(If you want to skip the song and dance, click here to go right to the prompt.)
It’s the first of the month, which means it’s time for another Flash Fiction Draw. If you’re new around here (welcome!), I build a prompt based on three cards drawn at random from three different suits: clubs for genre, hearts for setting, and diamonds for an object that must appear in the story. That’s where you take over and write a story, 1,000 words max (but no one’s really counting), based on the prompt. You can check out last month’s prompt here, and the stories people came up with here.
So, here’s where we stand so far. The items that have already been used for previous prompts are grayed out:
| ♣ | ♥ | ♦ | |
| Card drawn | Genre | Setting | Object |
| 1 | Romance | Spaceship | Ray gun |
| 2 | Science Fiction | Restaurant kitchen | Key |
| 3 | Fairy Tale | Studio apartment in a big city | Hairbrush |
| 4 | Horror | Auditorium | Length of rope |
| 5 | Mystery | Sewer | Pendant and necklace |
| 6 | Thriller | Highway tollbooth | Potted plant |
| 7 | Comedy | Farm field | Tablet computer |
| 8 | Fantasy | Pawn shop | Fountain pen |
| 9 | Ghost Story | Marsh | Decorative pillow |
| 10 | Suspense | Tulip field | Vacuum cleaner |
| J | Crime Caper | Trunk of a car | Bouquet of roses |
| Q | Action/Adventure | Toolshed / Utility closet | A stray sock |
| K | Historical Fiction | Shopping mall | Suitcase |
And without further ado, the prompt.
- a ghost story…
- in a tulip field…
- with a key.
You probably know the drill from here: write a story by March 8, post it somewhere online, and drop a link in the comments (or tweet it at me, or email me—you could try semaphore or homing pigeon, but I don’t fancy your chances with either of those).
Remember, have fun with this, and if you don’t have time this month, there will always be next month, and the month after that. Unless time stops or something, in which case all bets are off. You can do this.