Love Letters in the Walls
After moving into an old Victorian house, you discover a series of love letters hidden within the walls, dating back over a century. As you begin to read, you start to experience vivid dreams where you meet the ghostly sender, a passionate spirit whose love story was tragically cut short.
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.
- End on the first honest conversation, not the first kiss.
- Make the obstacle something they both believe in, not a misunderstanding.
- Put them in close quarters they can't escape.
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 Paranormal Romance prompts
- The Flirtatious Séance SpiritYou're a psychic who specializes in communicating with the dearly departed. One evening, while conducting a séance for a client, you unexpectedly…
- The Masquerade CurseAt the town's annual masquerade ball, a masked stranger enchants you with tales of the supernatural. As midnight approaches, they reveal they are…
- The Witch's Heirloom NecklaceAfter receiving an heirloom necklace that supposedly harbors the spirit of a lovesick witch, a skeptical scientist starts experiencing inexplicably…
- The Halloween ShapeshifterEvery Halloween, your character can see their parallel lives across different dimensions. This October, they glimpse into a life where they are madly…
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