Category: Writing Prompts

Prompts are short, fun exercises that can be used to get the creative juices flowing or break the ice at a critique meeting. They start as a brief list of ingredients, forming a challenge for the writer to incorporate all of them into one self-contained piece. There are many ways to come up with prompts and each author will find a unique way to express a given prompt.

“If You Don’t Want to Live by the Dictates of Robots”

  • by jenthe white fish of the Kentucky caves, for instance
  • Grandma was even worse
  • texture is almost mousse-like
  • To say that I don’t understand much of modern art
  • is like baking a cake without a pan

Tune in next time part 757      Click Here for Earlier Installments

“If you don’t want to live by the dictates of robots, Zeus Pamplemousse,” I asked, “why did you appoint them to all the posts in the lunar government?”

“Because they don’t need oxygen, obviously,” he sneered. “There is no oxygen in my Moon Kingdom, as you would know if you had more brains than, say, the white fish of the Kentucky caves, for instance.”

My grandfather was very rude. Grandma was even worse. But neither of them held a candle to the arrogance of this man, this self-appointed Moon King who held my beloved Tessa hostage to his whims.

“Have you even been to the moon?” I asked.

“Of course! I personally placed all the robots in Parliamoont Hall. Mother Moon is a beautiful place, with immense gray expanses. The texture is almost mousse-like underfoot.”

To say that I don’t understand much about modern art is like baking a cake without a pan – completely incorrect. I understand a lot about modern art, and I was sure that arranging for a crowd of robots to argue about politics on the surface of the moon was the most audacious art installation of the modern era. Not that that would help me pry Tessa out the moon maniac’s arms.

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If Zeus Knew Tessa

  • by Kenttying it up in a knot
  • the already beyond-capacity temple
  • interrupted mid-coitus by another guest
  • an unofficial or unspoken understanding about extramarital affairs
  • dreamed up by robots

Tune in next time part 756      Click Here for Earlier Installments

If Zeus knew Tessa the way I did, he would have realized that he couldn’t have made her less likely to say his precious word by grabbing her tongue and tying it up in a knot. My biggest fear was that he might think the key to success would involve adding yet more candles to the already beyond-capacity temple.

“Pamplemousse!” I yelled. When he looked in my direction, he wore the kind of peevish expression I would expect from someone at an orgy who’d been interrupted mid-coitus by another guest asking if the club validates parking. I smirked right back at him. “I assume you and Blanchisseuse have an unofficial or unspoken understanding about extramarital affairs, but trust me when I tell you that such agreements don’t hold up well when it comes to bigamy.”

“You’re so deluded,” he snarled at me, “with your quaint notions of romantic love…” He turned and pressed his own massive face right into Tessa’s. “Notions dreamed up by robots.”

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From the Way the Liquor Bottles were Arranged

  • by jenI’ve never managed a gas station, but
  • create an extraordinary hybrid
  • a little squiggle, like a flourish
  • “My brain is huge.”
  • holding our hearts together

Tune in next time part 755      Click Here for Earlier Installments

From the way the liquor bottles were arranged (before I hurtled into them), I knew they’d been stacked by Jason. I’ve never managed a gas station, but my twin has, and he was very proud of the window displays he built from elaborate pyramids of various car maintenance fluids. Windshield washer fluid and STP should never be mixed, but in the hands of my brother, their bottles create an extraordinary hybrid architectural monument to the internal combustion engine, and these flasks of artisanal tequila and jugs of cheap vodka melded into a similar celebration of raw beauty. As I careened through them I felt in my chest a little squiggle, like a flourish of guilt at the destruction of such a glorious construct. I also felt a throbbing in my ears from the outrageous noise of all those bottles ricocheting around the airship’s corridor. Somehow, though, my cacophony had not alerted Zeus Pamplemousse to my approach. From around the corner I heard him say, “My brain is huge.” The way his voice resonated, I knew he was entering the chapel where my mother had so recently wed John. I ran faster, determined to interrupt whatever foul ceremony the Moon King had planned with my darling Tessa. I burst through the doors to see Zeus Pamplemousse standing at the altar with Tessa struggling in his arms. She was still bundled inside his black cape of highly flammable moon velvet. There were so many candles in the room, I was terrified. Zeus Pamplemousse said, “And thus, holding our hearts together like so…” He pulled Tessa against his barrel chest. “Through my powers as King of the Moon, I pronounce us married. Say the word, Tessa! Say the word! You are my wife and I command it!”

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Fleur Landed In A Heap

  • by Kentjewel-encrusted skeletons
  • ominous uranium chandelier
  • comfortable in her sequined caftan.
  • with his feet in her face
  • pyramid of liquor bottles

Tune in next time part 754      Click Here for Earlier Installments

Fleur landed in a heap at my feet. I set the infants down next to her and patted her cheeks. “What was it?” I asked. “What happened with Zeus Pamplemousse?” I knew the man had to have some jewel-encrusted skeletons in his closet. And probably an ominous uranium chandelier in his dining room. I wanted ammunition, and it sounded like Fleur could supply it, if only I could wait around until she snapped out of this swoon.

