Writing Prompts From McSweeneys

• Write a short scene set at a lake, with trees and shit. Throw some birds in there, too.
• Write a story that ends with the following sentence: Debra brushed the sand from her blouse, took a last, wistful look at the now putrefying horse, and stepped into the hot-air balloon.
• A wasp called the tarantula hawk reproduces by paralyzing tarantulas and laying its eggs into their bodies. When the larvae hatch, they devour the still living spider from the inside out. Isn’t that fucked up? Write a short story about how fucked up that is.
• Imagine if your favorite character from 19th-century fiction had been born without thumbs. Then write a short story about them winning the lottery.