Minimal Story Trajectory

Hi, friends! I've got your writing prompt for the week set for you. This is an oldie but goodie, because it can lead you through an entire short story if you complete it. And if you keep your story under 1,000 words, it can be flash. But if it wants to be longer ... let it expand. See what happens! It's been a while since I worked with this prompt, but the last time I did, I published a strange, dark little piece of flash fiction exploring the underbelly of "perfection" in motherhood, and the disturbing consequences of burdening children with the task of saving the world for the adults who've contributed to its demise. You can read that story, called Softer, here at Penn Review.

A Rough Template for A Minimal Story Trajectory

1)Write a 2-3 sentence opening in which two characters in some relationship with each other are caught in some kind of situation/conflict/dramatic tension. Can be comic, tragic, violent, ecstatic, what have you. Write this scene from one character's point of view (…