The Bookshop Letters
Write a story about a woman who inherits an old bookstore in a small town and discovers letters between her late grandmother and a mysterious lover. Through these letters, she learns about her grandmother's secret life and finds herself on a path of self-discovery.
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 conflict something the reader has faced themselves.
- Keep what the hero wants and what they need in tension.
- Tell it through the messages, notes or voicemails the characters leave.
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 Women's Fiction prompts
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- A Novelist Moves to ParisDescribe the journey of a woman who, after a successful career and an empty nest, decides to move to Paris on a whim, seeking inspiration for the…
- The Sisters' Buried ScandalThree sisters reunite in their childhood home in the Midwest for their mother's 70th birthday. Over the weekend, old conflicts resurface, secrets are…
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