Category: Writing Challenges

June 2025, Summer Writing, Writing Challenges, Writing Prompts

☀️Embrace the Light: Writing with the Summer Solstice in Fiction and Fantasy

Sara's Writing Sanctuary

Every year, the Summer Solstice marks the longest day and shortest night of the year—a time of powerful sun magic, vibrant life, and turning points in myth and nature. In 2025, the Summer Solstice falls on Thursday, June 19th in the Northern Hemisphere. This celestial event has deep roots in folklore and symbolism, making it the perfect inspiration for fiction and fantasy writers.

🌞 What Is the Summer Solstice?

The Summer Solstice occurs when the Earth’s axial tilt is most inclined toward the sun. This results in the longest day of the year and the official beginning of summer. Ancient cultures honored the solstice with fire festivals, rituals of fertility and abundance, and celebrations of light triumphing over darkness.

Whether you’re writing contemporary stories, epic fantasy, or magical realism, the Summer Solstice offers a ripe backdrop for transformation, revelation, or mystery.

✨ Why the Solstice Is Powerful for Storytelling

Solstice themes naturally connect to pivotal story moments:

  • Light vs. Darkness: A character might confront their inner shadows as the outer world is drenched in sunlight.
  • Turning Points: Like the sun’s path shifting toward shorter days, a hero’s journey might pivot toward unexpected sacrifice or enlightenment.
  • Magic at Its Peak: In fantasy, the solstice can represent a time when magic is strongest—spells are more potent, boundaries between worlds thin, and ancient rites awaken.
  • Cycles and Rebirth: The solstice invites themes of renewal, harvest, and the price of power. It’s a natural metaphor for endings and beginnings.

🔮 6 Ways to Use the Summer Solstice in Fiction & Fantasy

  1. A Prophecy Fulfilled on the Longest Day
    Your protagonist races against the sun. If the spell, ritual, or duel isn’t completed by sunset, fate will take a darker path.
  2. A Solstice Festival with Hidden Motives
    A vibrant solstice celebration masks political secrets, forbidden magic, or a ritual sacrifice meant to keep the sun alive.
  3. The Sun’s Blessing or Curse
    A sun deity might bless a child born on the solstice—or curse one, fearing they will outshine the gods.
  4. A Portal Opens Only Once a Year
    A portal between realms appears at solar noon on the solstice. What lies beyond could change everything—or trap them forever.
  5. The Fire Trials
    A coming-of-age tradition where youths must pass through solstice firewalks, facing illusions or truths about their heritage.
  6. A Love Story of Light and Shadow
    One lover is bound to the sun, the other to the moon. The solstice brings them closest—but only for a few fleeting hours.

🌿 Writing Prompt Ideas for the Solstice

  • A magical plant blooms only on the Summer Solstice. Whoever consumes it is granted insight—or madness.
  • A town where the sun doesn’t set on the solstice… and no one remembers what happens at night.
  • A girl wakes up glowing. Her village says she’s been chosen by the Sun Spirit—but chosen for what?

🌞 Final Thoughts

The Summer Solstice is more than just a date on the calendar—it’s a doorway into stories about power, transformation, balance, and light. Whether you’re writing a sweeping fantasy novel or a short story with magical realism, let this luminous day fuel your creativity.

Write with the sun at your back and your imagination wide open.

Happy Writing ^_^

June 2025, Moon writing, Writing Challenges, Writing Prompts

🌙 Write a Scene Lit Only by Moonlight

Sara's Writing Sanctuary

There’s something timeless about moonlight.

It doesn’t just light up the night—it transforms it. It blurs edges, deepens shadows, and whispers mystery into the world around us. Under the moon’s silver glow, even the most familiar places can feel strange, romantic, or otherworldly.

As writers, we can use this magic to our advantage. A scene lit only by moonlight can set the stage for intimacy, suspense, wonder, or quiet reflection. No firelight. No electricity. Just the moon—and whatever secrets it reveals.

✨ Your Prompt:

Write a scene lit only by moonlight.

Think about how your characters move in the dark. What do they see in the pale light? What remains hidden in shadow? Is the silence peaceful or unsettling? Let the moonlight shape the tone, the tension, and the emotions in your scene.

