Writing prompts … McSweeney’s style
The good folks at Timothy McSweeney’s Internet Tendency are always good for a giggle. Here are some excerpts from a list they did that had me laughing out loud. Enjoy!
From “Thirteen Writing Prompts” by Dan Wiencek:
Write a scene showing a man and a woman arguing over the man’s friendship with a former girlfriend. Do not mention the girlfriend, the man, the woman, or the argument.
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Choose your favorite historical figure and imagine if he/she had been led to greatness by the promptings of an invisible imp living behind his or her right ear. Write a story from the point of view of this creature. Where did it come from? What are its goals? Use research to make your story as accurate as possible.
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Write a story that ends with the following sentence: Debra brushed the sand from her blouse, took a last, wistful look at the now putrefying horse, and stepped into the hot-air balloon.
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Imagine if your favorite character from 19th-century fiction had been born without thumbs. Then write a short story about them winning the lottery.
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A husband and wife are meeting in a restaurant to finalize the terms of their impending divorce. Write the scene from the point of view of a busboy snorting cocaine in the restroom.
If you write something on any of those prompts, I demand you send it to us so we can post it here.
Click here to read the full list.
You may also click here for another writing-related funny from McSweeney’s.
