Fourth of July Story Prompts

July 3, 2016

It’s the Fourth of July weekend and summer is in full swing. When it’s time to take a break from the sun and the grill, here are eight writing prompts that will get your creative juices flowing this Independence Day.

story prompts fourth of july

Write a story that takes place over the course of a fireworks show or in the time it takes for a sparkler to be lit and go out. Think about the use of time and how it can expand and contract in a piece of fiction.

Family get-togethers are often fertile ground for tension and conflict, two things that fiction thrives on. Write a story set at a family barbecue. You can use details from barbeques past as a springboard into your fictional tale.

Who or what watches the fireworks go off? Think outside the box, and write a story about unknown observers: animals, underwater creatures, or aliens watching fireworks. Think about what our celebration looks like or means to a group that doesn’t have context for the holiday.

The Fourth of July is all about enjoying the summer outdoors. Write a story about a character or characters who are stuck inside during a summer holiday, using these circumstances as a way to build tension.

Write a story that includes the following elements: corn on the cob, a firecracker, something with stripes, the motif of blue, a bell ringing.

What makes a perfect Fourth of July? Write a piece that follows the format of a recipe, outlining actions or objects that make for the “perfect” summer holiday.

Sometimes, the best way to inspire yourself is by imposing constraints on your story. Write a piece of flash fiction made up of fifty-word sections (which, if they can stand alone, are known as dribbles).

Some of our favorite tales are those tinged with the unreal. They show us the world as we know it, with one important element altered. Write a story about a July Fourth celebration that includes one tradition we do not practice or touches on a fictional event in American history that is entirely of your own making.

by Kim Winternheimer and Sadye Teiser

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