Welcome to the monthly newsletter from Write Club. Each month I publish some writing inspiration as well as our group’s new writing prompt. It’s a fun challenge to develop a new post that hopefully gives writers something to think about that might get that pen moving across the page — as least in a figurative sense. (Does anyone write long-hand anymore?) And I find my own inspiration in the process.
Just today I had a conversation with some fellow writers about self-doubt. We commiserated that writing is hard. (I know, big revelation!) No, but I mean it’s not just hard work. It’s hard on the psyche. It’s hard to set other things aside that are vying for the same time and attention as one’s writing. It’s hard to stay motivated when there are errands to run and food to prepare and the dog needs to go to the vet and all you really want to do is jump on a bike or play pickleball because it’s summer, or your friends are inviting you to go out on their boat. Okay I may have just revealed a little too much of what’s getting in my own way, but you get the idea.
I sort of think prompts are one of the answers to this big hard thing that is writing. If you just set an hour aside, think about a prompt and write a little something based on that prompt, sometimes you might just find that everything that seems hard about this ridiculous and demanding avocation just melts away.
Our July 2025 Write Club Prompt: Ripped
Oh my, now that’s a prompt. One of our newest Write Club members came up with that one, and I nearly emitted an evil laugh. Ripped has so many connotations, doesn’t it? One can be ripped from one’s bed in the dark of night by an intruder or a ghoul. Or find a ripped letter in the trash bin, which still reveals the damning nature of its contents. Or more sinister yet — as you will see when you read the ideas below — perhaps something dark and mysterious can be ripped from the sea… or another plane of existence.
Okay, let’s look at some actual story ideas for this prompt. I love AI for this purpose. I don’t ever ever use AI to write my stories, but I do love to see what it comes up with for storylines. In the case of the following three “ripped” story ideas, I had initially asked ChatGPT to create an idea for a dark fiction piece. I then asked for three more ideas, but because it was in the same chat, ChatGPT provided three more dark fiction ideas. I thought they were so interesting that I shrugged and decided to run with them.
1. Ripped from the Walls
When a renovation crew begins tearing down drywall in an abandoned orphanage, they find something grotesque hidden behind the plaster—names scratched into wood, a diary sealed in a vent, and bits of cloth and bone embedded in the insulation. As the foreman reads the diary aloud, strange things begin happening to the crew — visions, injuries that mimic those described in the diary, and disappearances. One by one, the men begin to understand: something was ripped from the walls long ago… and now it’s clawing its way back in.
2. Ripped in Two
After a car accident kills his twin brother, 17-year-old Eli begins experiencing blackouts and waking up in strange places covered in blood. His therapist blames survivor’s guilt, but Eli knows something more sinister is happening — his reflection moves when he doesn’t, and sometimes he hears his brother whispering in his head. As he investigates the wreck, Eli uncovers evidence the crash was no accident. Something has returned through the rift the trauma opened—and it wants to finish what it started.
3. The Ripping Season
In a coastal town known for its brutal storms, the locals whisper about “the Ripping Season”—a cursed period every seven years when the sea gives up what it was never meant to take. This year, the ocean begins coughing up strange things: antique dolls with open mouths, torn photographs soaked in brine, and a girl who vanished decades ago — still thirteen, still soaking wet, still screaming. As more lost souls return, stitched and sea-sick, one woman must uncover why the sea is ripping reality open — and what will happen when it’s done.
When you allow your mind to wander and let settings, scenes and characters take shape in your mind, there is no end to what you might come up with. How do you get started on a story? What are your favorite ways of getting into creative writing mode? I’d love to hear from you.
Learn More About Write Club
Write Club is an online writers’ group for short story authors, with a focus on writing for mainstream publications, literary journals and genre magazines. We are committed to publishing our work in the many professional publications and short story anthologies accepting submissions. Some of our members are successfully published, and others are on their way, with the help of the honest yet caring critiques from our workshop members. In fact almost all of my published short stories were written from Write Club prompts.
How Does the Community Work?
Each month we launch a new writing prompt. Write Club members are required to write a short story based on the prompt, and then review and critique each other’s stories. These requirements are central to who we are. Every writer needs an outside eye to help them see what they may have missed and to provide perspective. This invaluable feedback can make all the difference in taking a story from promising to published.
The next phase is to revise our stories based on the workshop feedback, and (optionally) do another round of critiques. This method helps us to prepare our manuscripts for professional editors.
Is It Possible to Join Write Club?
While we purposefully remain a small group to ensure that we can all read each of the other stories that are submitted for critique each month, we do occasionally welcome in a new writer with experience who is looking for an online writing community for mutual support, writing critique and comradery. If you are interested in exploring whether Write Club is a fit for you, visit us in our Discord server or reach out via my Contact page.
Note: If you enter our Discord server you will be in a waiting area where we can chat with you and learn more about your interests.
Here’s what’s expected of our members:
- You should already have a strong foundation in short story writing, excellent English skills, and a desire to continue your development as a fiction writer.
- You should have the goal of publishing your work in professional publications.
- You must be ready to commit to writing one story each month.
- You must be willing to provide helpful feedback to other writers and support their journey as well as your own. We are all required to critique every story produced within the community.
Looking for Prompts and Writing Resources?
If you’re just looking for inspiration, watch for our monthly writing prompts, which are published at the beginning of each month on jaynalocke.com. Feel free to use them to inspire your short stories. You can post them on Hive, Medium, Vocal, your WordPress blog, or wherever you like. Note that we do not offer critiques for those who are not members of our workshop. This is just for inspiration!
All we ask is that you provide a link back to our prompt post that inspired you so others can be inspired too. Thank you!
I love to share tips and ideas about creative writing! Here are two treasure troves for you:
- You can find many of my tips and resources on my website, in the On Writing section.
- I also share writing tips in The Ink Well community on Hive. See the complete catalog for the full list of articles.
Have fun and keep writing!
Featured image source: 1tamara2 on Pixabay
About Jayna Locke
Jayna Locke is a Minnesota writer who has had a lifelong love of fiction. Her short stories have appeared in a range of literary journals, including Great Lakes Review, Portage Magazine, and Bright Flash Literary Review, as well as several anthologies.
Her collection of short stories, Somewhere in Minnesota, is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kirk House Publishers, and indie bookstores. She is reachable through her contact form at Contact Jayna.