🖋️ Story Spark Ideas

Need a little inspiration? Try one of these ideas:

  • A wanderer lost in the woods sees glowing footprints that disappear at dawn.
  • Two ex-lovers meet by the water under the full moon, old feelings stirring with every ripple.
  • A child wakes to find a shimmering staircase outside their window—only visible in moonlight.
  • A warrior on night watch hears a lullaby drifting through the trees. The voice? Someone long dead.
  • When the moon turns red, reflections in mirrors begin moving on their own.

🌌 Tips for Writing with Moonlight

  • Embrace the shadows. Moonlight doesn’t illuminate everything. What’s hidden can be just as powerful as what’s seen.
  • Use your senses. When vision is limited, your characters may rely more on sound, scent, and touch.
  • Set the mood. Is your scene romantic, eerie, gentle, or surreal? Let that guide the tone and language.

💬 Share Your Scene

If you write something using this prompt, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment or share a snippet with me. Moonlight is a beautiful muse—and I can’t wait to see where it leads your imagination.

Happy Writing ^_^

June 2025, Writing Challenges

✨Writing Challenge: The Curse Within the Power✨

Sara's Writing Sanctuary

Prompt:

Choose a character from your favorite anime or movie—someone with a powerful ability, like bending elements, time travel, telepathy, shapeshifting, or healing. Now imagine that power isn’t a blessing… but a curse.

Write a scene, short story, or even a monologue where that power brings suffering instead of strength. Maybe it isolates the character from others, backfires in dangerous ways, or slowly eats away at their humanity.

🧠 Challenge Guidelines:

  • Length: 300–1000 words (or more if you’re inspired!)
  • Tone: Tragic, eerie, dramatic, or bittersweet—your choice.
  • Perspective: Write in first-person (as the cursed character) or third-person (from an outsider’s view).
  • Optional Twist: Let the character meet someone who envies their power… and reveal the dark truth behind it.

🌟 Examples to Spark Ideas:

  • A character who can read minds slowly loses their own thoughts to others’ voices.
  • A healer who absorbs pain when healing others begins to feel every wound they cure.
  • A time traveler who can’t return to their own timeline, always a ghost in someone else’s life.

💬 Bonus Reflection (Optional):

At the end of your piece, write a short author’s note answering:

“Why did I choose this character and how does this cursed version change how I see them?”

Happy Writing ^_^

June 2025, Moon Journaling, Moon writing, Writing Challenges, Writing Prompts

🍓 Writing Under the Strawberry Moon: Magic, Myths, and Midsummer Muses 🌕

Sara's Writing Sanctuary

On June 11, the full Strawberry Moon will rise—an enchanting name rooted in the ripening of wild strawberries by Indigenous peoples and farmers in North America. But in the world of writing and wonder, the Strawberry Moon means so much more: it’s a symbol of sweet change, ripening potential, emotional truth, and summer’s secret magic.

This full moon, with its soft glow and mystical timing near the solstice, feels like the perfect muse for stories and poems that blend transformation, nature, longing, and hidden worlds. Whether you write fantasy novels, slice-of-life fiction, or dreamy poetry, the Strawberry Moon invites you to look at what’s blooming, what’s fading, and what’s ready to be revealed.

Let this be your sign to write something lush and honest, dreamy or dangerous. Below, you’ll find 11 Strawberry Moon writing prompts and 11 writing challenges to bring this lunar magic to the page.

🍓 11 Strawberry Moon Writing Prompts for Fantasy & Fiction Writers

  1. A sacred grove only appears during the Strawberry Moon, where fae harvest a rare glowing fruit with prophetic powers.
  2. A village celebrates the Strawberry Moon with a midsummer offering, but this year, the moon doesn’t accept it.
  3. A werewolf cursed to transform only during the Strawberry Moon finally meets someone who understands their pain.
  4. A moon priestess weaves spells into baskets of strawberries to protect her people from a coming storm.
  5. Every June, the moon selects a single soul to carry its hidden message — this year, it’s your character.
  6. A pair of lovers meet under the Strawberry Moon every year — one is immortal, the other slowly forgetting.
  7. A forbidden ritual is unlocked by placing strawberry juice on ancient runes bathed in moonlight.
  8. The moon is turning redder each year — and your character is the only one who remembers the old stories.
  9. A child born under the Strawberry Moon begins to manifest strange, sweet-smelling magic.
  10. Strawberry vines have overtaken the castle ruins, and under the full moon, they whisper secrets.
  11. The Strawberry Moon is said to reveal true names. What happens when your character’s name glows in moonlight?

