, a ski slope during a summer heat wave, or a children's theme park during term-time. Whatever the case, try to make the location and the off-seasonness feature prominently in your story.

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19: Time Warp!


Write a flash in which time doesn't pass in the expected way. This can be due to a character's perception, supernatural forces, a scientific rational (realistic or otherwise), for a reason unexplained, or for whatever reason you might imagine. Feel free to explore science fiction, fantasy, dreams, surrealism, magical realism if you like, or stick to the every-day world...whatever you prefer.


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20: Keeping the Minutes… **

Write a flash in the form of minutes from a meeting. This could be a business/work meeting, or a meeting for which minutes would not normally be taken. Feel free to have fun!


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21: It's Different Every Time



Write a story of at least 100 words in which you do not use any word more than one time. And yes, this includes words like 'I', 'he', 'it', 'the', 'and', and 'is', etc.!

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22: There's a First Time for Everything **


Write about your first time doing something. You can write from the point of view of yourself or a fictional character.

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23: Countdown


We're nearing the end; only one more prompt to go after this. In anticipation, this prompt is all about anticipating the end. Write a flash that involves a countdown. If you can, weave the countdown throughout the story to build the tension or up the stakes.


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24: Time to Call it a Night

To finish off our 2023 prompts, we invite you to write a story of 50 words or fewer about some sort of ending. Make sure you include a title for your piece.

The title does not count towards the word count. Hyphenated words count as one word. For example, ‘five-o’clock shadow’ would count as two words.

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2022 Writing Prompts

0. Short and Sweet

This is National Flash Fiction Day's eleventh anniversary, so this year, all our prompts have something to do with the number 11....

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Without further ado, here is the first challenge:

Write a flash of exactly eleven words. 

No title is necessary, but if you have one, it does count toward the eleven-word total.  Hyphenated words count as one word (so 'self-imposed' counts as one word and 'short-term plans' counts as two words).

Your flash needs to be short, but despite the title, it need not be sweet!


 1. Reactions!

Sodium has an atomic number of 11, and it's so highly reactive, it's never found on its own in nature, only in compounds with other elements.

For this prompt, write a flash that involves some sort of huge reaction.  This doesn't have to be a chemical reaction; it can be a unexpected emotional response, stock market fluctuations, a literal explosion, or whatever else you can come up with.


 2. Once Upon a Time...



Although our 11th National Flash Fiction Day Anthology contains all manner of stories, styles, genres and themes, the title conjures fairy tales and fable.

Just for fun, we challenge you to run with this and write your own fairy tale or fable.  It can be set 'once upon a time' or be a modern day (or future!) rendering.

And, of course, if you don't yet have a copy of this year's anthology, you can find it at the National Flash Fiction Day Bookshop.


3. Numbers Game

How easy is it to count in binary?  It's as easy as 1, 10, 11!

For this prompt, write a flash in which one of the main characters is a computer, phone, robot, or other programmable device.  


4. Found Flash
 
For this prompt, find 11 books, flashes or other written materials.  Find the 11th word of each.  Weave these 11 words into a flash...the shorter the better!
 

 

5. Hit the Highway

You can find Highway 11s and Route 11s all over the world; some of them are listed here.

For this challenge, write a story about someone (or something!) travelling on a real-world Route 11.  This can be a highway, a bus route, a path, or whatever you like, as long as it's labelled '11' in the really real world.  

Use at least one specific place name in your story, to tie the action down to a particular route.

 

 6. Blue Poles
 


Jackson Pollock's painting Blue Poles is also known as Number 11, 1952.  The choice of title has been the subject of much discussion; from Wikipedia:

According to art historian Dennis Phillips, the specific rather than ambiguous title "limits our field of comprehension and does the painting a singular disservice. Because we look for the poles and miss much of the rest, the name is simply too distracting."

For this prompt, we challenge you to write a flash and find two different titles for it.  Each title should bring out something different in the flash, or make the reader think about it in a different way.  (You are welcome to veer into prose poetry or hybrid work if you like.)

 

7. Steel Anniversary

This is National Flash Fiction Day's eleventh anniversary, so this year, all our prompts have something to do with the number 11....

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According to those lists that try to get you to spend lots of money on anniversaries, the traditional gift for eleventh anniversaries is steel.  (The modern gift is apparently fashion jewellery, but we digress.)

For this prompt, write a story about an eleventh anniversary, and a gift that misses the mark. 

 

8. Living in the Past

This is National Flash Fiction Day's eleventh anniversary, so this year, all our prompts have something to do with the number 11....

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Write a historical flash based on something that happened exactly eleven years before you were born.


9. A Picture is Worth...

A picture is worth way more than 100 words, but for this writing prompt, 100 words is all you have!

