Prompts.
This image? It’s a secret code for something to write.
In case your wheels are not spinning, here’s a list of prompts or parameters to prime the pump of your glorious creative brain.
A story of magical realism about a mechanic in a seaside village, just after a war. He has a memory, a hope for something meaningful during an uncertain time. Maybe it’s a woman he once knew, a distant son, or a dream to experience something before he dies.
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A story about an auto race in a whimsical small town, that occurs every ten years. Two characters share a fierce competitive rivalry, in many things—companionship, money, prestige, fame, this race.
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An essay about: Motor Mania, a 1950 Disney cartoon with Goofy about driving culture; or Car of Tomorrow, a 1950s Tex Avery cartoon about the future of cars; or Two Weeks Vacation, another Disney cartoon where Goofy takes a road trip for “ah the lure of the open road”.
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Imagine you’re visiting a foreign country for the first time. Africa, South or Central America, Baltic Europe.You have some familiarity with it, from books or movies, but no actual experience. You’re hopeful and excited as you arrive at a provincial airport, late one afternoon. You wanted the bus, but it’s late, or broken, or unavailable in some way. But you see one taxi, a battered, blue Peugeot and driver. He’s a character, you think. A prospect of adventure. But who is he really? Somewhat reluctantly, but hopeful in the experience, you engage with him, and set off to your destination. What happens next?
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A diatribe about traffic.
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A love letter to the first car you ever drove by yourself.
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A story about a car who becomes sentient.
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A poem about learning to drive stick shift.
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An opinion on why the steering wheel is round.
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A dramatic story about a top-class car restorer, who travels to find and evaluate a rare car for purchase by a client. Like The Day of the Jackal but less killing.
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In a poem, explore the love affair between some of the world's most reviled and notorious leaders and their cars. Imelda Marcos adored Her Rolls-Royce Phantom V; Idi Amin enjoyed the tasteful luxury of a Mercedes-Benz 600 Pullman; and Muammar Gaddafi found time in his busy life to design a supercar for safety, invitingly named ‘Rocket of the State of the Masses’.
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One thousand word creative non-fiction essay where the narrator is your car.
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Write a short story featuring a yellow Jeep Cherokee, a Hollywood stylist, a sale at the Gap, and a shovel.
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Wrestle with the desire to drink massive amounts of alcohol despite the fact that you’ve driven to your friends’ farm which is down a long dark dirt road. Do not leave out why it is not possible for you to spend the night. Make this a short story, poem, or essay.
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Compose a limerick as an ode to your mom’s daily commuter.
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Write a flash fiction piece that sounds like a math problem with no solution: It’s the end of the world. You must get to Denver from Maine. There is no gas to be purchased but you have a full tank of gas and a buddy with an electric car who needs to be picked up in Chicago. How do you both get to Denver and how long does it take?
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Write a short story that contains a death, a sex scene, four dogs, unrequited love, a hat, where the action takes place in less than 20 minutes and within the interior of a car.
