The Rival Coffee Shop Owners
Describe a scenario where two rival coffee shop owners on the same street disdain each other, yet anonymously connect and flirt through an online dating app. What happens when they decide to meet in person?
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.
- Make the obstacle something they both believe in, not a misunderstanding.
- Put them in close quarters they can't escape.
- Tell it from the point of view of the one who falls first.
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
- The DJ's Secret LoveImagine a scenario where one half of the couple is a morning radio DJ, always discussing their anonymous love interest’s quirks and habits on air. The…
- Rivals in the Writing ClassTwo professional rivals who despise each other in the corporate world accidentally sign up for the same anonymous online writing class. Initially…
- Love Letters in the MansionTwo best friends house-sit a mansion for a summer where they discover a stack of old love letters hidden in a desk drawer. Reading these letters and…
- Steps After HeartbreakImagine a romance that blossoms during a community dance class. Both individuals signed up to try something new after experiencing tough breakups.…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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