Easter Holiday Prompts

Find five minutes and write...

If you have just a few minutes to spare, have a go at these writing prompts that are inspired by travel.

1. When Sarah arrives at her hotel in Rome, she realises she has someone else's suitcase. The clothes inside belong to a woman Sarah believes is richer, more sophisticated and glamorous than she is. Someone 'better'. She decides to wear these clothes for just one day and 'try out' this new personality. Write a scene where Sarah, normally painfully shy and reserved, walks boldly into a bar and orders a cocktail. What happens next?

   
   

2. Write a scene of dialogue between two people who've arrived at a secluded part of a beach at the same time. They both want this bit of sand for themselves and are not prepared to share.

3. Rory is at a silent retreat in India and as he ends yet another day of utter silence he sits outside his guest hut and wonders what his friends are all doing on their boys' holiday to Ibiza. Write a scene where Rory questions why he'd opted for this retreat instead. What was he trying to prove? Was it a mistake?

   
   

4. Gillian, 75, is being buried in the sand by her grandchildren. As the children play around her, she thinks back to when she was as young as they were. Write a scene where Gillian has a flashback to a holiday she had when she was five or six. What was so memorable about this holiday?

5. Tania is not having the best holiday. The A/C is broken, the children are fighting over an IPAD, her husband is nursing a hangover and she's just found out their holiday apartment is next to an all-night club. Write a scene where Tania has a tantrum that no one else is aware of. She's letting it all out, but how?

6. Andrew sits on his balcony that overlooks the turquoise Mediterranean. It's his first ever solo holiday and he's thrilled. Write a scene where Andrew looks out across the sea and can't quite believe his luck.