Below are eleven images that our National Flash Fiction Day Artist-in-Residence, Jeanette Sheppard, has made for our anthology covers and website, or has shared with us as writing prompts.  Pick one (or more) of these pictures for inspiration and write a flash of up to 100 words.

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8.
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10.
11.

 

10. One Little Paragraph

Write a flash in the form of a single paragraph with exactly eleven sentences, where each sentence is no more than eleven words long.  (They are allowed to be shorter, but extra points if they're all exactly 11 words!)

 

11. Elevenses

If you're joining us from the UK, it's now about time for elevenses*...which seems to us like a perfect time for a spot of tea and some flashy nibbles.

Write a flash in the form of a recipe, ingredients list, shopping list, menu, wine list, or something else that has to do with food or drink.

* For those not familiar with elevenses, it is a very sensible eleven o'clock break for tea or coffee, and possibly a snack.

 


12. The Back Catalogue

This is National Flash Fiction Day's eleventh anniversary, so this year, all our prompts have something to do with the number 11....

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To start us out, write a flash using at least three of the titles of the National Flash Fiction Day anthologies in your story.  Here they all are!

2012: Jawbreakers
2013: Scraps
2014: Eating My Words
2015: Landmarks
2016: A Box of Stars Beneath the Bed
2017: Sleep is a Beautiful Colour
2018: Ripening
2019: And We Pass Through
2020: Root, Branch, Tree
2021: Legerdemain
2022: And We Lived Happily Ever After

 

(If you're missing any of these from your collection, you can purchase print or electronic versions of these titles at the National Flash Fiction Day Bookshop.)

 

13. That's Not Cricket!

The word 'eleven' can refer to a cricket team...but what if the cricket team was made up of actual crickets?

For this prompt, pick a phrase, expression, or idiom and interpret it literally.  If it's raining cats and dogs, let's see the fur fly.  If you're stealing someone's thunder, maybe the victim is Thor.  If it's the last straw, then show us what happened after all the vegetation apocalypse.  Feel free to play with magical realism, fable or down-and-out silliness, whatever you fancy!

 

14. Make a Wish!

Some people say that 11:11 is a lucky time, and that if you see this time on the clock and make a wish, your wish will come true.  Write a flash in which someone makes a wish that comes true in an unexpected way.... 
 
 
15. Pairings
 


To mark our ten year anniversary last year, NFFD hosted our first ever novella-in-flash competition.  To celebrate our eleventh anniversary, we're launching the winning novella, Sybilla, by Joanna Campbell.

While writing an entire novella-in-flash is a bit ambitious for a project with a 24-hour turn-around, we can at least get you started....

For this prompt, write not one but two separate flashes of up to 150 words each (shorter is more than fine). Both flashes should be completely separate, stand-alone pieces, but there should be an element that connects them.  Maybe the main character in the first appears in the second.  Maybe they take places in exactly the same location, 11 years apart.  Maybe they each involves the same selection of strange, unusual words....

If you haven't already bought a copy, you can find Sybilla in the National Flash Fiction Day Bookshop.

 

16. Downing Street

Here in the UK, Number 11 Downing Street is the address of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.  For this prompt, embrace your inner treasury and write a flash that includes — or is in the form of — of a financial document.  This could be a budget, tax forms, a price list, a chequebook register, or anything else money-related that you might fancy writing about.
 
17. Freedom
 
 

The theme for this year's National Flash Fiction Day Anthology is 'freedom'.  As editors Karen Jones and Christopher Drew put it:

Flash fiction offers the writer a freedom not often seen in traditional, longer form fiction.  Freedom with language, with structure, with character and point of view.  Freedom to experiment and to arrange thoughts on the page in new and surprising ways.

For this next prompt, we invite you embrace this freedom and sense of exploration....  Write a flash about a very unusual freedom.

And, of course, if you don't yet have a copy of this year's anthology, you can find it at the National Flash Fiction Day Bookshop.

 

18. Up to Eleven

The amps in This is Spinal Tap go up to eleven instead of ten.  ("It's one louder, isn't it?")  For this prompt, write a flash in which someone goes beyond what is possible (literally or metaphorically).

 

19. Fast Forward

We've gone back in time; now it's time to flash forward!

Write a flash set eleven decades in the future. 


 20. By the Year

Write a flash from the point of view of a person (or thing!) who is eleven years old.

 

21. The Beginning's End

Eleven is the first number that starts and ends with with same digit (and indeed is the first non-trivial repdigit, if you're into such things).  In this prompt, we play homage to this: write a flash that starts and ends with the same sentence.

 

22. Repeat After Me...

If you've been following our prompts all day, are you bored of the number eleven yet? Fear not!  We're nearing the end...though we're not quite there yet!  

