Prompted to Write

One day, you receive a strange plane ticket in the mail, along with instructions to look for a man with a sign bearing your name once you reach the destination airport.  You don’t know who it’s from or why you received the ticket.  Do you go?  Where does it take you?  What’s waiting for you when you arrive?

Give us 100 words or more on the mysterious plane ticket and the aftermath of your decision.  Are there consequences to not going? Or consequences to going?  If you write the entry on your blog, let us know where we can find it

photo credit: UggBoy♥UggGirl [ PHOTO // WORLD // TRAVEL ]

If you’re not accustomed to seeing limos, it’s only natural to wonder who – or what – lies within those tinted windows.  One day, though, a limo pulls up alongside you and the window is rolled down.  The passenger gestures to you and invites you in.  Do you enter?  What happens next?  Who is in the limo?  What made you want to get in?  How does your life (or even just your day) change?

Give us 100 words (or more, your choice) in the comments – or blog it and let us know where we can find your passage.

photo credit: Piutus

photo credit: *Melody*

Imagine a gypsy.  He’s wild and boisterous, happy with his unconventional lifestyle and wild ways.  Imagine his typical day…what is it like?

Now, due to a glitch in the fabric of time and circumstance, imagine that this man wakes up to find himself in someone else’s life.  Instead of roaming as he pleases, he’s suddenly trapped in the body and lifestyle of a suburban Sport Clips Franchise owner.   How does he react?  How does the suburban man’s family react to the sudden changes in their husband/father?  What happens when the gypsy turned franchisee walks into his Sport Clips franchise?

Give us 100 words – either in the comments, or on your own blog.  Don’t forget to post a link so we can all enjoy it!

The sun is setting on your time on this planet.  You have no family.  How do you spend your last day before it’s all over?  Do you do something familiar and comforting?  Or do you try something new – something you’ve always wanted to do?  The possibilities are endless.  You could rob a bank and toss the money out into the streets of a poor neighborhood.  You could indulge in every sensual pleasure you can find in your short time.  You could sit quietly to reflect on your time.

Give us 100+ words in the comments, or blog it and let us know where we can all enjoy your piece.

photo credit: Alex E. Proimos

You return home one day to find  that a cuckoo clock has mysteriously appeared on your wall.  There is no indication that someone broke in, and no sign that anything was taken.  Still, there it is – a big red cuckoo clock, hanging on your wall.

Not sure what to do, you take a seat.  In 10 minutes, the clock will reach the hour mark.  What pops out when it does?  What happens next?

Give us 100 words or more in the comments section, or post your song/story/poem reply on your blog and let us know where to find it.

photo credit: zebrasquares

Every day, the radishes.  Your new co-worker is quiet, but seems generally friendly.  There is one thing that seems a little odd, though.

Each day, 5 radishes pulled from the lunch pail and set on the table.  The  meal is eaten, but never the radishes.  They go back into the lunch pail at the end of the meal.  You’re not sure if they’re the same radishes every day, though you’ve strained your eyes from across the room in hopes of figuring it out.

Give us 100 words on this person’s story.  Why the radishes?  Why so quiet?  Feel free to post your story in the comments, or leave your blog URL so we can check it out on your site.

photo credit: emdot

You work in a fancy high-rise building in the middle of a bustling city.  It’s modern, in the way that so  many fancy high-rises are.  That’s why the odd man in a black bowler hat stands out.  It’s just so…retro.  As you’re staring at him, his hands start to shake.  He falls to the ground, dropping the many bags he’s carrying.  Coming closer, you realize that he’s dead.

What happens next?  And what the heck is in his backpack and all those bags?

Give us 100 words in the comments, or post your reply on your blog/website so we can all check it out (let us know where, of course!)

photo credit: striatic

If you’re a writer and you spend much time on writing websites, you’re probably aware of NanoWrimo.  If you’re not, you should be.  Basically, it’s where tons of writers around the world commit to writing around 2000 words daily so that by the end of the month, they’ll have a complete novel.  The point is not to make a great novel, but to have something that you can then edit and improve (with the worst of the work completed).

In years past, I’ve always told myself that I was too busy for NanoWrimo.  Maybe I actually was, who knows.  This year, though, I decided to make it a priority.  As of today (the 7th), I’m a little bit ahead – coming in at just over 16,000 words.

Are you participating this year?  Let us know how you’re progressing!

We’ve all heard the classic “boy and his dog” story.  But what about the story of a girl and her sloth?  Let’s try that one.  How did they meet?  What is their relationship like?  What dangers face their relationship?  Where do they live?

On a side note, this post was inspired by the Slothpital in Costa Rica.  If ever there were a dream vacation, mine would involve a few weeks of volunteering here with the sick and injured sloths.

Give us 100 words or more in the comments, or blog it and let us know where to find your post.

photo credit: Praziquantel

After 6 months of unemployment, your bank account is drained.  One day, you receive a strange call about a job you don’t remember hearing about, much less applying for.  The mysterious caller wants you to be the emcee for a spider beauty pageant.  In one weeks’ time, you’ll earn enough to keep you going for another 6-8 months of job seeking.

What do you think?  Do you take the job?  What is your plan for emceeing the event, given the lack of conversation from your contestants?  Give us 100 words or more in the comments, or blog it and let us know where we can all check it out?

photo credit: Thomas Shahan