The Eve of Eighteen
Describe the pressures and the last-minute decisions of one teenager on the eve of their 18th birthday.
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 Fiction prompts
- The Town's Secret FestivalWrite a story about a small town where every year, the locals hold a secret festival that nobody outside the town knows about. This year, an outsider…
- The Cafe's Locked BriefcaseCreate a narrative centered around a neighborhood cafe that serves as the meeting point for an eclectic group of regulars. One day, an unusual…
- Snowbound on the Cross-Country TrainDescribe the lives of passengers on a cross-country train that gets stuck in a remote area due to a snowstorm. Focus on how they cope with the…
- Solace on the Cross-Country TrainCreate a story about two strangers who sit next to each other on a cross-country train ride. Each has a different reason for their journey, but they…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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