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August 31, 2025 Writing Prompts for the Week

August 31, 2025 Writing Prompts for the Week

August 31, 2025

Happy Sunday! I’m told by my friends with small children that the latest rage is a cartoon series called “KPop Demon Hunters” which, let’s be honest, might just be the funniest words spoken aloud.

It reminds me of that book that came out a few years ago, “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.” There’s something inherently delightful in combining things in unexpected ways—and I suspect it’s good for shaking us up creatively.

So, what are the weirdest combinations you can come up with? Let your mind wander and see what happens.

Then, of course, when it’s back…how about some prompts?

This Week’s Prompts*

Turkeys chirping and puppies yipping sound very similar, which is where the trouble began.
Susan was slick: Literally, oily from head to foot.
"Cordon off this area of the parking lot and we'll start the search here."
In the hierarchy of needs, a dual-cassette boombox is probably low.
Coach Jackson didn't take any guff, but he did take bribes in the form of home-cooked meals and baked goods.
"Limit yourself," she said cooly, peering down from her bench.
My wings sprouted in puberty but never grew much beyond the size of the average pidgeon's.

*How to Use These Prompts: The italicized prompts let you create your writing entirely from scratch; the non-italicized prompts are intended as your first line and jumping off point. But, at the same time, there are no rules. Write on!

Book(s) We’re Reading This Week

This American Woman: A One-in-a-Billion Memoir by Zarna Garg
Zarna Garg is the comedian we didn’t know we all needed: A whip-smart Indian mother who happily shares her wide-ranging advice and, if you don’t take it, woe be to you. She’s a delight. Her backstory, though, is just as compelling: From a wealthy household to living on the streets in Mumbai to attending college in the US to working as a matchmaker, disposable toothbrush inventor, and much more. And all of that before her comedy career.

_{Grab it on Bookshop.org}_{(and support local bookstores!)}
_{Grab it on Amazon}

❝

And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.

Sylvia Plath

Links We Like (And Think You Will, Too)

🎧 Novelist Ocean Vuong sees writing as a “condition” and looks forward to when he can stop. Interesting perspective, right? Hear more of what he has to share (it’s well worth the listen) on this episode of the “Wild Card” podcast.

🍅 Spain’s Tomatina festival—its tomato street fight—turned 80 this week. If you ask me, the whole concept is just ripe for the literary treatment. (Couldn’t resist the pun.) Tomato-fueled meet-cute, anyone?

📝 The rich are commissioning ghostwritten memoirs, which I guess proves that people still value books. They’re not for publication; only for the consumption of their own near and dear. Side note: I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t an opportunity to do more of this, just without the hefty price tag for those who have just as interesting of stories to tell, but perhaps not $100k to spend.

Top (Published) First Line of the Week

It seemed an unlikely choice, this large establishment in the financial district, so that I stood outside and checked the address, the name of the restaurant, I wondered if I had made a mistake.

From Audition by Katie Kitamura

_{Grab it on Bookshop.org}_{(and support local bookstores!)}
_{Grab it on Amazon}

What's one thing you're going to be sure to do before summer officially ends?

P.S.

Wondering what it’s like to make a living as a writer, but not ready to jump in with both feet? Click here to find out how to land your first copywriting client, fast. (Even if you have no previous experience.)

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