ScriptEventsCompetitionsFree DownloadsSubscribeShop
Online Writing Workshops
Write Better FictionWrite Better NonfictionWrite Better PoetryGet PublishedBe InspiredWD CompetitionsResources

Ripped From the Headlines

Write a scene or story inspired by one of these recent bizarre stories in the news.

Cassandra Lipp
Cassandra Lipp
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Write a scene or story inspired by one of these recent bizarre stories in the news:

Couple Finds More Than 66 Bottles of Prohibition-Era Whiskey Hidden in the Walls of Their New York Home

Illinois Man, 81, Uses Antique Walking Stick to Beat Thieves

Metallic Monolith in Utah Vanishes Just as Mysteriously As It Appeared

Tourist Mails Back Stolen Roman Marble, Apologizes for Being 'An American A**hole'

Man in Taiwan Forced to Sell PS5 After Wife Discovers It Was Not an Air Purifier

Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.

creative writing exerciseswriting prompts
Cassandra Lipp
Cassandra LippAuthor

About Cassandra Lipp

Cassandra Lipp is managing editor of Writer's Digest. She is the author of Queen City Records, which tells the stories behind the indie record shops of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Her work has appeared in Greener Pastures, The Belladonna, Little Old Lady, Points in Case, and Ohio's Best Emerging Poets 2019. Follow her on Twitter @Cassie000000.

Related Stories
Emily Buchanan: Trite, Tropey Writing Is Better Than a Blank Page
Write Better FictionEmily Buchanan: Trite, Tropey Writing Is Better Than a Blank PageRobert Lee Brewer
A large cluster of colorful foil balloons shaped like various cartoon characters and animals. Notable balloons include a light blue whale or dolphin, a yellow duck, a pink owl, a blue balloon with Peppa Pig, and several other light blue balloons with faces, some featuring transparent sections with smaller balloons inside. The balloons are tied together with numerous thin strings and are shown outdoors on what appears to be a wooden deck or boardwalk, with blurry figures in the background.
Writing PromptsBalloon BunchMoriah Richard
Antony Johnston: Solving This Crime Is No Cakewalk
Mystery/ThrillerAntony Johnston: Solving This Crime Is No CakewalkRobert Lee Brewer
When Writing Is Your Therapy, but You Write for a Living Too (Protecting Your Personal Writing Practice), by Nicole S. Palmer
Writing Habits and PracticesWhen Writing Is Your Therapy, but You Write for a Living Too (Protecting Your Personal Writing Practice)Nicole S. Palmer
The Unexpected Writing Aid: How Drawing Mandalas Helped Me Find Creative Balance, by Ben Guterson
Writing Habits and PracticesThe Unexpected Writing Aid—How Drawing Mandalas Helped Me Find Creative BalanceBen Guterson
Famous Writers and Their Typewriters, by Meg Waite Clayton
Writing Habits and PracticesFamous Writers and Their TypewritersMeg Waite Clayton

© 2025 Active Interest Media All rights reserved.

About UsTerms of ServicePrivacy PolicyActive Interest MediaScriptMag.comDigital Editions2nd Draft CritiquesWebinarsTutorialsWD UniversityWriter's Digest ShopNovel Writing ConferenceWriter's Digest Annual ConferenceCompetitionsGive a Gift SubscriptionMedia KitBack IssuesCurrent IssueCustomer ServiceRenew a subscriptionSubscribeAdvertise With UsWrite For UsMeet UsSite Map
Antique TraderArts & Crafts HomesBank Note ReporterCabin LifeCuisine at HomeFine GardeningFine HomebuildingFine WoodworkingGreen Building AdvisorGarden GateKeep Craft AliveLog Home Living
Military Trader/VehiclesNumismatic News/VehiclesNumismasterOld Cars WeeklyOld House JournalPeriod HomesPopular WoodworkingScriptShopNotesSports Collectors DigestThreadsTimber Home LivingTraditional Building
WoodsmithWoodshop NewsWorld Coin NewsWriter's Digest
;