Your character is timid by nature, and they have some challenge to overcome. Can they do it? If not, why not? If so, how do they manage it?

Whatever your story, it must include a promise. One that was kept, or one that was broken. Remembered forever or long forgotten. Any sort of promise will do.

One person gifts a cake to a complete stranger in the park. A conversation ensues.

I am positively inclined toward collective animal names. Use one (real or that you made up) in a story. Here is a short list. More are out there if these aren't to taste. https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/99-strange-collective-animal-names

From Twitter, Jennifer Shelby writes, "They arrived in ships like dragons, breathing fire, and that is how we knew they'd been here before."

Who are they?

Write a story where a character gets paid to sleep.

Your story must begin with the following...

"Klaxons. Klaxons everywhere. Truly this was it."

Feel free to wrap in any other genres you like.

If a dream is a wish your heart makes, then this is an oath sworn by your deepest fears.

Given powers, responsibilities, and enemies that they don't fully understand, Magical Girls are often in over their heads. Whether trying to balance a normal life and their powered one, or saving people in general, their lives are messy. Tell me your stor…

The classic six-word story. Make it classy, make it memorable. Make it in six words.

You may need to pad with ..... in order to beat the minimum-length pixies.

"It was mostly screaming and threats after that..."

Write something in the second person point of view. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narration#Second-person

Start your story with "It's been raining for two days straight". Where you take the story after that is up to you.

Write a story from the point of view of an outcast.

A few years ago I wrote a short story about a man trapped inside an hourglass. Sadly, I can't find it anymore. But perhaps you could write a new one!

Write a story about someone (not necessarily a man or a human being) trapped inside an hourglass.

See if you can convey an emotion without any reference to the feeling itself. Think about how the emotion makes you feel, what it does to your body.

Most of all, think of Disney xxx

Monster hunting takes it's toll on on the hunters in the form of strained relationships, bodily injury (up to and including death), the doubts that they are doing any good at all. Show the price that a hunter is paying.

The theme with this one is isolation. Interpret it however you please. Maybe they've long since gone insane from being alone, or maybe this could be the start of them being alone.

You must start your story with "It had been fourteen days." but it can be whatever genre and subject matter you desire.

Write a story (any length) consisting entirely of song lyrics or titles.

Optionally (and space permitting), list the musicians you've plagiarised...

Write a story with this as the theme or a statement in the story itself.

Whatever happens, it's not personal, is it?

Make a character's diary entry. It should include a date, or a beginning like "Dear Diary" that makes it clear that it's written in a diary, but otherwise, write whatever you want.

Write a story where this is the theme, stated of unstated (your choice). All genres and characters welcome.

A commenter on a writing blog woke up in the middle of the night and opened a doc to record their thoughts. In the morning they looked back at their remembered genius. It contained four words: It wasn't a gate. They can't remember what it means.

Tell us.

Write a story taking place in the future. It can be utopian or dystopian, space opera or cyberpunk, soft or hard - all I ask is that it takes place noticeably in the future, and ideally couldn't take place now without massive revision.