Neighbors in a Changing Neighborhood
Create a narrative about two neighbors living in a gentrifying neighborhood. One is a long-time resident resisting the change, and the other is a recent arrival who sees potential for improvement. Explore their interactions and the evolution of their understanding and respect for one another.
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 a small gesture rather than a speech.
- Give your main character a job you know well, and use its details.
- Let a minor character change the ending.
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 Contemporary American Fiction prompts
- Notes in the Returned BookWrite a story about a small town librarian who discovers, hidden in a returned book, a series of handwritten notes detailing someone's plan to leave…
- The Artist Goes ViralDescribe the life of a struggling artist in a bustling New York City who gains unexpected fame from a viral social media post. Explore the impact of…
- The Subway Driver's JournalDescribe a day in the life of a New York City subway driver who discovers a lost, handwritten journal on the train and becomes obsessed with finding…
- The Techie in AlaskaTell the story of a Silicon Valley techie who moves to a remote Alaskan village to escape the pressures of the tech world, only to find that the small…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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