For the final task, let's embrace this ridiculous eleven fixation by writing a flash that uses the word 'eleven' in it...eleven times.

 

23. The Eleventh Hour

We're nearing the end of this year's series of Write-In prompts (though stay tuned; we'll have a bonus prompt at midnight).

For this prompt, write a flash about someone who is trying to finish something at the very last moment. 


24. Happily Ever After

 


This is the final eleven-related writing prompt of the year for National Flash Fiction Day, and what better way to end this year's series of Write-In prompts than with the title of our 11th National Flash Fiction Day Anthology: And We Live Happily Ever After, named after Damhnait Monaghan's story by that title within.

Write a microfiction of no more than 50 words in response to the prompt 'And We Live Happily Ever After'.  (You do not need to include these words in your flash.)

And, of course, if you don't yet have a copy of this year's anthology, you can find it at the National Flash Fiction Day Bookshop.


 

2021 Prompts

Here are all the 2021 writing prompts, collected together in one place.  If any (or all!) of them inspire, you have until 23:59 on Sunday, 27 June 2020 to submit your work for possible publication here at The Write-In.  Happy writing! 

NFFD 2021: Prompt #0

 


  And so it begins...

Happy National Flash Fiction Day 2021 and the tenth anniversary of NFFD UK!  We've got a long 24 hours of prompts ahead of us, so let's dive right in with a writing prompt.  

The very first Write-In published 117 stories in its inaugural event, so your first challenge today is to write a flash with 117 words and 10 paragraphs.

If you want an extra thematic challenge, make your flash about beginnings....


If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 0: And so it begins....


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NFFD 2021: Prompt #1


 Tenth Anniversary

It's National Flash Fiction Day's tenth anniversary, and also ten years since the first Write-In.  For this prompt, we're going back to our roots and directing you to one of our earliest prompt posts. 

Have a look at this post from 2012 which offers a whopping 200 prompts.  Instead of picking one prompt though, your challenge this year is to write a flash incorporating ten prompts from the list!

Want an extra challenge?  Pick a random place to start in the list and then either choose a run of ten consecutive prompts or find your collection of ten prompts by picking every tenth prompt. 

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 1: Tenth Anniversary.Photo credit: 'Anniversary' by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Alpha Stock Images

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #2

 

Jawbreakers

Jawbreakers was the first National Flash Fiction Day anthology, published in 2012.

For this prompt, embrace the jawbreaker structure and write flash that involves at least one story within a story.  

If you'd like an extra challenge, embed multiple stories within stories, but keep your piece under 300 words.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 2: Jawbreakers.
 

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #3

 


Bathroom

This prompt was sent to us by Linda Irish in response to Prompt #24 in the NFFD 2020 Write-In, which challenged writers to come up with their own prompt. 

Write a story set in an unfamiliar bathroom, or where a bathroom features. Why is your character here? 

For an additional challenge, write from the POV of the room.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 3: Bathroom.  
 
Artwork by Linda Irish.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #4

 


Scraps

Scraps was the second National Flash Fiction Day anthology, published in 2013.  In a nod to this past title, have a rummage through your home and find some scraps of paper.  These can be old grocery lists, scribbled notes, food packaging in the recycling bin, or any old, unwanted paper that has already served its purpose.

Write a flash incorporating text from at least three different scraps that you find.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 4: Scraps.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #5

 


Allsorts

What's better than one writing prompt?  That's right, three writing prompts!  These prompts were sent to us in response to Prompt #24 of the NFFD 2020 Write-In, which challenged writers to come up with their own writing prompt. 

 

#1 Life Sentence (by J F King)

Your lead character consults a coach who speaks only in aphorisms (or are they clichés?), e.g., ‘You only come this way once, go for it, pulling punches…’

Is this irritating or helpful in addressing the situation presented?

 

#2 Litotes (by J F King) 
 
Create a day in conversation from a character who (over) uses litotes in their speech pattern, e.g., ‘I shan’t be sorry', 'it is not without merit', 'the day was not unenjoyable...’
 
Does the day change? Does the speech pattern change?

 

#3 Animal Dreams (by Cath Barton) 

When your cat or dog is sleeping, you see them twitching, having a dream. Write their dream.

Feely Sleeping by Cath Barton

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 5: Allsorts. (Let us know which of the three you choose as well!)

You can submit responses until 23:59 BST on Sunday, 27 June 2021 for a chance to be published here at The Write-In.  (And yes, there will be opportunities to submit your own prompts this year as well.  Check back around midnight on Saturday, 26 June for details!)

Photo of Allsorts by David Edgar via Wikimedia Commons

Photo of Feely Sleeping by Cath Barton.

 

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #6

Eating Words

Eating My Words was National Flash Fiction Day's third anthology, published in 2014.  For this prompt, we're embracing its title....

