The College Friends' Weekend
Craft a narrative around a group of four friends from college who reconvene for a weekend getaway after years of being apart, only to find that they all are at turning points in their lives, pushing them to confront their past decisions and future aspirations.
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.
- Give your main character a job you know well, and use its details.
- Let a minor character change the ending.
- Set it all in one day.
Writing contemporary fiction
People like us, now, in trouble we recognize.
Contemporary fiction is set in the present day and deals with life as it's actually lived: families, marriages, friendships, work, loss. It sits between literary and commercial fiction, often shelved as book club or upmarket fiction.
What readers expect
- A present-day, realistic setting
- Relatable, flawed characters
- Emotional stakes over action
- Issues readers face themselves
A tip before you start
Today is your setting, so use it: the group chat, the parking ticket, the brand of cereal. Specifics make it feel true.
More Women's Fiction prompts
- The Letters in the AtticWrite about a woman who discovers a series of letters hidden in her attic, revealing unknown details about her grandmother's life. As she reads on…
- Back to CollegeCraft a narrative about a middle-aged woman who decides to return to college after her children have grown up. Explore her challenges in adapting to a…
- One-Way Ticket to ElsewhereDescribe the life of a woman who has always played by the rules, living a seemingly perfect life from the outside. One day, she impulsively buys a…
- The Chaotic Celebrity WeddingExplore the life of a female wedding planner who, on the verge of giving up on love, is tasked with organizing a high-profile celebrity wedding that…
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