Strangers on the Subway
Two strangers meet every morning on a busy subway commute without ever speaking a word to each other. After a series of events causes them to miss their usual train and share an unexpected journey through the city, they begin to see their surroundings in a whole new light—including each other.
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
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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…
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