Write a flash in which the things the characters don't say are much more important than what they do say.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 6: Eating Words.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #7


Double Up

Yeah, we're excited about our tenth anniversary.  So excited that our next prompt involves two tens!

Write a 10-word flash with a 10-word title (so 20 words in all).

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 7: Double Up.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #8

 Landmarks

National Flash Fiction Day's fourth anthology, Landmarks, was published in 2015.

For this prompt, take an expression or idiom and write a flash in which you interpret it literally.  Landmarks are literally marks on land. Jawbreakers break jaws.  If it's raining cats and dogs, the animal services need to get involved.  Feel free to delve into the magical or the ridiculous if you so desire.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 8: Landmarks.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #9

 


The Inscription

This prompt was sent to us by J F King in response to Prompt #24 in the NFFD 2020 Write-In, which challenged writers to come up with their own prompt.  We thought it was highly appropriate for our anniversary year, so here it is!

Look at an inscription on a memorial bench, e.g., ‘...Who spent many happy hours enjoying this view…’.
 
Who placed the plaque? Why? Is it really true? Would you re-word the plaque?
 
 
Write a flash that addresses some (or all) of these questions.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 9: The Inscription.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #10


 Stars Beneath the Bed

National Flash Fiction Day's fifth anthology, A Box of Stars Beneath the Bed was published in 2016.

For this prompt, write a flash in which you treat something that is impossible in real life as completely normal and unremarkable.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 10: Stars Beneath the Bed.

 

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #11

 


 Prelude

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of National Flash Fiction Day, we're running our first ever novella-in-flash competition.  Whilst writing an entire novella-in-flash might be a little much for a single writing prompt with a turn-around-time of 24 hours, we'd love for you to spend a few minutes dreaming up ideas for a novella-in-flash you'd like to write.

Then, for this prompt, write a sort piece of microfiction -- 100 words or fewer -- that could serve as a prelude or an endnote for your novella-in-flash to be.  (Or, if you fancy writing something longer, a first or last chapter...though keep it to 300 words or fewer if you wish to submit your work to The Write-In!)

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 11: Prelude

Photograph of Basilica di Santa Maria Novella by Photo2121 via Wikimedia Commons.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #12

 

Sleep is a Beautiful Colour

Sleep is a Beautiful Colour was National Flash Fiction's sixth anthology, published in 2017.  It is also the motto of all of us NFFD volunteers, and therefore worth celebrating with a prompt.

Write a flash in which a character perceives or experiences non-physical things, ideas, or concepts with one or more of their five senses.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 12: Sleep is a Beautiful Colour.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #13


 The Decennial

It's National Flash Fiction Day's tenth anniversary, and we'd like to celebrate ten years of microfiction competitions.  We've had amazing writers and judges join us over the years, and you can read our entire archive at the NFFD website, under the 'Competitions' tab.

Our microfiction competition has a maximum word limit of 100 words (excluding title), so for our next 2021 prompt, we'd like to challenge you to write a flash of 100 words or fewer that spans a decade.  Feel free to employ flashbacks, flash forwards, segmented flash, jumping through time, or any other means to pack a ten-year time span into a mere 100 words.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 13: The Decennial

 

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #14

 

Ripening

National Flash Fiction Day's seventh anthology, Ripening, was published in 2017. 

For this prompt, write a flash in which an irreversible process reverses.  Someone gets younger instead of older.  Clouds reclaim their raindrops.  Ripe fruit reverts to the seed.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 14: Ripening.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #15

 


From the Archives

For the next prompt of our Tenth Anniversary NFFD Write-In, we bring you the set of prompts that were set for the 2014 Write-In, run by NFFD Founder Calum Kerr and team. In those days, instead of posting a prompt an hour, all prompts were posted at once, and writers had only hours to craft and submit a response.  This year, you have over 24!  Enjoy a blast from the past and have a go at one of the prompts below....

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 15: From the Archives.  (If it's not obvious, let us know in your email which image, theme or picture sparked your story!)

You can submit responses until 23:59 BST on Sunday, 27 June 2021 for a chance to be published here at The Write-In.

  

Archive of 2014 Write-In Prompts


Write a flash-fiction that begins with the sentence: "Amelia still isn't sure what it was she saw that day exactly, but ..."

or

Write a flash-fiction on the theme of one of the following:
  • back window
  • lost (and found?)
  • folded
  • TV highlights
  • torn curtain
  • nobody agrees
or

Write a story using one of the following photo prompts:









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NFFD 2021: Prompt #16

 


Passing Through

2019 marked the eighth National Flash Fiction Day anthology and the first year of the new team of NFFD Co-Directors.

