Last month, I had the joy of taking part in a fandom-oriented writing week, with each day having a prompt. It was some of the most fun I’ve had writing in recent memory and it was positively inspiring to see so much great work being produced by that community. It was something I wanted to share with my writing friends…

…most of whom never even heard of the series I was writing for.

But I felt so passionately about this being a viable, wonderful way for writers to explore and reignite their creativity, it was something I wanted to do. And so I came up with a series of prompts and decided to share them with the writing community online. And that’s how #JustEight was born.

I’m sure a few of you have questions.

“What’s the point of this?”

To write! The basic idea is to ignite your creativity, respond to the prompts however you want and just have fun writing. You might come up with a fully fleshed out story or a drabble that you can work into something larger later on. Ultimately, it is what you make of it.

“So how does this work?”

It’s pretty easy. Pick a prompt each day and write.

“How long should it be?”

Long enough to reach the end. Anything from tweet length fiction and drabbles to a full length short story are welcome!

“Sounds pretty easy.”

Isn’t it, though?

“I don’t write, can I take part by drawing/photographing/crocheting?”

Of course! This was designed with writers in mind but if you find the prompts sparking your creativity, then join in however you like. And use the hashtags as well, we’d love to see what you do!

“Any other rules?”

If you’re posting on social media, be sure to use the hashtag #JustEight and remember to encourage and support your fellow participants. Also, since this is designed as an exercise to unblock creativity, please don’t offer critique unless it’s asked for.

Oh, and have fun!

Day One – May 18th

• Prompt One – Contempt
• Prompt Two – Two former friends who have since become bitter enemies accidentally run across one another in a favorite old hangout.
• Prompt Three – “Of course they’d be walking down the street at this very moment, a familiar smug grin plastered across their face.

Day Two – May 19th

• Prompt One – Surprise
• Prompt Two – Someone finds a package on their front doorstep with no return address. What could possibly be inside?
• Prompt Three – “When the person on the other end of the line spoke, she almost dropped the phone. She never thought she’d hear that voice again.”

Day Three – May 20th

• Prompt One – Sadness
• Prompt Two – While cleaning their house, someone runs across an item that brings back a painful memory. What do they remember, and what do they do with the item they’ve found?
• Prompt Three- “It had been ten years, but every time they smell that aroma, it reopened wounds that never quite healed.

Day Four – May 21st

• Prompt One – Fear
• Prompt Two – Someone is trapped in a dark room, the doors locked from the outside. They’ve only just realized they’re not alone…
• Prompt Three – “They were deep in the forest when they heard the first branch snap, then another. Another. Something was moving toward them. Fast.”

Day Five – May 22nd

• Prompt One – Compassion
• Prompt Two – While walking along a street, a traveler sees an injured person on the side of the road and decides to help. Is the other person a stranger, a friend or an enemy?
• Prompt Three – “The little kitten stared up at her with impossibly huge eyes and mewed, then rubbed against her legs.”

Day Six – May 23rd

• Prompt One – Anger
• Prompt Two – After putting together plans that your character’s been looking forward to for some time, another person steps in and intentions ruins them. Then laughs about it!
• Prompt Three – “She couldn’t stop shaking at the mere thought of what just happened.”

Day Seven – May 24th

• Prompt One – Joy
• Prompt Two – They can hardly believe it! Their greatest dream has finally come true! How do they react? More importantly, how do they celebrate?
• Prompt Three – “A sudden wave of giddiness almost knocked her off her feet. Had she heard them right? Had those words actually come out of their mouth?”

Day Eight – May 25th

• Prompt One – Free
• Prompt Two – Revisit a previous day’s prompts and try a different one. For an extra challenge, try to handle the core emotion in a different way.
• Prompt Three – Think of a character from fiction you’ve never sympathized with, or even hated. Try to write something from their point of view.