Story A Day May

[Christina O Phillips]

Hello,

I am wondering if any writers on this thread participate in the May challenge of writing a story a day? If you haven't heard of it, you can go to storyaday.org to learn more. I am three days in and have written a piece of flash fiction each day.

[DATo]

I see this more as a commercial site even though it is designated as ORG. Am I mistaken or is ORG a designation for 'Nonprofit organization"? If you click the links in the lower right side you are taken to Amazon where you can buy Julie's writing prompts for only $2.99 ea? Also, I have been unable to actually access any stories anyone has written. Either I am doing something wrong or .... what's the deal?

EDIT: I just found this (below) so apparently the website IS working within the current rules. But I still cannot find any stories [:- (

Wikipeadia :
The domain was originally intended for non-profit entities, but this restriction was not enforced and has been removed. The domain is commonly used by schools, open-source projects, and communities, but also by some for-profit entities. The number of registered domains in org has increased from fewer than one million in the 1990s, to ten million as of June 2012.

[Amagine]

I probably won't visit the website, but I'm very interested in the concept. It's like writing a short story every day for the whole month. It sounds really interesting! I'm going to try writing one tonight. Maybe I'll even post some of them...maybe.

[DATo]

I probably won't visit the website, but I'm very interested in the concept. It's like writing a short story every day for the whole month. It sounds really interesting! I'm going to try writing one tonight. Maybe I'll even post some of them...maybe.

Please do. I'd love to read what you've written. I haven't written anything in awhile - been too busy - but I'd like to get back in the saddle myself *LOL*

[Christina O Phillips]

I don't click on the links or anything. I just go to the site to get the daily prompts, then I'm done. I can just share the prompts on here, if that would help anyone interested?

[Amagine]

I probably won't visit the website, but I'm very interested in the concept. It's like writing a short story every day for the whole month. It sounds really interesting! I'm going to try writing one tonight. Maybe I'll even post some of them...maybe.

Please do. I'd love to read what you've written. I haven't written anything in awhile - been too busy - but I'd like to get back in the saddle myself *LOL*

Your stories are much better written than mine! How about we both try to write at least one story a week? I'm going to still try for everyday, but at the very least, I want to write a story a week. Honestly, even that much is an improvement for me because I usually write a story every four months!

-- 03 May 2017, 18:32 --

I don't click on the links or anything. I just go to the site to get the daily prompts, then I'm done. I can just share the prompts on here, if that would help anyone interested?

Oh, there's daily prompts on the site? If it's not too much trouble, can you share the prompts on this forum?

[Jaime Lync]

I don't click on the links or anything. I just go to the site to get the daily prompts, then I'm done. I can just share the prompts on here, if that would help anyone interested?

I would really appreciate if you post the prompt on here. I don't think I have the time to write a story a day but I do want to try writing a story a week at least because I want to develop my short story writing skills.

[Christina O Phillips]

Okay. I will post the prompts either once or twice a week.

Here are the first four:
May 1
The Prompt
You attend the funeral of an old friend.
Afterwards, in the mail you receive a postcard. It’s from the friend, and it reads “I’m not dead. Meet me Tuesday night at 8 at ____________.” And signed by him/her.
First make a list of possibilities for how this could be the case.
Begin your story with, or after, the arrival of the postcard.

May 2
The Prompt
A socially awkward girl in her early teens is a latchkey kid, alone at home after school as usual. Flipping through channels she lands on one she soon realizes only she can see—and it’s from the future.

May 3
The Prompt
People called him The Doll Maker. Nobody ever wondered aloud why every doll had the same face.

May 4
The Prompt
Let’s play Writer’s Clue! Stories are about a person in a place with a problem. We can use the basic structure (modified to inject conflict) from the game.
For this story, write about Mx [1. a non-gendered title, in case you’re wondering. Now I’m wondering how to pronounce it…].___________ in the _________ room with a __________.
You can choose ordinary places or objects, or magical ones, you can set your story in the past, present, or future. It doesn’t need to follow the plot structure of the game in that there’s a murder you are solving; this is just a way to give a story a kick start.
For example, from one of my stories: Ms. Ro Maldonado in the derelict ship’s bridge with a malfunctioning AI. Change any one of the choices, and you have a different story.

[Amagine]

Thank you so much, Christina! ?

[Jaime Lync]

Wow. Awesome story prompts. Thanks Christina!