For this prompt, write a story about someone just passing through a place, a situation, a role, or a stage of life.  It's up to you whether to tell the story from the point of view of the passer-through, or from the point of view of someone stuck in that place, situation, role, or stage of life.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 16: Passing Through.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #17


Flash Walk

When National Flash Fiction Day was first founded, many of the annual celebrations took place in Bristol. (We celebrated in Coventry in 2019, and have been online-only for the past two years.)  One lovely event that happened a few times in Bristol was the Flash Walk in which anyone interested could join a walk around Bristol to hear actors read flashes between 40 and 400 words that were inspired by physical places in Bristol or the theme of Urban Landscape. 

While we aren't holding in-person events this year for obvious reasons, there's no reason why we can't hold our own virtual Flash Walk this year.

Write a flash based on a place near you (or one from your hometown if you prefer).  If you can, send us a picture that we can publish alongside your flash.  (It needs to be your picture, or one that is in the public domain or licensed for us to reuse.)

If you're looking for some inspiration, Judy Darley ran the 2018 Flash Walk and has recorded the stories with some photos on her website, SkyLightRain.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 17: Flash Walk.

Photograph of Bristol viewed from Windmill Hill (30 April 2011) by Nick via Wikimedia Commons. (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.)

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #18


 Root, Branch, Tree

Root, Branch, Tree, published in 2020, was National Flash Fiction Day's ninth anthology. 

Write a triptych flash (three separate flashes that complement each other when read together) or a segmented flash in three sections.  

Title your flashes or segments with titles that are somehow related to each other.

You're welcome to think about the relationship between 'Root', 'Branch', and 'Tree' as a starting point, but feel free to explore whatever works for your story.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 18: Root, Branch, Tree.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #19

 

 

The Big Picture

A picture may be worth 1000 words, but can you do one justice in 300 (or fewer)?

We would be remiss in celebrating our tenth anniversary if we didn't raise a glass to our National Flash Fiction Day Artist in Residence, Jeanette Sheppard, who joined us in 2019 and has provided us with beautiful logos, anthology covers, and writing prompt images ever since.  You can read our interview with Jeanette on the NFFD website.

At the bottom of this post are some of Jeanette's sketches and artwork that have been used as prompts in Write-Ins past.  Choose one and write a flash in response.

If you'd like an extra challenge, incorporate a 'big picture' in your flash, in some sense.  Maybe your story is about a large group of people rather than a single character.  Maybe you 'zoom out' at the end and cover a long period of time.  Maybe you have another way to interpret 'big picture' and relate it to one of the prompt images....

Some Image Prompts from 2019 & 2020

 


 

 


 

 If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 19: The Big Picture.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #20

 


Legerdemain

2021 marks National Flash Fiction Day's tenth anniversary and tenth anthology, Legerdemain.  

For this prompt, write a micro incorporating one or more non-English words.  These can be words from a different language, or words that you make up -- without providing a definition in the text of the story.  See if you can make the meaning or impact of the word clear enough to a reader who isn't familiar with it, without relying on obvious definitions.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 20: Legerdemain.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #21


Screen Fatigue

Until 2020, National Flash Fiction Day held live events with workshops, flash walks, and of course the annual anthology launches.  For obvious reasons, we've been online-only these past two years.  Overall, we've been delighted with the result; people from all over the world can celebrate with us.  However, there are some things that just don't translate to the screen....

Your challenge for this prompt is to write a flash that would lose something if it were 'just' displayed as text on a screen.  Maybe handwriting plays a role in character development.  Maybe the flash requires big, long, unbroken lines of text that couldn't easily be displayed on a screen.  Maybe it's a scratch-and-sniff flash.  Maybe your flash has tabs that need to be pulled, or flaps that need to be lifted, picture-book style.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 21: Screen Fatigue.  Hopefully, your flash won't translate directly to our blog, but we welcome photographs, textual notes, audio, video, interpretive dance, etc.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #22


Archeology

For our tenth anniversary celebrations, we've been searching back through the NFFD archives that have accumulated over the years, but we have some gaps, particularly with The Write-In where new prompts used to overwrite old prompts.  We've found all of them except for 2014, although we have recreated what we think the prompts were from the evidence left behind....

We think there were at least three 'word' prompts:

  • Orchard 
  • Cheapskate
  • Row

 We think there were several image prompts including:

  • A beach scene
  • Butterflies
  • A train carriage
  • Explorers on a mountain range
Also, several stories started with the sentence, 'Amelia still isn't sure what it was she saw that day exactly' (which seems to have been carried over to 2015). 

For 2021, your challenge is this: choose one or more of the prompts above, and use it/them to write a flash about something lost.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 22: Archeology.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #23


Arriving 

This prompt was sent to us by Linda Irish in response to Prompt #24 in the NFFD 2020 Write-In, which challenged writers to come up with their own writing prompt.  Since anniversaries are as much about where one is as where one has been, we thought it was a highly appropriate prompt for our anniversary year, so here it is!