🌕 11 Strawberry Moon Writing Challenges

  1. Write a scene where moonlight reveals a hidden passage or truth. Use no artificial light in the setting.
  2. Craft a story that takes place entirely over the course of one Strawberry Moon night.
  3. Write a poem that includes the words “sweet,” “change,” and “crimson.”
  4. Describe a full moon ceremony from a fantasy culture you create — include food, emotion, and myth.
  5. Write a letter from a character to the moon, confessing something they’ve never told anyone.
  6. Create a dual POV piece: one character worships the moon, the other fears it.
  7. Use all five senses to describe a magical strawberry garden under moonlight.
  8. Write a piece where a character trades something precious under the Strawberry Moon.
  9. Make the moon an actual character in your story — sentient, silent, watching.
  10. Reimagine a classic myth (like Persephone or Selene) under the Strawberry Moon.
  11. Challenge yourself to write a free-verse poem titled “The Moon is Ripe.”

🌿 Let the Moonlight Guide You

Whether you’re writing about werewolves, witches, or wistful souls gazing skyward, the Strawberry Moon is the perfect muse for stories filled with emotion, transformation, and twilight magic. Use these prompts and challenges to set your imagination free under the full moon’s glow.

Happy writing ^_^ , moon dreamers. 🌕

June 2025, Summer Writing, Writing Challenges

Write the Scene: A Heatwave with a Secret

Sara's Writing Sanctuary

Writing Prompt Blog Post for Tension and Summer Drama

The sun doesn’t just shine in summer—it bears down, heavy and unrelenting. The air gets thick, the sidewalks shimmer, and tempers rise. But what if the heat wasn’t the only thing pressing down on your characters?

In this writing prompt, we’re stepping into a heatwave—not just the kind that leaves skin sticky and fans spinning—but one that hides something beneath its sweat-slick surface. It’s time to explore tension, claustrophobia, and secrets in the sweltering silence of summer.

🔥 Prompt: 

Write the Scene: A Heatwave with a Secret

Set your scene during a record-breaking heatwave. People are sluggish, windows are flung open, and power grids are failing. Water is scarce. Emotions simmer close to the surface. But your character knows—or senses—something no one else does.

It could be:

  • A body buried beneath the dry, cracked earth.
  • A letter that should have burned with the trash.
  • A relationship secret that can’t stay hidden in such close quarters.
  • A supernatural presence that grows stronger the hotter it gets.
  • A town-wide cover-up that starts unraveling when the heat drives someone to break their silence.

✍️ Tips for Writing Heat + Tension:

  • Use sensory language: Let your readers feel the heat. Make sweat drip, clothes cling, and tempers flare.
  • Limit escape: Create a sense of being trapped—by weather, by circumstance, by emotion.
  • Layer the secret: The heat is the surface tension. The real drama lies in what’s boiling beneath it.
  • Build slow: Like a heatwave, let the pressure rise steadily until the inevitable storm—or breakdown.

🌀 Optional Twist:

Include a moment when the heat breaks—through a sudden summer storm, a fire, or an emotional outburst. What comes loose when the pressure finally lets go?

🕯 Your Turn:

Write a 500–800 word scene where something unspoken simmers through a summer heatwave. Share it on your blog or journal—or just keep it to yourself for now. This is a great exercise for building tension in quiet, internal moments, especially for thrillers, gothic tales, or emotionally driven fantasy.

Let the heat do the talking.

Let the secret do the damage.

Happy Writing ^_^

May 2025, Writing Challenges, Writing Prompts

Writing Challenge -When Power Becomes a Curse: Writing Depth into Supernatural Abilities

Sara's Writing Sanctuary

We often dream about our favorite superpowers—flying through the skies, reading minds, lifting cars with ease. But what if those powers came at a cost? What if the thing that made your character feel special slowly began to isolate or destroy them?

Turning a superpower into a curse is a powerful way to add emotional depth, tension, and transformation to your story. It flips the narrative from “look how strong they are” to “what is this strength costing them?”

