Writing

Ten Word Story Challenge

Fiction or nonfiction: take your pick

Amanda Laughtland
Writers’ Blokke
Published in
2 min readJul 12, 2022

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The Price Is Right wheel, with the pointer on “10”
Photo by Krissia Cruz on Unsplash

Lo Everlasting tagged me in her ten word story challenge post, itself inspired by a prompt from Sheri Jacobs.

The idea is to try and tell a whole story in ten words exactly. You could sit down and write several of these while relaxing on the couch at night — or fit them in between tasks during the day…

The prompt reminded me of the six word memoir idea, which I heard of some years ago. There are a bunch of samples on this page from The Kelly Writers House. Can you write a mini version of your life story in just a few words?

My Process

I sat down this afternoon and wrote a few of these. Are they fiction or memoir? All I can say is that we often write what we know.

I thought I’d go ahead and share these in a post before I spent a bunch of time trying to make myself write a mini-story that feels really “good” and finished. I tried to just write down what came to mind, without judging or editing too much.

I also think this is a great prompt to use a warm-up or when you’re journaling and feel stuck. Working with the limit of ten words (or six words or whatever limit you set for yourself) can lead to some ideas you might not find otherwise.

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Amanda Laughtland
Writers’ Blokke

Poet, teacher, & zinester. I started The DIY Diaries because I love to read about DIY ideas and projects; I invite you to send us your stories!