About a Place 🌍 ✍️ 🗺️

Choose a place on a map to set your flash fiction

TEN DAYS LEFT!!! We’re so inspired by your creativity, stick-to-itiveness, and the community you’re building. We’re ten days away from the end of the August Challenge. (And if you haven’t participated much, it’s never to late to start, invite a friend, or recommit yourself to the practice.)

What will I need?

1. A paper map, digital map, or website that chooses a random place in the world for you.

2. A timer if you want to use one.

3. Writing materials: pen, paper, or digital device.

Steps:

1. If you’d like to time-bound this, set a timer for 5, 10 or 15 minutes.

2. Open a paper or digital map.

3. Place your finger anywhere at random or use a random map generator/teleporter.

4. Write a short piece inspired by this place (stop when the timer goes off if you’re time-bounding.) It could be an imaginary history, a description of its current state, or a sketch of a story where the place holds special meaning to a character.

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Tips, Guidance, Inspiration, and Science:

Want to keep going?

1. Experiment with different genres: fantasy, historical fiction, science fiction, or even poetry.

2. Describe the place during different seasons or times of day.

3. Incorporate elements from your personal experiences or memories.

Help! I'm stuck!

1. Start by visualizing a single character living in or visiting the place.

2. Consider incorporating real-world elements or locations close to the randomly selected spot.

3. Try setting the story in a different time, past or future.

What's the science?

Nostalgia can make you more creative: Stephan, E., Sedikides, C., & Wildschut, T. (2012).

“To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.”

- Freya Stark.