I am a very visual person. Often, I’ll begin a story based on picture. That picture will usually inspire a title, first. From there, the rest is magic. My brain takes off from that initial picture, whether it’s art I found on a stock photo website or an image I dreamed.

So, let’s play a game today. Consider the picture above, your “writer’s prompt”. Your stepping-off point into a story. I don’t expect you to write paragraphs. A single line will do. For instance, when I saw this picture, my first imagining was: “I dropped the bag of groceries on the counter then turned toward the open door, ready to go back for another bag, when a bright light shone—a moment before the house shuddered and the floor shifted beneath my feet.”

That’s all I have. You can have that “Close Encounters” moment. A flashlight beam. Whatever. And you don’t have to make it pretty! Play today for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card! Have fun!