I had a fascinating conversation with a fellow writer this past week. We talked about AI and the writing process.
I never use AI to craft my fiction. My stories are all me. However, I do use AI to generate the prompts I share on my website.
I’ve been a big fan of prompt-based flash fiction for years. Prompts are how I learned to write regularly. They help jump-start the process for me. But good prompts can be hard to find. I’ve scoured the internet, and there are weeks when I used to just come up empty.
Exhausted with the challenge of finding good prompts, I decided to start creating my own. To me, this is an excellent way to use AI in the fiction writing process. I give AI the criteria for all three of the prompts I post each week, and AI cranks them out for me. I do this mainly for myself. After all, I use a prompt most weeks for my weekly story. But I share them in case anyone else finds them useful.
Speaking of that, if you’re new to using prompts to write flash fiction, it couldn’t be easier. Just pick your length and roll with the prompt to get your creative process started.
And if you publish your fiction online, please link back to this page. Thanks!
100-word prompt
Write a short story in any genre that’s 100 words or less and includes the following three words: hammer, gallop, bitter
Advanced Challenge: Make your story drabble. Drabble is exactly 100 words, including the title.
500-word prompt
Write a short story in any genre that’s 500 words or less and includes the following elements:
Location: Somewhere underground
Item: A digital watch
Character: Someone who is trying to stay awake at all costs
Feel free to get creative with how you include the elements. The story doesn’t have to be trapped in the location, for example. The way you interpret the character summary can be as unconventional as you like.
Just make sure you touch on each.
Advanced Challenge: Make your story microfiction. Microfiction is 300 words or less.
1,200-word prompt
Write a short story in any genre that’s 1,200 words or less and uses the following situation as a starting point:
Write a scene where your character is tasked with delivering a package to a recipient who supposedly died years ago. When they arrive at the address, they find a celebration in progress where every guest is wearing a mask.
Advanced Challenge: Include the three words from the 100-word prompt.
Happy writing!