Coffee After the Wedding
Two strangers at a wedding bond over their mutual dislike of overly extravagant ceremonies. They decide to duck out early and find themselves at a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop. As the night unfolds, they share their dreams and disappointments, discovering more about each other and themselves than they expected.
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.
- Write the first meeting so it goes badly, in a way they'll laugh about later.
- Show the moment one of them almost walks away.
- Give them a deadline: the contest, the wedding, the last train.
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 Love Story prompts
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- The Musician and the Sound EngineerA young up-and-coming musician and a seasoned sound engineer with a broken heart are set to work together on a highly anticipated album. The process…
- A Wedding Against the OddsCraft a tale about a young couple planning their wedding during a series of misfortunate events, only to realize that their challenges are actually…
- Rivals in the KitchenDescribe a scenario where two chefs are fierce rivals in a high stakes cooking competition, but as tensions rise, so do sparks. Discover how they…
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