This week’s things to write about prompts come from Gladys Swedak.
1. A new acquaintance has asked you to go to a water fall to get water.
A place you haven’t heard of and why would he want to go somewhere to get drinking water?
Even though it sounds strange you say yes but as the time gets closer to when you have to go, you have doubts.
Doesn’t he have indoor plumbing?
It is after all 1996. Maybe he isn’t what he seems? What do you do?
2. You are going camping with a new boyfriend on a summer long weekend.
He didn’t make reservations nor does he have plans for where you will be staying for the three nights you will be camping.
How does the weekend turn out?
3. You are camping on a deserted beach with a friend, husband, etc. (you decide who is with you).
For some reason the fire won’t start.
He tries to start it, you say you can start it but it still doesn’t work.
After the fire is finally started and you have eaten dinner it starts to get cloudy and rainy.
He takes you to the water edge where you see florescence in the water for the first time.
How does this camping trip affect you?
4. You and a friend have gone sailing for a few days; you spend one night at a deserted dock in a cove.
What happens at this dock, is it an exciting evening, what do you see and do?
5. Your boyfriend, husband is teaching you how to sail.
On your first time at docking, how do you do?
What happens when you dock and where is it you docked?
6. Your family is having a reunion and you are looking forward to going, but there is one big problem.
You and your brother haven’t talked for years.
What broke you apart and how do you fix it at the reunion or do you?
7. You are a writer who has self-published a book.
You have been asked to give a talk about your book and why you wrote it and you have to speak for 10 minutes.
What do you tell about your book without giving everything away?
8. World day of Prayer is coming on Sept 10 and you are leading a group of people in a prayer for peace on earth.
Tell us who is there, what happens, and what you do to keep the peace in your group?
9. Sunflowers are growing in your yard and you want the seeds from them.
How do you go about getting your seeds from the plants? Try to turn this into a humorous essay or short story.
10. You have to beg off going to a friend’s place.
They are looking forward to your visit, you are, too, but there is no way you can make it.
How do you tell them that you are not coming for the event you are supposed to be going to?
Hope you will use some of these things to write about to create a story.
About Gladys Swedak
Gladys Swedak is a senior living in Vancouver with her husband and two cats. She started writing a number of years ago after telling her husband she had a story for a prompt in a biweekly paper. He told her there is a computer downstairs and to go and write it. She didn’t win the contest but it got her back into writing. She likes writing fiction and usually writes from a line prompt or even a picture.
Gladys is the author of White Medicine Woman and The Wild Ones (about gentling wild horses without their knowledge of being trained). The Wild Ones is from the horse’s point of view.
Gladys has a story in Chicken Soup for the Nurses Soul and two stories in Crossing the Rainbow Bridge.
