Setting as Emotion
- Write a scene where the setting reflects what a character is feeling—without naming the emotion.
Small Moments, Big Meaning
- Choose an everyday moment and write about how it unexpectedly becomes important to your character.
Distinct Voices
- Write a page of dialogue where two people disagree about something small. Let their voices reveal who they are.
Humor & Misunderstanding
- Create a moment where two characters misunderstand each other in a way that’s funny and meaningful.

Beyond the Frame
- Pick a photograph and write what’s happening just outside the frame or just before/after the moment captured.
Light & Mood
- Start with: “The light fell across the room in a way that made her stop and look twice.”
Everyday Lives
- Write a character sketch of someone you see often but know little about. What might they be carrying, fearing, or hoping for?

A Place That Made You
- Write about a place that shaped you. What memory or emotion still lives there?
An Object You’ve Kept
- Describe an object you’ve held onto for years. Why has it stayed with you?
A Small Shift
- Write about a small moment—a conversation, a gesture, a glimpse—that changed something in your life.

New Point of View
- Rewrite a moment from a Welty story from a different character’s perspective.
The Missing Voice
- Choose a character who doesn’t speak in a story. Give them a monologue.
Found Metaphor
- Take a short walk and choose an object that could symbolize a feeling. Write a paragraph using it as a metaphor.