Do the Work: Story Prompts

Yellow, Green, Blue

Julie Falatko — Sat, 14 Oct 2023 11:12:35 GMT

Here is a pile of cars I saw yesterday.

Also yesterday! We had a great Zoom meeting to wrap up the Short Story Project! The recording for that is here (google drive link), and I particularly recommend watching it if you didn’t get a chance to write any picture books or read any of the short stories, but want to — you’ll get a sense of how it worked for …

Letters

Julie Falatko — Sat, 05 Aug 2023 11:17:07 GMT

I get that these are for someone’s birthday, but all I could think was: what if this was how the people in this apartment communicated with each other? OR: what if these (clearly sentient?) balloons ARE the ones who live in the apartment? OR: what if, now that the birthday party is over, they just want to fly out the window and explore some of the town …

Cloud

Julie Falatko — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 11:32:03 GMT

In the morning, I drove over the drawbridge into Portland (Maine) and the fog was so thick. I realized I was driving through a cloud, and how cool that was. Hours later, the fog had mostly cleared, but was still settled over the bridge, so that the spans across the bay disappeared into the cloud.

Driving through a cloud is magical (or: scary, depending o…

Battle of the Ears

Julie Falatko — Sat, 22 Jul 2023 11:08:54 GMT

My dog met a deer.

Sidewalky

Julie Falatko — Sat, 15 Jul 2023 11:06:05 GMT

It’s about time one of us made a paved path the main character in a story.

Refer a friend

spy cat

Julie Falatko — Sat, 08 Jul 2023 11:09:10 GMT

I love this cat in my neighborhood so much.

squirrel hole

Julie Falatko — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 11:03:16 GMT

We have a few birdhouses and there is one that a squirrel took over. It somehow managed to make the entrance hole much, much bigger (squirrel-sized!) and stuffed all kinds of nesting in there. And then the whole thing fell down, so here it is. We’re going to put it back up, if only to reward the squirrel’s industriousness.

Refer a friend

Forest Ball

Julie Falatko — Sat, 24 Jun 2023 11:05:07 GMT

Someone dropped their ball. Or this ball grew up from the earth, or fell off the ball tree. It looks like it’s already an organic part of the woods.

Snapper

Julie Falatko — Sat, 17 Jun 2023 11:20:04 GMT

My dog Cosmo was off leash and I wondered what was taking so long, and turned around to find him sniffing the butt of this snapping turtle.

I leashed him (the dog) before snapping of any kind occurred. I love these turtles. They don’t care. They’re boldly doing their turtle thing.

Dog in the Car Window, from Outside

Julie Falatko — Sat, 10 Jun 2023 11:03:53 GMT

My friend and neighbor Susannah took this photo. My dog Cosmo loves her so much, and so when she drove past us on our morning walk, he insisted on saying hello.

How does a small dog say hello to his friend in the car?

Objects in mirror are even cuter than they appear.

How much do people project their own feelings onto their pets? Or do pets project their …

Groundhog

Julie Falatko — Sat, 03 Jun 2023 11:14:59 GMT

It’s groundhog season here in Maine. These critters waddle casually through our yards for several weeks, and then, soon enough, tiny round groundhog babies follow.

Once, many years ago, a piece of fence that we were fixing was lying flat in the driveway. I went to move it, and there was an angry mother groundhog underneath. I assume I am the one that ma…

Blank Space

Julie Falatko — Sat, 27 May 2023 11:14:03 GMT

I always see this blank sign in the woods where I walk, and while I’m sure it originally held some sort of “no trespassing” sign (although they are public woods), I wonder what other signpost belongs in the woods. An invitation, a menu, a lost poster? What do the creatures of the woods need to communicate to each other? Or to me?

food cart

Julie Falatko — Sat, 20 May 2023 11:17:56 GMT

I’m fascinated by food trucks. Maybe it’s from an early love of The Pushcart War. A picture book is a great place to put a character with a mobile cart of some kind, and since it’s a picture book, they could sell just about anything. Pickles and pizza, or wishes and dreams.

Seal of Congeniality

Julie Falatko — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 11:04:13 GMT

Here’s another photo from when I went to the zoo with Ruth and Zuzu. This seal kept hoisting himself up on the edge of the pool to say hi. The other seal didn’t care about us.

Spring Cleaning

Julie Falatko — Sat, 22 Apr 2023 11:14:57 GMT

This is what happens when you dump your dustpan in the dirt.

Abandoned Meat

Julie Falatko — Sat, 15 Apr 2023 11:24:54 GMT

Thank you to Darshana for sending in this story prompt. Who left behind this giant Maxx Pack of meat? What happened when they realized? (Or…did they leave it behind on purpose?)

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Disappearing Gardeners

Julie Falatko — Sat, 08 Apr 2023 11:08:03 GMT

I don’t know what happened, but it looks like five small gardeners abandoned their posts very suddenly.

The show off

Julie Falatko — Sat, 01 Apr 2023 11:12:42 GMT

I went to the Prospect Park Zoo with Ruth Chan and my daughter Zuzu and there are free-range peacocks (or, as Zuzu called them “loose birds”) and this one peacocked all over the place at us.

Animal Lifestyles

Two Birds

Julie Falatko — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 11:09:03 GMT

MORE BIRDS. Here are two seagulls having an important conversation on top of a parking garage. This one is from my friend and neighbor Susannah. Maybe all of my recent bird posts are just a way for me to get you all to send me good bird photos.

Snowman / cupcake / BEST FRIENDS

Julie Falatko — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 11:08:23 GMT

The story here might be a library hosting a cupcake decorating contest. Or maybe the story is these cupcake snowmen, clearly best friends. Or it might be the directive not to eat (a directive I can tell you now went unheeded — our goggly-eyed friend disappeared overnight).