In this post, we’ll explore how to twist powers into curses and build a compelling story of healing and redemption—complete with a plot idea and a list of powers you can use to start your own cursed character arc.

🌪️ Example: When Superstrength Becomes a Burden

Let’s say your character, Mara, has incredible superstrength. As a child, she feels invincible—able to save lives, defend others, and never be afraid. But as she grows older, the weight of her power begins to show.

She breaks objects without meaning to. She bruises others with a touch. Doors rip off their hinges. Beds crack beneath her. People admire her, but they keep their distance. She begins to fear intimacy, fear accidents, fear herself.

The very thing that once made her feel strong now makes her feel completely alone.

This is where your story begins—not with power, but with its price.

🧭 Plot Idea: The Weight of Her Hands

Mara lives alone at the edge of a forest, where her power can’t harm anyone else. One day she meets Corin, a man cursed with the opposite affliction—he’s intangible. He can’t be touched, can’t hold anything, can’t connect. Where Mara destroys, Corin passes through.

The two form a bond through shared loneliness. When they discover a lost myth about a tree that can “rebalance” cursed powers, they embark on a journey to find it. Their path is filled with emotional trials: Mara must relive the memories of those she hurt, and Corin must face visions of being forgotten forever.

At the end, Mara sacrifices her raw strength to gain control instead—her power now tied to intention, not brute force. The curse lifts not because she fought harder, but because she chose healing over isolation.

⚡ Powers That Can Be Curses

Looking to create your own cursed character? Here’s a list of powers that double as emotional or existential burdens:

  1. Superstrength – Hurts others unintentionally, feared more than loved.
  2. Invisibility – Can’t turn it off. Feels forgotten and unseen in all aspects of life.
  3. Telepathy – Bombarded by thoughts. No peace, no boundaries, no trust.
  4. Immortality – Outlives everyone. Emotional numbness sets in.
  5. Precognition – Knows the future but can’t stop it. Carries the weight of what’s to come.
  6. Flight – Can never stay grounded—physically or emotionally. Always running.
  7. Healing Touch – Absorbs the wounds of others. Grows weaker with each use.
  8. Shapeshifting – Can’t remember who they really are. Always performing.
  9. Pyrokinesis – Power flares with emotion. Destroys when grief or anger rises.
  10. Time Manipulation – Stuck in loops. Becomes detached from the present.

Each of these powers can reflect internal wounds: fear of abandonment, loss of control, isolation, or self-loathing. The story becomes not just about escaping the curse—but about healing the soul beneath it.

💡 Final Thoughts

If you’re writing a story with powers, don’t stop at what makes them cool. Ask yourself:

  • What does this power take away?
  • How does it isolate the character?
  • What emotional wound does it mirror?
  • How could the curse be fixed?
  • Is there a way to make it normal again?

Then craft a story where the journey isn’t just about using the power—it’s about transforming it.

Sometimes, the most powerful thing a character can do… is let go.

Happy Writing ^_^

May 2025, Writing Challenges

Writing Challenge – The Moment They Broke: A Villain’s Untold Origin

Sara's Writing Sanctuary

Welcome to another inspiring writing challenge—this time with a dark twist.

We’ve all seen villains play the role of the enemy, the destroyer, the one who needs to be stopped. But what if we paused and asked ourselves, What happened to them? No one is born a villain. Every monster had a beginning—and today, that’s what we’ll explore.

The Challenge: Rewrite a Villain’s Origin Story

Choose a well-known villain—from any form of media—and imagine the story that wasn’t told. Go beyond the battles and schemes to the quiet, devastating moment that turned them.

You’re not here to justify their choices, but to understand them. Paint their pain, their dreams that soured, the betrayal that twisted their heart. Show us the human beneath the darkness.

Example: The Untold Pain of Ursula (The Little Mermaid)

In Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Ursula is the sea witch who tricks Ariel and tries to steal the throne. But what if she wasn’t always the outcast?

Imagine this: Ursula was once a powerful sea mage—respected, admired, and even a beloved advisor to the royal family. She and King Triton were once close, two opposites who balanced the ocean’s rule—light and shadow in harmony.

But the kingdom feared her magic, especially when her spells began to bend the very tides. Whispers of jealousy spread. Triton, under pressure from his advisors and fearing what the court would think, cast her out—not because she was evil, but because she was different.

