The Project After the Breakup
After a disastrous public breakup that goes viral, your protagonist vows off dating and decides to focus solely on personal growth. Their plans are challenged, however, when they are tasked with working closely on a key project with an insightful and disarmingly charming colleague who sees through their façade.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Let a secondary character see what's happening before either lead does.
- End on the first honest conversation, not the first kiss.
- Make the obstacle something they both believe in, not a misunderstanding.
Writing romance books
Not whether they end up together, but how.
Romance puts a love story at the center and promises a happy ending: happily ever after, or at least happy for now. Readers know where it's going. The pleasure is in the obstacles, the banter and the moment the two leads finally stop fighting it.
What readers expect
- Two leads the reader roots for
- Obstacles that keep them apart
- Emotional growth, not just attraction
- A happy ending, guaranteed
A tip before you start
The happy ending isn't optional. Without it you've written a love story, and romance readers will tell you so.
More Contemporary Romance prompts
- Strangers on the SubwayTwo strangers meet every morning on a busy subway commute without ever speaking a word to each other. After a series of events causes them to miss…
- The Barista's Morning NotesCreate a story about a barista and a regular customer. The customer leaves a mysterious, poetic note along with a tip every morning. The barista…
- Rivals on the CoastSet in a small coastal town, your story centers around two competing shop owners who openly dislike each other. However, as the summer tourist season…
- Notes on Coffee CupsA young barista secretly writes warm, motivational quotes on cups but remains personally reclusive and shy. A regular customer, intrigued by these…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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