Flash Fiction Draw for September 2021

So, for this month’s Flash Fiction Draw, I feel it’s important to point out that I just draw the cards. I can’t help it if the combination is a little… weird.

This month’s draw would be a case in point. I mean, if you want to skip all the preamble, you can click here and see exactly what I’m talking about.

I guess the odd juxtaposition is sort of the point of these writing prompts, though, isn’t it? Make an unexpected combination of genre, setting, and object, and maybe it’ll inspire your mind to come up with something equally unexpected.

If you’re new here and wondering what this is all about (and if you are new here, how on earth did you find your way here? Seriously, let me know in the comments), the first Monday of every month I create a writing prompt by drawing three cards, each from a different suit, which give us our genre, setting, and a random object to include in the story. Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to write a 1,000-word (max) story by next Monday, send me the link, and I’ll post a roundup of all the stories created using the prompt.

Here’s what we started with, and the ones we’ve used are shaded gray:

And here’s what I drew this month:

So, that gives us:

• a crime caper…
• set in a toolshed or utility closet…
• including a… decorative pillow.

Crime capers! A genre I love but that I haven’t really tried writing myself. (If you’ve never read any of Rob Byrnes‘s novels, his crime capers are hilarious.)

OK, off you go! Write a 1,000-word story (more or less) by next Monday, Sept. 13, and share a link to it in the comments below, or send an email, or tag me in a tweet, or send a carrier pigeon. Good luck!