Have you wondered about things lost and things found? I am always curious when I see a lone shoe on the side of the road. I wonder who the owner was and where the other shoe went. Lone mysterious keys give me pause to imagine what they unlock. Sometimes if I am lucky I will find someone else’s discarded “to-do” or grocery list. I always find these fascinating. What about when you are certain that an object was in a secure place and then it turns up missing? Do you ever make up a story about where it went? Not just the socks that disappear in the laundry, but other stuff like photos, books, treasured toys, and the last of the ice cream. The theme for these writing prompts is that they are about things lost and found.
1. Your point of view character is at the grocery store. As they pull out a cart, they see a piece of paper in the cart. It is a list. On the list it says the following: “cow liver, a red candle, a red rose, olive oil, 2 packs of playing cards, salt, garbage bags, rubber gloves and coke. Don’t forget to get the robes from the dry cleaners.” Make up a story to go with this list.
2. Your point of view character is a bus driver. He/she finds a clasped leather case at the end of their shift that has been left on the bus. What might be in the case? What do they do?
3. Every morning your point of view character makes tea and sets the cup on the counter. For a week they do this and the tea cup disappears to be found later in other parts of the house. Why are the tea cups moving? Who or what is moving them?
4. Your point of view character loses their birth certificate. passport, and driver’s license. When they get them back, all the information is slightly altered. Why? What do they do?
5. Your point of view character finds a strange key at the back of a drawer as they are moving out of their apartment. When they move into their new place, a strange trunk is unloaded and left by the movers. The key fits the trunk. How did the key and trunk get in the point of view character’s possession? Do the key and trunk do something? What is in the trunk?
Happy writing! For more writing prompts please check out Jo-anne Odell’s blog at www.jmodell.blogspot.com