The babies began crying. I definitely didn’t have time to soothe them, to settle the boy with his favorite live feed of the action at the dog track, and make the girl comfortable in her sequined caftan. All I could spare time for was repositioning them with his feet in her face and her elbows on his kneecaps. It wouldn’t keep them quiet for long, but that would be Fleur’s problem until Isolde returned.

I sprinted down the corridor, pulling on my shirt as I ran, which was why I didn’t notice the pyramid of liquor bottles until it was too late.

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If I had a Nickel

  • by jenhighly flammable-looking outfits
  • had a cousin reach out to me with a similar offer about some family secrets
  • Do you deny this?
  • honors bestowed upon me by three republics
  • jelly-like substance

Tune in next time part 753      Click Here for Earlier Installments

If I had a nickel for every time my happiness was derailed by villains in highly flammable-looking outfits, I would be a rich man. Zeus Pamplemousse thought he was so special in his cape of moon-velvet. He thought he could kidnap Tessa and blackmail her by threatening the life of her therapist? Not on my watch! I had a cousin reach out to me with a similar “offer” about some family secrets once upon a time, emphasis on “had.” I know how to deal with blackmailers. That particular cousin won’t be spilling any family secrets after all, if you catch my meaning. I leapt across the bed to fetch my uniform trousers. Nudists streaking through the corridors were not unheard of on Contrarian airships, but I am a general and have to project an aura of authority. It’s possible to do that naked, but it takes an awful lot of glaring and I was exhausted.

Fleur waddled out of the bathroom, a soggy infant on each hip. “Who am I braver than?”

“What?” I struggled with my zipper.

“I heard you tell someone quite emphatically that I am braver than they are. Do you deny this?”

“Of course not. I have had honors bestowed upon me by three republics, and I have the medals to prove it. I deny nothing.”

“So who am I braver than?” She was much more coherent than she’d been in the tub.

“Zeus Pamplemousse,” I muttered and headed for the door, shirt in hand.

“Zeus Pamplemousse is here?” Fleur’s face drained of color and her complexion resembled a jelly-like substance. Before she could faint, I snatched the babies from her arms. “I was so sure I’d never see him again after what happened last time.”

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There Were A Lot Of Rumors

  • by Kentrelentless stalking paid off and she agreed to marry him
  • that seemed strange
  • the naughty dog groomer
  • scraped off the rhino skulls
  • done this in a ski mask just as effectively

Tune in next time part 752      Click Here for Earlier Installments

There were a lot of rumors — legends, really — about Zeus Pamplemousse, but few hard facts to be had. Even less was known about his wife, Blanchisseuse. The generally accepted narrative of their courtship was that his relentless stalking paid off and she agreed to marry him eventually. It was a rather banal tale that seemed strange next to the outlandish exploits (for example, outpranking the naughty dog groomer) that populated every other chapter of the Pamplemousse saga.

What could this magic word be? Why did it have to come from my beloved’s tongue? Instinct told me that it had something to do with his marriage, and that the truth about their union was surely just as surreal as the rest of this man’s life.

Tessa posed defiantly behind the scant silk pocket square. “Go away, Zeus Pamplemousse!” she hissed. “Leave, or the whole world will learn that your wedding cake’s frosting was scraped off the rhino skulls bleaching in the Serengeti sun.”

“And the man who helped you leave behind so many fears will perish,” Pamplemousse replied airily, “because you lacked the courage to say a single word.”

“She’s braver than you!” I shouted, and immediately remembered Fleur was in the next room. I cringed when I heard sloshing and splashing sounds that unmistakably signified my wife exiting the tub.

Zeus sneered at me, then with lightning speed he bundled Tessa up in his dense cape. “I could have done this in a ski mask just as effectively,” he muttered as he batted me aside and dashed out the door.

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When I Saw the Distress on Tessa’s Face

  • by jenI hate this guy so much.
  • crawling in dinosaur feathers
  • breathtaking moment of wonder and youthful experimentation
  • once it’s resting comfortably in your mouth
  • first my heart and now my hand

Tune in next time part 751      Click Here for Earlier Installments

When I saw the distress on Tessa’s face, all I could think was, I hate this guy so much. He should be at home, rolling in moon rocks and crawling in dinosaur feathers as befits his station, but instead he’s out here kidnapping therapists and blackmailing beautiful women. Merely thinking of such things reminded me of my time with Tessa at the Academy. Our first blackmail scheme was a shared breathtaking moment of wonder and youthful experimentation that resulted in several afternoons of detention and the respect of the faculty. I was enraged at this moon monster and his nefarious scheme.

“What could you possibly need from me, Zeus Pamplemousse?” Tessa asked icily.

“Just one simple word, Tessa. You know which one. Imagine it now. Picture yourself forming the word with your tongue. Once it’s resting comfortably in your mouth, speak it. Speak that word to me.”