Heartbroken, betrayed by someone she once loved or trusted, Ursula created her own domain out of the broken pieces of her past. Her “wickedness” wasn’t born from greed, but from grief and a desire to reclaim the voice and power that was taken from her.

Tips to Shape Your Villain’s Fall

  • Make it personal. Let their downfall come from something intimate—betrayal, grief, humiliation—not just ambition.
  • Use contrasts. Show who they were before—joyful, hopeful, naive—and what they became. That contrast creates emotional weight.
  • Give them one moment of choice. Was there a point where they could’ve turned back? Did they make a deal? Abandon someone? Choose vengeance?
  • Use sensory details. Show us the cold stone floor beneath them when they were cast out, the sound of silence after their cries were ignored.

Write and Reflect

Here’s how to participate in the #VillainOriginChallenge:

  1. Pick your villain.
  2. Write a short story, character diary entry, or dramatic scene that shows how they became who they are.
  3. Reflect: What was the moment that changed everything? How does that pain still shape them?
  4. Optional: Share on your blog or socials and tag it #VillainOriginChallenge.

Prompt for You:

What if the villain never wanted power—only to be seen, heard, and accepted—and the world turned its back on them first?

What villain will you rewrite? Drop their name in the comments and tell us what really made them fall.

Because sometimes, the greatest tragedies are the ones no one ever bothered to ask about.

Happy Writing ^_^

May 2025, Writing Challenges

🌸 May Muse: What This Month Teaches Us About Creativity

Sara's Writing Sanctuary

As the world blossoms in May, creativity seems to hum in the air. The days grow longer, the colors grow brighter, and everything around us whispers stories waiting to be told. May is more than just a gateway to summer—it’s a muse in her own right. This month teaches us powerful lessons about creativity, inspiration, and nurturing our inner artist.

  1. Growth Takes Time and Light
    Just like flowers don’t bloom overnight, creative ideas need time and attention to grow. May reminds us that consistent care—daily journaling, small writing sprints, or even gentle daydreaming—is what helps our imagination blossom. You don’t have to write a novel today, but planting a seed of a story idea and letting it grow each day? That’s powerful.
  2. Beauty Inspires Boldness
    The world seems bolder in May. Trees unfurl their greenest leaves, and flowers explode in vibrant color. It’s a reminder not to shy away from being bold in your writing. Explore vivid descriptions, take a risk with a new genre, or let your characters make unexpected choices. May teaches us to be fearless in expressing what’s blooming inside us.
  3. Balance Is Part of the Process
    With the balance of spring fading into summer, May encourages us to find our own creative rhythm. Maybe that means working hard one day and resting the next. Maybe it’s writing by the window with birdsong in the background or scribbling a poem while walking through nature. Creativity thrives in spaces where rest and inspiration coexist.
  4. Nature Reflects Our Inner Cycles
    Watching nature change reminds us that our creativity moves in cycles too. Some days are for writing wildly. Others are for reflection, research, or rest. May’s shifting skies and winds teach us to honor our phases—none of them are wrong. They’re all part of the creative journey.
  5. Magic Is in the Moments
    Whether it’s the scent of rain on fresh grass or the sound of bees visiting wildflowers, May teaches us to slow down and observe the little things. That’s where the best writing lives—in those fleeting, magical details. Use this month to notice, reflect, and weave those quiet moments into your work.

Writing Prompt:
Go outside (even just on your porch) and spend five minutes quietly observing. Write a short paragraph or poem inspired by what you see, hear, or feel. What does this moment want to teach you?

May is a muse of quiet power and steady growth. Let her gentle energy guide your writing this month—not with pressure, but with possibility. 🌿

Happy writing ^_^

April 2025, Writing Challenges

99 Days of Writing: 9 Unique Challenges to Celebrate!

Sara's Writing Sanctuary

Today marks a huge milestone—99 consecutive days of blog posts!

To celebrate, I created 9 unique writing challenges, each inspired by the spirit of creativity, growth, and a little bit of daring.

Whether you’re looking for a quick writing spark or a deeper creative stretch, these challenges are here to honor not just reaching 99 days—but all the stories, ideas, and moments yet to come.

Let’s jump in!