Write a story inspired by this picture. 

For an additional challenge, write a story where there is something inappropriate about your character’s arrival somewhere. 

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 23: Arriving.

Artwork by Linda Irish.

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NFFD 2021: Prompt #24

 


The Prompt Prompt


Write your own writing prompt.

We'll post as many as we can for writers to enjoy throughout the year, and we'll even pick a few to use for the 2021 NFFD Write-In (crediting you, of course).

If your prompt requires an image, sound or video file, send it or a link to it in your email, and also be sure to send in links or full details of the source.  We must either have permission from the artist, or the work must be in the public domain or otherwise licensed for reuse.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 24: Prompt Prompt.  Make sure to send details of any images, sound or video files you use.

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 2020 Prompts


Here are all the 2020 writing prompts, collected together in one place.  If any (or all!) of them inspire, you have until 23:59 on Sunday, 7 June 2020 to submit your work for possible publication here at The Write-In.  Happy writing!  



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 First Steps

Write a short flash in which the first sentence is one word long, and each sentence after is longer than the one before.

Optional: include the word 'snow', 'bark', and/or 'thrum'.


If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 0: First Steps.


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Storm at Sea


Write a story from the perspective of the rough sea in the picture above.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 1: Storm at Sea.


Thank you to writer and artist Joanna Campbell for this prompt and image.


 
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Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say


Write a story based on an idiom, proverb or folk saying, taken literally.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 2: Say What You Mean



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Chorus Line


Write a flash that involves at least once sentence that is repeated at least four times over the course of the story.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 3: Chorus Line.


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Overheard


Write a flash in which the only dialogue in -- and the main focus of -- the story is a conversation overheard by the main character. 

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 4: Overheard.



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 Menu

Write a story in the form of a menu, or in which a menu plays a critical role.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 5: Menu 



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Lucky Dip


Open the nearest book to hand at page 52 and put your finger on it with eyes closed. Repeat with pages 76 and 109. The three words your finger has landed on must be incorporated within a story of 150 words.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 6: Lucky Dip.

Thank you to writer and artist Joanna Campbell for this prompt.

Top Down Structure


Write five titles, each one at least eleven words long.  Then, pick your favourite title and write a flash that fits it.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 7: Top Down Structure.

 
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Ignored


Write a story that responds in some way to the picture above.

Optional challenge: include a character who is fixated on an unusual detail.


If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 8: Ignored.

Sketch kindly provided by Jeanette Sheppard, National Flash Fiction Day's Artist-in-Residence.


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Reversi

Write a story in which something that you find comforting or nostalgic is scary or distasteful, and something that you find scary or distasteful is comforting or nostalgic.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 9: Reversi.




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Weaving

Find an old nursery rhyme, fable, song or poem.  Break it up line by line or part by part.  Use this as the skeleton of a flash, interweaving your story with the lines from your source material.

If you are submitting to us, be sure to choose a source that's old enough to be in the public domain, and make sure to tell us about your source material.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 10: Weaving.

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Playing by the Rules


Write a story in the form of a ruleset for a game or a set of instructions for something.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 11: Playing by the Rules.


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Shack



Write a story that responds in some way to the picture above.

Optional challenge: make the building one of the characters in the story.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 12: Shack.

Sketch kindly provided by Jeanette Sheppard, National Flash Fiction Day's Artist-in-Residence.


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What Was That?

Write a story using only questions.


If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 13: What Was That?


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The Big Idea

You know that novel you've never actually written or that story idea that you've had on the back burner for a decade?  Spend five or ten minutes journalling about the idea and where it might go and why it hasn't ever quite been the right time to write it up.  Then craft that free-writing into a story.  (It needn't have anything at all to do with the original idea and yes, it can be as fictional as you like.)

If you're stuck, Jonathan Cardew's essay on the NFFD blog might help.  (And yes, both bullet points and paragraphs are allowed.)

If you don't have a novel hanging over your head, all's the pity; you'll have to make one up really quickly for this prompt!


If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 14: The Big Idea.


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Celebrating Together

Small Green Shoots has been celebrating flash fiction all week with their Flash Fiction Week celebrations, and we've all been exploring the theme of 'family' in our projects. 

This prompt is quite open-ended.  Have a look at some of the work that has come out of Small Green Shoot's Flash Fiction Week and see what inspires you.  Write a short flash using that as a starting point.  You can see what's going on by checking out their Instagram @smallgreenshoots and Twitter @smallgreensh00t.

Small Green Shoots is an arts organisation dedicated to running transformational arts projects to improve life chances for young people.  You can find out more about their story, their work, and ways to support them here.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 15: Celebrating Together



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Alphabetically Speaking

Write a story in twelve sentences. The first word of the first sentence must begin with F (the first letter in FLASH FICTION). The second sentence must begin with L, the third with A, and so on.