“Never, Zeus Pamplemousse. I will never speak that word to you.” She plucked the purple silk hanky from his pocket and tried to cover her breasts with it. I was stunned that she seemingly had a history with the King of the Moon.

Before I could formulate a question, Zeus cried, “You steal first my heart and now my handkerchief! You are a foul temptress!”

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Zeus Pamplemousse Spun On His Heel

  • by Kentmeld them together with jam
  • I pushed the oily rag into his mouth
  • decked out in an elaborate costume
  • beyond that I guess we’re just hoping for the best
  • keeps sticking his foot in his mouth

Tune in next time part 750      Click Here for Earlier Installments

Zeus Pamplemousse spun on his heel to face us, creating a dramatic swirl of his heavy cape. He said, “Do you know that you can mask the tastes of even the most powerful sedatives if you meld them together with jam and nuts? Of course, if your target’s not hungry it does no good to know this, which I contemplated as I pushed the oily rag into his mouth.”

“Who are you talking about?” I demanded, not letting my nakedness deter me from raising my voice.

“Her therapist, naturally,” Zeus replied coolly. For him to show up here, decked out in an elaborate costume (although it was probably everyday-wear for the King of the Moon) and confess so blithely to his involvement in a kidnapping, was so outlandish it made me wonder if he might be a member of my family somehow.

Tessa growled. Zeus cocked one eyebrow and said, “Now now, he was fine when I left him. I made sure there were enough air holes, and beyond that I guess we’re just hoping for the best. And of course, I need something from you in exchange for his location. But honestly, I wonder why you take advice from a man who keeps sticking his foot in his mouth. Literally. Made it very awkward to put the rag in.”

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I had Loved Tessa for Years

  • by jenby the time I reached my adolescence
  • just a feather duster for company
  • of hazy European origin
  • hands moving upwards
  • took turns holding crowns above their heads

Tune in next time part 749      Click Here for Earlier Installments

I had loved Tessa for years and years. By the time I reached my adolescence‘s midpoint I was infatuated with her, and the feeling had never fully abated. Never mind that she once locked me in the janitor’s closet with just a feather duster for company. Never mind that she’d kissed my brother, that she’d been engaged to John — perhaps still was! Never mind that I was married to Fleur (And Hildegard. And Chartreuse Pamplemousse.), and had an uncountable number of children, many of them with her sisters. Never mind all of it. Over the past few minutes I had become sure that this was the real Tessa, and there was nothing I wouldn’t do for her. Before the person in the corridor could enter my quarters, I leapt from the bed and flung the door open. I was counting on the element of surprise, and there was definitely a lot of it, I just didn’t expect to be the one who was most surprised.

“Put some pants on,” said Zeus Pamplemousse. “Or don’t.” He strode into my chamber like a magician taking the stage, his black velvet cloak swooshing dramatically. Tessa stared at him, openmouthed.

Everyone knew about Zeus Pamplemousse, but few people had ever met him. He first rose to fame (or infamy) when he participated in a ceremony of hazy European origin wherein he and his wife Blanchisseuse kept their hands moving upwards and downwards at all times, and took turns holding crowns above their heads, after which they declared themselves the sovereigns of the moon.

And now the Moon King — perhaps my father-in-law — was on my wife’s airship, and I was naked. This had to be a massive breach of protocol.

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I Held One Finger

  • by KentI’m not fucking Rembrandt.
  • is kind of a ding-dong
  • leotard out of my butt
  • the murder charges were dropped
  • “Shut the hell up.”

Tune in next time part 748      Click Here for Earlier Installments

I held one finger up to Tessa’s lips as the footsteps grew nearer. We both held our breath waiting to see who would burst through the door, but the footsteps kept going along the hallway. I needed a silent way to tell Tessa to hide under the bed while I went out to check on the children. But of all the esoteric nonverbal codes we both learned at the Academy, none of them seemed to suit our situation. I grabbed the airship stationery pad from my nightstand, and found that Tessa’s continuing pelvic undulations made it impossible to remember how to spell any useful words. So I tried to draw a picture of those instructions.

After studying the page for several thrusts, Tessa whispered, “Clearly I’m not fucking Rembrandt. Now are you going to help me search for my therapist, or am I going to have to play rough?”

I shushed her again, but my eyes rolling back in my head robbed the command of authority. Tessa’s breathy whisper nearly sent me over the edge. “I wouldn’t worry about that sister-in-law of yours. She is kind of a ding-dong, you must admit. Although, I guess I should be nicer since she did help me pull my leotard out of my butt not too long ago.”

I went over the edge. Tessa quickly put a pillow over my face to muffle my incohate expressions of ecstasy. She held it there for what felt like a very long time, and as I was on the verge of passing out I wondered how she would evade capture unless the murder charges were dropped. But the pillow lifted away and I got oxygen, and the whole line of speculation became moot.

“This isn’t playing rough?” I asked softly.

Tessa hissed, “Shut the hell up.” She raised herself up from my chest, listening. “That definitely isn’t Isolde out in the hallway.”

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