I played around with photos from Pixabay, and I created this scene on an alien shore. This guy looks out over a body of water, and I immediately started to wonder about his story. What’s he thinking? This made me think it’s a good story prompt. If you write something, let me know in the comments. Link to it, and I put up a link your story here on the blog.

My Take

When I saw the finished product, I thought, “He’s leaving.” This guy looks out over the alien lake for the last time. He tries to burn the image into his mind because he’s not sure he’ll ever return. While he’s out in the universe, he wants to take a piece of home with him, but all he can take is this memory. Pictures, video, and holograms are great, but they can never replace the sense memory of place. It’s a bittersweet picture because this chapter of his life ends soon, but the new chapter brims with opportunity. As he visits new landscapes, he’ll always carry this piece of home with him.

Story Prompt January 2019

While the above isn’t a story, it’s the groundwork for one. For me, a good story prompt leads to questions, and if the answers to those questions create more questions, then the idea has merit and is worth exploring. Now, it may lead nowhere eventually. That’s fine. The process matters. Keep writing, and please, please, let me know if this story prompt results in a story for you.