The Barista's Morning Notes
Create a story about a barista and a regular customer. The customer leaves a mysterious, poetic note along with a tip every morning. The barista, intrigued and charmed, tries to figure out who is leaving the notes and why.
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
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- 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…
- Rivals on the Same StoryWrite a story about a journalist who falls in love with a mysterious interviewee, only to find out they are writing competing pieces on the same…
- The Rival Coffee Shop OwnersDescribe a scenario where two rival coffee shop owners on the same street disdain each other, yet anonymously connect and flirt through an online…
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