2026 February Flash Fiction Challenge: Day 2

Some first-week reminders:

1. There is no sign-up. All you need to do is visit WritersDigest.com every day this month and click on the day's prompt.

2. You share your works in the comments section. To find the comments, just scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page, write your story right in the text box or copy/paste (whichever you prefer!), and hit submit.

3. You don't need to share your work to participate. A lot of writers aren't comfortable sharing their work here. That's totally OK! The main thing is that you're writing something every day.

4. The system will occasionally flag stories for review. There is nothing wrong with your work; our platform does it randomly. We will be going through and releasing stories periodically between the hours of 9 a.m.–5 p.m. EST Monday through Friday. If your story is flagged, just sit tight. It'll be released!

For today's prompt, write a story about a parent to a child.

(Note: If your story gets flagged for review, be patient—we will be releasing comments every few hours throughout the weekdays of this challenge. Our system randomly flags comments for review, so just sit tight and wait for us to set it free! If you run into any other issues with posting your story, please just send me an e-mail at mrichard@aimmedia.com with the subject line: Flash Fiction Challenge Commenting Issue.)

Here’s my attempt at a story about a parent and a child:

Mother to Daughter

I imagine someday, a cocky, snear-mouthed, pimple-ridden boy might tell you that you’re crazy like your mother. I hope in that moment, you’ll remember dancing to music too loud for our townhouse neighbors, staying up late to look at Saturn through my camera’s telephoto lens. Early morning walks in the sand, barefoot and winter-coat bundled, searching for a perfect rock or shell to bring home for the garden. Late nights reading side-by-side, just one more chapter, just one more. I hope these memories swell inside you, gain momentum, provide strength. I hope you’ll bare your teeth at him and howl.

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Moriah RichardAuthor

Since obtaining her MFA in fiction, Moriah Richard has worked with over 100 authors to help them achieve their publication dreams. As the managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine, she spearheads the world-building column Building Better Worlds, a 2023 Eddie & Ozzie Award winner. She also runs the Flash Fiction February Challenge on the WD blog, encouraging writers to pen one microstory a day over the course of the month and share their work with other participants. As a reader, Moriah is most interested in horror, fantasy, and romance, although she will read just about anything with a great hook. Learn more about Moriah's editorial services and writing classes on her personal website.