[Christina O Phillips]

May 5
The Prompt
You walk into your office and see a new message written on your whiteboard: “Whatever happens, don’t die. See you Monday.”
The note is not signed and you’re not certain who wrote it…

May 6
The Prompt
Emotional trauma is an experience, or set of experiences, that can change your character in fundamental ways, altering their personality, embedding fears in their minds, affecting their ability to connect and trust others, and steering their needs and desires during your story.
Write about a wounding experience from your character’s past that changed them into who they are today.
HINT: most wounding experiences involve someone close to the character as it is the people closest to us who are able to do the most psychological damage.
For emotional wound ideas, try this list: https://onestopforwriters.com/wounds


May 7
The Prompt
Think back to a time earlier in your life, maybe high school, when you knew a good person with whom you have fallen out of touch.
If you were to reconnect with this person right now, what one question would you ask them? Why are you asking that question — what does it say about your journey right now?
What piece of yourself are you currently focused on finding?
For memoir writers: write this now.
For fiction writers: turn yourself and your friend into characters. Write the story of their encounter.


May 8
The Prompt
She waited a week before revealing the secret.

May 9
The Prompt
Write a story about what happens when a nun in a wimple, a man in cowboy hat and boots, and a bartender with a handlebar mustache wearing a red and white polka-dot bow tie meet in a tavern on a rainy night.

-- 16 May 2017, 07:35 --

May 10
The Prompt
The chance encounter. Have you ever run into someone you know when you look grubby? Or maybe you see an old boyfriend at Starbucks. Or perhaps, as in Alfred Hitchcock’s famous Stranger’s On a Train, you run into a stranger who offers to do you a service, like murder, in return for you returning the favor. Think of a chance encounter that could leave you shaken, stirred, or in deep trouble.

May 11
The Prompt
Your company sends you to meet a customer at their house. It’s a standard, nice neighborhood.
You ring and ring but nobody answers. The door is ajar, and you enter, calling aloud.
All is in order in the living room apart from an overturned potted plant on the expensive-looking rug…


May 12
Poetic Inspiration: Let a Favorite Poem Breathe Life into Your Short Story
Reading poetry is a great way to inject beauty and inspiration into our daily lives. Select a poem that resonates with you, and let it inspire you as you write your next short story!
In order to provide a specific prompt, I suggest Shakespeare’s Sonnet 25, which showcases a theme of the power of love. Beneath the poem, you will find suggestions for other poets (both classic and contemporary), as well as specific ideas for incorporating poetic tools such as theme, imagery and rhythm into your prose.
The Prompt
“Let those who are in favour with their stars
Of public honour and proud titles boast,
Whilst I, whom fortune of such triumph bars,
Unlookt for joy in that I honour most.
Great princes’ favourites their fair leaves spread
But as the marigold at the sun’s eye;
And in themselves their pride lies buried,
For at a frown they in their glorie die.
The painful warrior famoused for fight,
After a thousand victories once foil’d,
Is from the book of honour razed quite,
And all the rest forgot for which he toil’d:
Then happy I, that love and am beloved
Where I may not remove nor be removed.”
– William Shakespeare
Sonnet 25


Tips
There is a vast array in styles of poetry, and not every single poem will resonate with you. With a little persistence, you will find the unique voices and poignant words to inspire your prose and warm your soul.
Thanks to Instagram, we live in an age when contemporary poetry is readily accessible. Check out Margarite Camaj, Mirtha Michele Castro Marmol, Rupi Kaur, Christopher Poindexter, Cleo Wade and J Iron Word.
Interested in classic poetry? Consider delving into this book, which serves as a lovely anthology, showcasing the work of thirteen classic poets.
Consider that various aspects of a poem can inspire your short fiction. Here, we will examine theme, imagery and rhythm.
When studying a poem, look closely at its theme.
Did the poet wax melodic about love?
Did he or she speak ardently about a particular social issue or current event that resonates?
What aspect of this theme are you drawn to, and how might you incorporate it into your own work?
Evaluate the imagery in the poem you study.
In the above poem, Shakespeare says “Great princes’ favorites their fair leaves spread, But as the marigold at the sun’s eye; And in themselves their pride lies buried, For at a frown they in their glory die.” What he is referring to, is that happiness found in shallow pursuits (in this case, in the fickle favor of those in high places) is fragile, and is often found wanting.
Later in the above poem, Shakespeare says “Then happy I, that love and am beloved Where I may not remove nor be removed.” In this way, the poem states that it is in unwavering love (where I may not remove or be removed) that true happiness is sought and found.
What images speak to you? How might you incorporate versions of them into your next story?
When considering rhythm:
Consider sentence length variety. For instance, one very short, moving sentence can have significant impact after a longer, complex or compound sentence.
Are you drawn to rhyme? You might include a subtle use of rhyme in a paragraph you are trying to drive home, or make memorable.
Once you’ve written your story, think about submitting it to literary magazines and/or journals. We would love to review your work at 2 Elizabeths! (2Elizabeths.com)


