The Island Painter's Fight
A heartbroken young artist moves to a remote island to find solace and inspiration but instead finds herself involved in the island community’s struggle against a powerful developer who wants to turn their haven into a luxury resort. Her journey toward finding her voice as a painter intertwines with a budding romance and a community's fight for survival.
Suggested length: A short story: 1,500 to 5,000 words, or flash fiction under 1,000
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- End on a small gesture rather than a speech.
- Give your main character a job you know well, and use its details.
- Let a minor character change the ending.
Writing contemporary fiction
People like us, now, in trouble we recognize.
Contemporary fiction is set in the present day and deals with life as it's actually lived: families, marriages, friendships, work, loss. It sits between literary and commercial fiction, often shelved as book club or upmarket fiction.
What readers expect
- A present-day, realistic setting
- Relatable, flawed characters
- Emotional stakes over action
- Issues readers face themselves
A tip before you start
Today is your setting, so use it: the group chat, the parking ticket, the brand of cereal. Specifics make it feel true.
More Women's Fiction prompts
- Three Generations on the RoadCreate a narrative about three generations of women from the same family who embark on a road trip together for the first time. Explore the dynamics…
- A Year for Her ListImagine a story where a woman is given a year to live. She decides to leave her high-powered job and embarks on a journey of fulfilling her bucket…
- The Neighborhood Dance StudioAfter a life-altering incident, a woman in her thirties with a passion for dance opens a studio in a diverse urban neighborhood. She encounters a…
- The Bookshop LettersWrite a story about a woman who inherits an old bookstore in a small town and discovers letters between her late grandmother and a mysterious lover.…
Fifteen minutes in? Keep going.
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