You’d be forgiven for thinking I set up this week’s Writing Prompt Story Starter scene myself.
But no, I promise it was another gift from the Story Starter fairy.
On my hols in June, I was walking down to the beach one morning and came upon these. Two pairs of plimsolls placed carefully on top of a shrub by the beach path.
Did their owners kick them off and run into the sea to cool off?
But – where are the laces? That’s what intrigues me most about them.
The explanation could be more pedestrian. After all, you’ll have seen this kind of thing before: someone’s bought new and can’t wait to wear, and leaves the old in the bin. But look: these look fairly new. So it’s not as if they were discarded because they were falling to bits.
Any ideas?
What do you think? Can you come up with a plausible scenario? I’m just curious, because I’ve come up blank myself.
It’s unlikely your scenario will slot right into a story, so how else might this serve as a Story Starter writing prompt?
Could be a holiday beach story. Or your protagonist sees a shade of blue that reminds him/her of the blue of the beach umbrellas and the blue of the Mediterranean.
The frothy tamarisk tree in the garden centre reminds him/her of that holiday in Greece…
Maybe it’s a story about about wide horizons, or a story about coming upon the unexpected.
What about a story focusing on twins and how different they are?
Maybe it’s a story about someone making mischief, setting up a practical joke.
Or maybe even a ship’s plimsoll line. Who knows?
Whatever your story is about, it would be helpful if you aim for any of our lengths bar 2000. That’s what everyone is submitting just now, and we can’t possibly publish them all!
Think more along the lines of 1200 or 3000. Please. Thanks!
Why not take a look at another Story Starter from Shirley’s collection here.
If you’re looking to sharpen up your writing, look no further than our Writing Tools section.
Shirley Blair Fiction Ed Shirley’s been with the “Friend” since 2007 and calls it her dream job because she gets to read fiction all day every day. Hobbies? Well, that would be reading! She also enjoys writing fiction when she has time, long walks, travel, and watching Scandi thrillers on TV.