OR

Write a 26-line dialogue between two characters. The first character’s first sentence begins with A, the second character’s with B, and continue alternating until you reach the end of the alphabet.


The challenge, in both cases, is to make the flash sound natural!

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 16: Alphabetically Speaking.


Thank you to writer and artist Joanna Campbell for this prompt.



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 Mirror, Mirror

Choose a famous fairy tale, fable, folk tale or legend.  Write a modern interpretation, set in the present day, in a location that is very familiar to you.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 17: Mirror, Mirror.


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Colour Vision


Write a story that responds in some way to the picture above.

Optional challenge: deploy colour words in unusual ways, for example to evoke emotion or to describe a character's experience of senses other than sight.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 18: Colour Vision.

'Magella' Sketch kindly provided by Jeanette Sheppard, National Flash Fiction Day's Artist-in-Residence.


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Reverse It

Write a flash that starts at the end and tells the story in reverse.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 19: Reverse It


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Green Stories


Write a story that involves a positive vision of a more green, sustainable future, as inspired by the Green Stories project.  (This can be in the background or a primary element of your story, whichever you prefer.)

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 20: Green Stories.


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Exteriors


Write a story that responds in some way to the picture above.

If you are up for a challenge, avoid all dialogue, internal monologues, and any descriptions of feelings or emotions.  Let the characters mood be communicated solely through their actions and what they notice and don't notice in the world around them.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 21: Exteriors.

Sketch kindly provided by Jeanette Sheppard, National Flash Fiction Day's Artist-in-Residence.


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Hidden Places

What secrets are concealed inside these unexpected buildings in the middle of wasteland?

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 22: Hidden Places.

Thank you to writer and artist Joanna Campbell for this prompt and image.



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Bag It

Imagine you find an abandoned bag, suitcase, purse or wallet. What 5 objects are inside? Write a flash inspired by the contents.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 23: Bag It


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Your Turn!

Write your own writing prompt.

We'll post as many as we can for writers to enjoy throughout the year, and we'll even pick a few to use for the 2021 NFFD Write-In (crediting you, of course).

If your prompt requires an image, sound or video file, send it or a link to it in your email, and also be sure to send in links or full details of the source.  We must either have permission from the artist, or the work must be in the public domain or otherwise licensed for reuse.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 24: Your Turn.






2019 Prompts


Here are all the 2019 writing prompts, collected together in one place.  If any (or all!) of them inspire, you have until 23:59 to submit your work for possible publication here at The Write-In.  Happy writing! 

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In the Beginning...


Write a story of no more than 150 words in which the first and the last sentences are exactly the same.


If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 0: In the Beginning.
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Nursery Rhymes

Choose a nursery rhyme or other short poem, verse or proverb. (Choose something old enough to be in the public domain.)   Let that nursery rhyme inspire a flash, but make your story about something beyond the situation and characters in the rhyme.

You can keep the nursery rhyme at the beginning of your piece, or interweave your prose with the lines of verse.

To get you started, here is a list of nursery rhymes.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 1: Nursery Rhymes, and make sure you let us know what nursery rhyme, poem or proverb inspired your story if it's not included in your final piece.
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Brevity

Write a story that responds in some way to the picture above, in 50 words or fewer.


If you’re submitting this to us, make sure you note that this is a response to Prompt 2: Brevity.

'Reading in the Library' is the first of six images created by Jeanette Sheppard, the National Flash Fiction Day Artist in Residence that feature in the 2019 National Flash Fiction Day Write-In.


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Money Matters

Think back to a wallet, purse, handbag, change jar, swag bag or other item you've owned that's intended for containing currency.  Write a story about it and the money it contains  or does not contain.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure you note that this is a response to Prompt 3: Money Matters.


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Dictionary Words

Look for three unrelated words that you don't know in a dictionary, thesaurus or other reference book.  Use them in a flash.

Bonus points if you can use words that you've been meaning to look up for a while now, but haven't yet got around to it.
If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 4: Dictionary Words.
 
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Take Note

Write a story as a series of notes.  This could be a series of notes the main characters write to each other, other people or to themselves.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 5: Take Note.
  
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Interiors

Write a story that responds in some way to the picture above.

Optional Challenge — write a story about your main character's relationship to a place.  Don't include any dialogue or interactions with other people; keep the focus on the main character and the setting.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure you note that this is a response to Prompt 6: Interiors

'Fargo' is the second of six images created by Jeanette Sheppard, the National Flash Fiction Day Artist in Residence that feature in the 2019 National Flash Fiction Day Write-In.