May 13
The Prompt
Today’s prompt focuses on misapprehension – that is, interpreting something incorrectly. Too often, in fiction, every character communicates perfectly. That’s not the way it happens in real life.
Example: award-winning author Harlan Ellison once misheard a conversation at a party. He overheard a woman say, “”Jeffy is fine. He’s always fine.”” What Ellison actually heard was “”He’s always FIVE.”” That inspired the story “”Jefty Is Five,”” about a boy who never grows up.
Alternately, the misapprehension could be visual. True story: when I graduated college, I moved to a southern town – one of those places where anti-intellectualism seemed to be the prevailing attitude. I met lots of girls there, but I was looking for an intellectual girlfriend. One day, while sitting in dingy waiting room, I saw a pretty girl outside. To my amazement, she wore a tee-shirt with the letters “”SPQR”” on it. SPQR stood for – in Latin – “”The Senate and the People of Rome.”” What kind of woman wore a tee-shirt that referenced Ancient Rome? I had to meet her! I rushed outside, saw the girl…and discovered that her shirt didn’t say “”SPQR.”” It said “”SPORT.”” Stretched around her well-endowed chest, the final letter was hadn’t been visible from where I sat. (I was so disappointed, I didn’t even speak to her.)
So that’s your prompt: misapprehension, either verbal or visual.

May 14
The Prompt
I had a nightmare last night. I woke up and started writing….

May 15
The Prompt
Take a story you’ve written before and write it again from a different point of view.

May 16
The Prompt
Write a story that investigates a turning point in your protagonist’s past.

[Priya12345]

I like these prompts, little warm up exercises for the brain.

-- 01 Jun 2017, 03:35 --

Peter Ronald Mascarenhas was notorious for his elaborate revenge schemes and his brightly printed shirts, hence his nickname Parrot. He also had the distinction of being the oldest active gang leader in Old Delhi, many attributing this feat to his oft repeated mantra 'Never touch the product - you waste profit'.

Inspector Vijay Singh was very familiar with this mantra, as well as many other such words of wisdom. Parrot enjoyed lecturing his lieutenants, and the narcotic squad had his speeches recorded for posterity - at least those spoken near the windows of his palatial mansion. Parrot longevity was also due to his complete paranoia, and Vijay's team had failed to get past his brutal security to plant any listening devices. The operation was completely dependent on the feed from their parabolic mikes that picked up sound vibrations from the front windows.
Two weeks of surveillance had given them lectures, stray bits of criminal gossip, business dealings in such heavy slang as to be inadmissible, and the afternoon soap operas enjoyed by Parrots mother.
A dutiful son, Parrot religiously escorted his mother to church every Sunday , and spent a half hour every afternoon watching her favourite TV show, where the characters were discussed in the same manner as close family members. Vijay was ready to call it a day - one more afternoon of listening to Prepas fictional pregnancy and he would lose his mind. But he was hoping that Christmas week would see the annual clan visit, and perhaps an unguarded conversation would give the some useful intel.

The mansion was gearing up for the festivities, delivery trucks had dropped off enough food, wine, flowers, gifts, even an entire life sized nativity. The troops had been dispatched with gift hampers across Delhi and Vijay's team had a detailed list of everyone on Parrots 'nice' list, and good idea of who'd been 'naughty'. But it wasn't a crime to get Christmas presents, especially when the list included influential businessmen, politicians, even high ranking members of the Delhi police force.

8pm Saturday brought a welcome change to the routine of 'guess the present'. Sub-inspector Ramakant frantically signalled to Vijay, handing over a second set of headphones. They could only hear fragments of a one sided conversation, but the voice was definitely Parrot.

"... no, no, it cannot be a secret, revenge has to be public so the humiliation sends a message ..."
" .... it is revenge ... Christmas Day, when everyone is present and then act..."
"... what if they find out. What will they do? Arrest him? Ha! One good lawyer and he will be out in minutes, I say..."
"... Christmas Day, after mass, when everyone is in a good mood. That's when Tony should act..."

Mysterious, incomplete, but the first clear indication of an actual conspiracy! Tony Braganza, and Antony Dsouza were both high ranking members of Parrots empire, and there was a long line of enemies to choose from. Vijay went home that night with hope that there was some light at the end of this interminable surveillance.

Relaxing at home, he idly listened to his wife's plans for the holidays. There were some parties, and a New Year's Eve ball at their local club.
"What? Yes, I should be home by the 31st." Finally, vijay thought, some time with family. Almost absently he added "that is of course if Tony gets his revenge after Christmas Mass!"
Sheila was used to her husbands non sequiturs, especially during a big case, but this really made no sense.
"Darling - how on earth does the plot of 'Delhi Lives' matter to our holiday plans? Of course Tony will do nothing of the sort. He's a good son and it will break his mothers heart. They just had a special episode tonight when he confessed his plans."
Vijay could see his breakthrough slip away, as his wife burbled on, oblivious to his devastation.
"Of course, I think he should act after mass, everyone will be there. After all, what can they do? Arrest him? One good lawyer and he will be out in two minutes ..."

-- 04 Jun 2017, 13:02 --

Is it ok if I post this separately?
I think I might start the shorts about Parrot