1. One Breath Challenge

Write a full story or scene in one single sentence — as if it could be spoken in one breath. Keep it under 250 words. Focus on rhythm, emotion, and momentum. Let punctuation like commas, dashes, and ellipses carry the flow. You’ll quickly realize how powerful momentum is when editing! Bonus twist: build rising tension, and end the sentence with a quiet, emotional release. Whether it’s a love confession, a final farewell, or an impossible decision, capture the feeling like a heartbeat rushing through the body.

2. The 99 Word Story

Write an entire story, beginning to end, in exactly 99 words. No more, no less. Every word must count. You’ll need a hook, development, climax, and resolution all packed tight. Play with implied meaning: hint at backstory, setting, or deeper emotion with just a phrase. Trust your reader to fill in the blanks. Use action-driven moments and strong imagery. Bonus: try writing three different genres—romance, horror, and fantasy—in 99-word form to stretch yourself even further.

3. Backward Beginnings

Start your story with the ending. Write the final scene first, fully completed, and then challenge yourself to trace how the characters arrived there. What choices, accidents, or fates led to that moment? This technique sharpens your plotting skills because you must reverse-engineer the emotional payoff. Bonus twist: don’t allow yourself to change the ending later. You must commit to it and build the story authentically backward. Characters might surprise you when you know where they’re going but not yet how they’ll get there.

4. Time Capsule Letter

Pick one of your original characters—or yourself—and write a letter meant to be opened exactly 99 years from now. Imagine how the world could change, how language might shift, or how the letter’s message might be misunderstood by future readers. Will it be nostalgic, hopeful, grim, or funny? This exercise will stretch your creativity into distant futures. Bonus twist: include at least three invented historical “events” that could plausibly happen between now and then.

5. Color-Based Storytelling

Choose a color. Any color. Now write a scene where that color drives the emotion and imagery without naming the color itself. For example, write about the sadness of a gray sky without using “gray” or “grayness.” Rely on sensations, metaphor, and association. Maybe it’s smoke curling over rooftops. Maybe it’s a dress drained of life. Bonus challenge: weave in three senses—sight, smell, and touch—while staying centered around your color’s mood.

6. Genre Mash-Up

Randomly pick two wildly different genres—like cozy mystery and dystopian, or romance and cosmic horror. Now, write a short scene that blends the two seamlessly. No obvious lines between genres allowed! Maybe it’s a hardboiled detective in a crumbling alien world. Maybe it’s a love story blooming inside a haunted mansion. Bonus twist: use a familiar trope from each genre but twist them together into something new. You’ll learn how to merge tone, pacing, and expectations into one cohesive piece.

7. Dialogue-Only Drama

Write an entire scene with no narration, no tags, and no descriptions—only pure dialogue. Two or more characters, one location, one situation. Make it clear who’s speaking just through their words, tone, and rhythm. Focus on how characters reveal themselves by what they say—and what they don’t. Bonus twist: add hidden conflict or secrets under the surface without anyone directly stating them. This challenge will sharpen your dialogue skills and teach you the hidden power of subtext.

8. Five Random Words

Pick five random words—use a word generator, book page, or ask someone for suggestions. Now, you must use all five words naturally in a 500-word scene. They can’t feel forced. They must fit smoothly into the flow of the story. Bonus twist: have the five words symbolize the five senses—sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell—and weave sensory detail tightly into your scene. You’ll be amazed at how unexpected words spark new plotlines, characters, or emotional turns.

9. Write from the Villain’s View

Choose a classic story (fairy tale, myth, or even one of your own stories) and retell it from the villain’s perspective. No caricatures allowed. Make them human, layered, and (at least somewhat) sympathetic. Explore what justifications, fears, or heartbreaks led them to become the “bad guy.” Bonus twist: try to make readers almost root for them! This exercise challenges your empathy, world-building, and character development—and might change how you see your heroes, too.

Here’s to the Next 99!

Thank you for being part of this incredible journey so far.

Whether you’re a longtime reader or just stumbled onto this post today, I hope you find one challenge here that sparks something new for you.

Here’s to celebrating creativity, to writing bravely, and to all the stories still waiting to be told.

Which challenge are you most excited to try? Tell me below!

