Hi writers! Ready to launch a third week of story writing? Today’s prompt is a fun one that I have been wanting to try: a list story. The story is implied, from just the items on the list. And you can use the list later as the framework for a more expanded story, a collection of stories, or even chapters in a novel.
Day 15 Prompt: “Write a story in the form of a list.”
Julie at StoryADay offers the following suggestions:
- Shopping list
- 10 Things I Hate/Love About You
- “To Do” list
- List of books or movies your character has or wants to read/see
- A list of deceased childhood pets
- A list of your character’s fears
And here are a few more from John Dufresne’s “FLASH! Writing the Very Short Story“:
- Friends your character has lost contact with
- Moments in life your character would relive if she could
- Things your character has done that he’s ashamed of
And some additional ideas this gave me:
- Grade school teachers
- College electives
- First dates
- Family vacations
- Amazon order history
- Skills or job history (basically, a resume)
- Bucket list
- Packing list for a trip
- Launch checklist
Happy listing!
[updated]
For my story, I wrote a list of band names that (very loosely) follows the narrative arc of my character’s day–which happens to be a lot like the narrative arc of my own day ; )
My Day in Band Names
100% Arabica
Premium Roast
In Media Res
First Person Plural
Long Story, Short
Downward Dog
Warrior Too
Bring Back the Bees
Now With Whole Grains
Grade-A Pasteurized
Yoda Speak
Lost Light Sabers
Expect Delays
Stand Right, Walk Left
In Case of Emergency
Affogato
Flat White
Self-Promo Day
Friend Request
CTRL + ALT + DEL
GINA Screen
Word of the Day
Heavy-Duty Staples
Fully-Lined Gussets
Close Paren
Dissenting In Part
Cash-Free Facility
Fries With That
Add-On Items
I Am Not a Robot
Two-Day Shipping
The Right Honorable
Flinging Faulkner
Hemingway Hijab
Twink Tank
Halvsies
On All Fours
Boolean Filters
Torpid Response
Cringeworthy
And So It Begins
Taco Tuesday
Swing and a Miss
Mint Waxed Floss
Visibly Diminished
Night Shift Mode
The Optimist’s Daughters
Eudora Welty Said So