In Field Guide to Flash Fiction, edited by Tara L. Marsh, Robert Olen Butler states that “a short short story [is] not a prose poem because it has at its center a character who yearns.” To play on the exercise he provides in the book, let’s write about two characters in a romantic relationship who yearn for different things.

Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.

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In the Greek myth, Hera cursed the nymph Echo to only repeat what’s been said to her. For today’s prompt, reinvent this myth—or bring it into the present day.

Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.

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Prompt: Write a short story of 650 words or fewer based on the photo prompt above. You can be poignant, funny, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story.

Email your submission to yourstorycontest@aimmedia.com with the subject line “Your Story 140.”

No attachments, please. Include your name and mailing address. Entries without a name or mailing address with be disqualified.

Unfortunately, we cannot respond to every entry we receive, due to volume. No confirmation emails will be sent out to confirm receipt of submission. But be assured all submissions received before entry deadline are considered carefully. Official Rules

Entry Deadline: February 24, 2025.

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One of our most challenging experiences as writers is to capture the way that an emotion feels in the body. Today, let’s practice by translating the way that loneliness feels to the page.

Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.

The post The Way Alone Feels appeared first on Writer's Digest.

As much as I adore still life paintings, I think that modern still life photographers have an extra layer of challenge—they have to capture the feeling of a still life painting in a digital photograph.

Let’s give ourselves that challenge. For today’s prompt, create a flash piece that feels like a still life.

Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.

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For today’s prompt, write about someone handling a sacred text.

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The post Sacred Texts appeared first on Writer's Digest.

For today’s prompt, write about something cyclical. It could be something physical, like a Ferris wheel, or it could be more metaphorical, like time.

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The post Revolutions appeared first on Writer's Digest.

For today’s prompt, write about a pet who’s as good as family.

Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.

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For today’s prompt, take the following character traits and use them to write a story. You can mix and match them or use them all for a single character; the choice is yours!

1. A natural flirt
2. A person mistaken for a movie star
3. A person who’s been stood up

Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.

The post A Little Flirting appeared first on Writer's Digest.

For today’s prompt, write about the sudden return of a forgotten memory and a phone call at 3 a.m.

Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.

The post Midnight Memories appeared first on Writer's Digest.