Wednesday Writing Prompts XVIII

1.) Consider for a moment (regardless of what you may believe) the idea of reincarnation. If you had a choice in the matter, what would you choose to come back as? Would you try a new life as an animal? A person? The same person? Something else entirely? Would you exist on the same planet or choose another one altogether? How about the same dimension? The same reality? The same universe? Back or forward in time? Spend some time thinking about it, then write the story of this new life.

2.) Write a story that happens in a world where body parts are modular, able to be replaced, traded, given away, etc. Don’t assume that this has to fit within any one genre– think about the kinds of stories that could arise in a world like this, then write one of them.

3.) The possibility of multiple dimensions, realities and universes that run parallel to our own has excited scientists, dreamers and writers since the very birth of the idea. Take a moment to consider what it would mean to suddenly have access to these other planes of existence, how it would change our reality, our existence. How would it effect everyday life? What new jobs would it create? What new hazards? What new boons? Make it real, bring it all down to earth, and use it all to write a story.

4.) Create a myth about yourself that just might seem probable, that strangers might believe if you told them seriously enough. It can be anything from the simple to the fantastically complex. Give yourself a title, a name– be creative, feel free to throw in wacky details, and most importantly, make sure to have fun with it.

5.) Write a piece of flash fiction less than seven sentences long but packed with meaning, metaphor and detail. While you are writing it, consider each word carefully. Waste no space, and make each sentence a story in and of itself, no matter how obscure or abstract that story may be.

6.) Write a story that takes place in or involves a cornfield. Create an atmosphere of your choosing (fear, love, anger, anything that strikes you) and then tie it directly to the cornfield. Make the cornfield the central metaphor for that atmosphere.

7.) Spend some time thinking about love. Do you believe in it? What do you think it is? Chemical? Spiritual? A mixture of the two? Something else entirely? How do you feel about the idea? Now– write something that incorporates those thoughts and feelings into the storyline.

8.) Losing a close friend can be a very painful experience, something that can damage a person severely and for a long period of time. Write a story where a character’s close friend is lost and he or she must learn how to cope with that loss. How does the story unfold? Does the main character recover? Become bitter? Angry? Or does he or she just give up on living, unable to continue without that faithful friend beside them? Be creative, see where the story takes you as you write it.

9.) Write a story that takes place aboard or involves a night train. Think about the feelings of riding a train, the differences between older locomotives and newer ones. Think about it all for a little while, and then consider– every train has a destination. Where does yours go? What kinds of interesting things does it pass through? Where are the passengers from? Do they all get off at the same place?

10.) If someone were to offer you a chance to live out the rest of your life on another world, in another reality, or in some other wholly different place from that which you are used to, would you go for it? Would you have doubts? Fears? Issues to work out? Write a story about this offer, then consider whether or not you would choose to accept it.