Your character has followed a family tradition for years. This time, they change one small detail. Write the first person’s reaction and what your character does next. What matters more than the tradition? Set a timer and write for 15 minutes. You can borrow a character from your current project or start with someone new. If you’d like, share a few lines or tell us what the changed detail revealed. Please keep excerpts within our community guidelines, and offer critique only when the writer asks for it. Elle

Your character can take only three possessions on a journey with no return date. They pack two quickly, then hesitate over the third. Write the choice and the memory that complicates it. Set a timer and write for 15 minutes. You can use a character from your current project or start with someone new. If you’d like, share a few lines or tell us which possession was hardest for your character to choose. Please keep excerpts within our community guidelines, and offer critique only when the writer asks for it. Elle

Your character stops to help someone and misses the ferry to an important meeting. Write the moment they choose to stay. What do they risk, and what do they refuse to regret? Set a timer and write for 15 minutes. You can use someone from your current project or create a new character. If you’d like, share a few lines or tell us what your character’s choice revealed. Please keep excerpts within our community guidelines, and offer critique only when the writer asks for it. Elle

Two friends talk about tomorrow’s weather. One knows they’re leaving for good. Write ten lines without letting either say goodbye. Show what each person avoids. Set a timer and write for 15 minutes. You can use characters from your current project or start with someone new. If you’d like, share a few lines or tell us which unspoken feeling shaped the conversation. Please keep excerpts within our community guidelines, and offer critique only when the writer asks for it. Elle

Welcome to the Prompt Board. I’ll be sharing writing exercises from our Pinterest collection here so we can try them together. Choose a prompt, set a timer, and see where your story takes you. Today’s prompt: Describe a busy market without using visual details. Use sound, smell, and touch to reveal a secret exchange. Which detail makes your character stop and listen? Write for 15 minutes. You can use a character from your current project or start with someone new. If you’d like, share a few lines or tell us which sensory detail helped bring the scene to life. Please keep excerpts within our community guidelines, and offer critique only when the writer asks for it. You can find these exercises by selecting Prompt Board above the community feed. Elle