Prompts Inspired by Welty’s Fiction

• 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.

Prompts Inspired by Welty’s Photography

• 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?

Personal Reflection Prompts

• 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.

Classroom-Friendly Prompts

• 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.