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Narrowing the Field
Write a story in which every sentence is shorter than the previous sentence.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 7: Narrowing the Field.


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Grin and Bear It
Write a flash in which everyone in the story is genuinely enthusiastic about something you find dead boring.

Extra challenge: be nice to your characters and don't look down on them for having such dubious taste!

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 8: Grin and Bear It.


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Short Shrift

Write a microfiction version of a story, poem or novel you’ve already written.

Or, write a microfiction version of your favourite novel written before 1900.  (Feel free to change whatever details you like and make it your own.)

In either case, don’t reread the original before starting!

(What is microfiction?  For our purposes, let's call it 100 words or fewer  but feel free to go shorter, if you like!)

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure you note that this is a response to Prompt 9: Short Shrift and let us know the title and author of the work you're microfictioning.

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Cityscape

Write a story that responds in some way to the picture above.

Optional Challenge — incorporate the following five words: nuance, lift, door, lilt, zinc.

(Yes, you can use variations of these words or use the words as parts of compound words or phrases; lilting, lift-off, doorway, etc. are all fine.)

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 10: Cityscape.

This cityscape of Coventry is the third of six images created by Jeanette Sheppard, the National Flash Fiction Day Artist in Residence that feature in the 2019 National Flash Fiction Day Write-In.

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Call To Order
Write a story involving a telephone call.

For extra credit, only let the reader 'hear' one side of the call....

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 11: Call To Order.



The New Normal


Craft a flash in which you write about something very unusual, uncanny, unreal or impossible as if it were completely normal, and/or something very normal as if it were unusual, uncanny, unreal or impossible.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 12: The New Normal
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Who Says?

Write a flash in which every sentence starts with one of the following phrases:
  • He says
  • She says
  • They say
  • Ze/Xe says
  • It says
If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 13: Who Says?


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Stop, Look, Listen

Write a story that responds in some way to the picture above.

Optional Challenge — incorporate something you overhear in your flash.  (This can be something you overhear as you go about your day, or words you catch from the television, radio, or computer.)
If you’re submitting this to us, make sure you note that this is a response to Prompt 14: Stop, Look, Listen
'Woman Listening' is the fourth of six images created by Jeanette Sheppard, the National Flash Fiction Day Artist in Residence that feature in the 2019 National Flash Fiction Day Write-In.
 
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Pay to Play

Write a story in the form of a receipt.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 15: Pay to Play.  


Rear-View Mirror
Write a flash in which the main character is so focused on the past that they can't see what's happening in the present.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 16: Rear-View Mirror.
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Word Search

Look around you for any and all words you can see from where you are right this moment.  These can be on packaging, papers, your phone or computer desktop, lettering on your lightbulbs, calendar, or fuse box, or logos on your take-away coffee cup.  Pick ten of the most interesting of these words and use them in a story of no more than 200 words.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure you note that this is a response to Prompt 17: Word Search.


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True Colours

Write a story that responds in some way to the picture above.

Optional Challenge — write a story in which colour plays an important role
If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 18: True Colours.

'Field Box' is the fifth of six images created by Jeanette Sheppard, the National Flash Fiction Day Artist in Residence that feature in the 2019 National Flash Fiction Day Write-In.



History in the Making

Write a story set at least 500 years ago.


If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 19: History in the Making.



(Half a Portion of) Alphabet Soup
Write a story of 30 words or fewer in which you only use letters from the first half of the alphabet.

You're allowed to use: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M.

But these letters are forbidden:  N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, X
If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 20: Alphabet Soup.





Converging Lenses
Write a flash in three paragraphs where each paragraph is written about the same event(s) from a different point of view.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 21: Converging Lenses.


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Under Construction

Write a story that responds in some way to the picture above.

Optional Challenge — write a story about the story you would write if you had time to write it.

 If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 22: Under Construction.


'Building Site' is the last of six images created by Jeanette Sheppard, the National Flash Fiction Day Artist in Residence that feature in the 2019 National Flash Fiction Day Write-In.



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Once Upon Today...

Write a story about your day in the style and/or form of a fairy tale or fable.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure you note that this is a response to Prompt 23: Once Upon Today.



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Happy Endings

Write a flash with a happy ending.

For an extra challenge, try to write a flash that has a joyful, celebratory mood, but that still has a feeling of resolution or sense of movement by the end of the piece.

If you’re submitting this to us, make sure to note that this is a response to Prompt 24: Happy Endings.

 

 

2014 Write-In Prompts


Write a flash-fiction that begins with the sentence: "Amelia still isn't sure what it was she saw that day exactly, but ..."

or

Write a flash-fiction on the theme of one of the following:
  • back window
  • lost (and found?)
  • folded
  • TV highlights
  • torn curtain
  • nobody agrees
or

Write a story using one of the following photo prompts:









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