Today’s storyaday.org prompt is simply to write a story inspired by food. This time, mine features a hard-boiled office worker on the trail of a break room thief. *** The Maltese Bread The most difficult case of my career began on a typical gloomy day in this office of saints and sinners, with a hard … Continue reading Story-A-Day May #20: The Maltese Bread →

Today’s storyaday.org prompt is to write about a mysterious object found in a thrift shop or antiques market. This time, my story is about a seemingly-broken music box found in a thrift shop, and what one woman will do to possess it. *** The Maddening Melody There was no place Josie loved better than a … Continue reading Story-A-Day May #19: The Maddening Melody →

The latest storyaday.org prompt is a very serious one: There is a llama sitting on the seat beside you, drinking coffee. No one else finds this odd. He turns to you, about to speak. This time, I wrote a portal fantasy, where the narrator goes to great lengths to avoid falling into any magic portals … Continue reading Story-A-Day May #18: Chewed Up and Spit Out →

Today’s prompt is to write a story about a character who can’t wait to leave town, inspired by Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem Travel: . . . there isn’t a train I wouldn’t take, No matter where it’s going. This time, my story features a spy, who needs a way out. *** The Last Train … Continue reading Story-A-Day May #17: The Last Train →

Today’s prompt has an interesting backstory you can read in full at https://storyaday.org/2021-day-16/ , but the quick version is that a character’s mundane activity is changed by seeing a message on a sign. My story is about an unusual cowboy, who takes a road less traveled. The whole last scene wound up more rushed and … Continue reading Story-A-Day May #16: The Clockwork Cowboy →

We’re halfway through the Story-A-Day May challenge, and fittingly the challenge prompt of the day is to write about a character who’s at a halfway point (of any sort). This time I wrote an adventure story, starring a cryptozoologist having the best, and worst, day of her life. *** The Cryptid Conundrum Sasquatch was real, … Continue reading Story-A-Day May #15: The Cryptid Conundrum →

Today we have a haunting challenge prompt, to tell a story about a character engaged in a mundane, everyday activity who encounters a ghost. Mine features a lowly pirate, who’s troubled by a very unwelcome and persistent visitor. *** Walking the Planks The pirate ship lay becalmed on eerily still seas. There wasn’t so much … Continue reading Story-A-Day May #14: Walking the Planks →

Another day, another challenge prompt! This time, it’s to write from the perspective of a character who’s not human or animal (but vegetable and mineral are acceptable, or any sort of inanimate object). In order to keep mixing up genres, and experimenting, I decided to attempt a Wuxia story. Apologies in advance to any fans … Continue reading Story-A-Day May #13: Immortal Stone →

The challenge prompt today, from storyaday.org, is to write about a character who tells a story within the story, to avoid a disaster — like Scheherazade did. My story is based on an idea I had for a full novel, which never quite took off. *** Final Confession Even the tightest shackles barely fit Kavon’s … Continue reading Story-A-Day May #12: Final Confession →

Today’s prompt from storyaday.org is to write a story of exactly 100 words. Since my daily goal has been a minimum of 1,000 words, I decided to write 10 interconnected vignettes of exactly 100 words. Each vignette focuses on a different character in a busy, fantasy-style tavern, on a rainy evening. I think this is … Continue reading Story-A-Day May #11: Tavern Tales →