The Bookstore's Last Week
Pen a tale about an old, renowned bookstore threatened with closure as the city modernizes around it. Explore the last week before its scheduled closing, through the eyes of both the owner and the customers whose lives have been touched by the store.
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 short story collections
Many stories, one sitting each, and every one has to land.
A collection gathers short stories, usually by one author and often linked by theme, place or character. Each story is a complete world in a few thousand words, which makes them the hardest test of craft and the easiest way to start.
What readers expect
- Complete stories, read in one sitting
- A shared theme, voice or place
- Compression: every word counts
- Endings that resonate
A tip before you start
Most collections start as stories published one at a time in magazines. Send yours out: it builds the book and your track record.
More Short Story prompts
- The Neighborhood GardenWrite a story about a character who decides to start a community garden in a neglected neighborhood lot. Describe the challenges they face from the…
- The Unreliable Road TripDevelop a narrative about a family road trip across the country in an old, unreliable car. Explore the family dynamics, personal revelations, and the…
- One Day at the CafeCraft a tale set in a bustling city cafe, where the lives of four strangers intersect in profound and unexpected ways over the course of a single day.
- A Day in Their ShoesImagine a scenario where a character is given the opportunity to switch lives with someone they admire for one day. Describe the day from both…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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