Flash fiction prompt — 09feb26

I thought I’d start sharing those flash fiction prompts generated by AI that I find compelling enough to consider attempting to write about for my own purposes in case any of the folks dropping by here are tempted to try their hand at the prompt as well.

It would be fun to see how others approach these prompts and contrast/compare the output.

Feel free to skip these posts if you feel you are not the target audience; if you choose not to participate, there is no need to let us know about your preferences and opinions about these prompts or the use of artificial intelligence to generate writing prompts.

Today’s prompt:

Subgenre: Silkpunk / Ghost-Tech

Plot Elements to Include:

• The Object: An ornate silk kite that flies without wind, pulling its handler toward “emotional ley lines.”
• The Setting: A floating city constructed entirely of paper and bamboo, held aloft by the collective memories of its inhabitants.
• The Conflict: A “Memory-Scribe” discovers a blank spot in the city’s archives—a day in history that has been physically cut out of the paper foundation.

Target Length: < 2,000 words

If you join in, try to keep to the genre (even if it is unfamiliar) and challenge yourself to target less than 2000 words (there is no minimum length). Feel free to modify the prompt elements to better suit your story, but try to keep in the spirit of the suggestions.

There is no deadline for sharing your answer to the challenge, should you choose to accept any that I post. While I am trying to increase the volume and frequency of my personal prose posts during the week, I don’t expect anyone else to make my goal their own. Nor are you constrained to writing only prose, if poetry is more your thing. Or scriptwriting, if that works best.

If you post something on your own site, let us know in the comments below. If you prefer, you can share your contribution within the comments but I recommend providing a link instead.

Caveat: This doesn’t really need to be mentioned for most of you but any links within the comments MUST be an entry for this challenge; all comments will be “sanitized” of any links redirecting traffic for other purposes — and I will check to make sure it is related to the prompt shortly after a comment goes live.

While I appreciate any backlinks, it is not a requirement for jumping in. Have fun, if you