Past Prompts

Fads come on suddenly and are short-lived. Think pole sitting, goat yoga, and certain diets. Trends tend to have a little more staying power, as in fashion and style, music and art, speech and expressions. Think back … tell us about one of your favorite fads or trends, or one of your least favorite. And if you find yourself overwhelmed with possibilities — or with life in general these days — consider limiting your story to just 100 words. Capture a moment, an event, or a feeling in what’s called flash writing, a somewhat new trend that’s trickier than it sounds but oddly satisfying. Share your fads and trends stories forward. Start Writing Read Stories

The phrase "practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty" was written by Anne Herbert on a placemat in a Sausalito, California restaurant in 1982. These words jumped from bumper stickers to stories published in newspapers to classroom assignments. In this era of divisiveness and distrust, random acts of kindness restore our faith in caring and compassion. Think back … have you given, received, or observed random acts of kindness? What feelings were evoked? Share your random acts of kindness stories forward. Start Writing Read Stories

This prompt goes live on Halloween, which is also three days before the election. Both of these can be scary occasions, in different ways. Think back … were there elections in the past that still haunt you? Even if you are not haunted, is there a past election that is memorable to you? Share your ghosts of elections past stories forward. Start Writing Read Stories

As we head into the final ten days before the election, there’s a good chance many of us are adorned with buttons, pins, and badges. Baby boomers likely have collections of them, dating back decades, for various causes and candidates. Think back … What are some of your favorites? Why did you wear them? Were the candidates or causes successful? What were you saying about yourself by wearing them? Share your buttons, pins, and badges stories forward. Start Writing Read Stories

We grew up in an analog world when computers took up a room and hardly affected our day-to-day lives. To communicate, we used typewriters and pens, and dialed a telephone and it just … rang. For entertainment, we listened to records. When traveling, we unfolded maps. To find information, we opened the encyclopedia. Think back … which pre-computer items or technologies do you miss? Which ones are you happy to see gone? Share your life before computers stories forward. Start Writing Read Stories