Happy Writing ^_^

April 2025, Writing Challenges, Writing Prompts

Celebrating 90 Days of Blogging: 9 Writing Challenges in 90 Words

Sara's Writing Sanctuary

Today is a celebration. Sorry for the late post

90 days.

90 blog posts.

No missed days. No excuses. Just me, my words, and this wild, magical journey of showing up every single day.

What started as a personal challenge quickly became a sacred routine—a promise to myself that no matter how chaotic life got, I’d still find time to create, share, and connect. And I did. For 90 days straight.

So today, I’m honoring this moment with a special gift to you:

9 original writing challenges, each written in exactly 90 words, to spark your own creative streak.

1. The Forgotten Letter

Tucked between old books, you find a sealed letter addressed to someone who lived in your home over a century ago. Against your better judgment, you open it. The ink shifts. The message rewrites itself. A flicker in the lights. A name whispered through the air—yours. Was this meant for you all along? The shadows stretch wider, the letter pulsing in your hands. What do you do next? Do you answer the letter, seek the sender… or seal it again and pretend it never found you?

2. The Door in the Tree

You find a tree with a small wooden door glowing faintly. It shouldn’t be there, but you know it is. The moment your hand touches the doorknob, a memory you don’t remember crashes over you. You once walked through this door as a child. Inside, something you left behind is waiting. Something that wants you to return. But what if stepping through means never coming back the same? What lies beyond the bark—and why were you the one chosen to return?

3. Lost and Found

You return a long-overdue library book, and inside is a notebook full of someone else’s handwriting—letters to someone named “A.” The last entry is dated tomorrow. On the final page, your name appears. You’ve never seen this notebook before, but your chest tightens like you’ve read it before in a dream. The words begin to glow faintly. A choice hangs in the air: throw it away and forget… or follow the trail of words that now seem to know you too well.

4. Stranger in the Mirror

Your reflection doesn’t copy you. One day, it blinks first. Then it smiles when you don’t. At first you think you’re tired. But over time, your reflection grows more confident—more alive—while you fade. One night, it mouths your name and beckons. You’ve never felt so afraid. Or so curious. What happens if you answer the mirror? What if it’s been watching you for years… just waiting for its turn?

5. The Soul Tattoo

You wake with a glowing mark on your skin. A symbol, ancient and pulsing. You feel it burn when someone lies. Emotions leave trails across your skin—love in gold, fear in blue, hate in red. At first, it’s beautiful. Then it’s overwhelming. You can’t tell what’s yours anymore. This isn’t just magic—it’s a message. A warning. A map. And the symbol is changing. Growing. What is it trying to show you before it’s too late?

6. The Firefly Pact

You once made a secret wish to a firefly when you were a child. You even promised to never stop believing. But you forgot. Now, years later, fireflies swarm your window and one whispers, “You broke the pact.” They’ve come to collect. Time bends. Memories shift. You’re given a choice: remember what you lost or lose something new. What did you forget—and what will you have to give up to restore it?

7. The Voice in the Static

Your name crackles through an old radio. “Don’t trust the one in red.” At first, you think it’s a prank. But then the voice reveals secrets no one else could know. It follows you—in phone static, in dreams, in the hush between heartbeats. The warnings get more urgent. Someone is lying to you. But who? And why does the voice sound a little like… you?

8. The Stranger’s Dream

You wake from someone else’s dream. You remember a life you’ve never lived. That same day, a stranger bumps into you and says, “We’ve met before. In the dream.” The connection is instant—terrifyingly deep. Every night, you both return to that dream-world, and it’s starting to affect the waking one. What ties you together? A shared past, a spell, or fate itself?

9. The Clock That Counts Down

You find an old pocket watch ticking backward. You flip it over and read the inscription: “You have until it ends.” You don’t know what “it” is—but strange things begin happening. People freeze. Time skips. Every tick gets louder. You’re being pulled toward a moment you don’t understand. And when the countdown ends, everything will change. The only clue you have: Decide.

From Day 1 to Day 90

These 90 days have changed me—not just as a writer, but as a human who dared to keep showing up.

If you’re just starting your journey, or finding your way back to words, I hope one of these prompts helps light the spark. Let it be your Day 1—or your Day 91.

Thank you for being here.

Let’s keep writing forward, one word at a time.

– Sara

Happy Writing ^_^