Past Prompts

Here's a "quick take" prompt (a story you can write in 15 minutes or less): Find a favorite or vintage photo and tell the story behind it. Maybe it's a family heirloom, a relic from your photo album, or a reminder of a bygone period in your life. Who's in it?—partners, friends, close relatives, or family you never knew? Why is it meaningful to you? Share your favorite old photos forward. Start Writing Read Stories

Did you go? If so, with whom? Who asked, and how? What was the theme? Did you have a good time? What happened after? Think back ... Prom is an American institution. Should it be? How did your kids' prom experiences differ from yours? Share your prom stories forward. Start Writing Read Stories

Let's look at Mother's Day from the flip side—babies! Think back ... did you want them? Did you have them? Did you try to avoid having them? Were they what you expected? What memories stand out? If you have grandbabies, how does that differ from having babies? What advice would you give to prospective parents now? Share your baby stories forward. Start Writing Read Stories

You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. Think back ... to the times in your life when things didn't connect, the fabric began to unravel, and the real became the surreal. Suppose Rod Serling stepped out of the shadows of your life. What story would he submit for your approval? Share your Twilight Zone stories forward. Start Writing Read Stories

Goodnight Moon. Dr. Seuss. Weekly Reader. Catcher in the Rye. Ms. Magazine. Cat's Cradle. Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Stranger in a Strange Land. The Women's Room. The Joy of Sex. Think back ... What books and magazines shaped your life? What are your "desert island" books? What unknown book would you recommend to the rest of us? Share your reading stories forward. Start Writing Read Stories