The Thrift Store Trinket
Write a story about a small, seemingly insignificant object found in an old thrift store that dramatically changes the life of the person who buys it.
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
- A New Country's First WinterCraft a narrative about an immigrant family’s first winter in a new country. The story should weave through the difficulties they face, their small…
- A New Town Every YearCraft a narrative about a character who decides to start a new life in a new town every year, detailing their reasons and what they leave behind each…
- The Dancer’s Second CallingDevelop a narrative about a professional dancer who loses the ability to perform following an accident, focusing on their journey of discovering a new…
- The Bookstore's Last WeekPen a tale about an old, renowned bookstore threatened with closure as the city modernizes around it. Explore the last week before its scheduled…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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