Writer's Prompts | Take Me to Your Writer | Part 3, The Weirdness Beneath Our Skin

Brew up Something Fiendish!

Alright, you scribblers, it’s time to stop playing it safe and dive into the weird. Forget your usual hero's journey or the same tired tropes. We’re calling on you to get bizarre, disturbing, and absurdly creative. Think outside the box—actually, throw the box out entirely—and let’s see what truly strange things you can come up with. Ready to make your mark? Let’s do this!

Prompt One: Create Your Own Homunculus

Alchemists have always dreamed of creating the perfect tiny human, so now it’s your turn. Imagine you’ve created a homunculus—a miniature human imbued with great powers. What powers does your homunculus have? Go completely medieval on us. Does it breathe fire? Does it have a talent for pulling rabbits out of hats? Maybe it can control time, but only in 10-second intervals? Whatever you do, make sure your homunculus is both terrifying and ridiculously overpowered. Bonus points if it’s also absurdly self-conscious about being a tiny, magical person in a world that’s just too big for it!”

Prompt Two: Paracelsus Takes Pity on a Weary Traveler

A weary traveler stumbles into Paracelsus’ laboratory and asks, “Hey, what’s that brewing over there?” The traveler, of course, should not be asking, but this is a comedy prompt. How does Paracelsus explain what’s brewing in his flask? Does he turn it into a cryptic riddle or just give an unsettling answer that leaves the traveler more confused than when they arrived? Picture Paracelsus as a half-mad alchemist who can’t help but make everything sound deeply suspicious and vaguely dangerous. What’s really going on inside that flask, and should anyone open it? (Hint: No, don’t open the flask.)

Prompt Three: The Weird, Alien Explanation

We all have things we believe are true—like gravity, the sun rising in the east, or why we can never find matching socks. But what if everything we were so sure of was completely wrong? Your prompt is to take something we accept as absolute fact and give it a bizarre, possibly alien or medieval explanation. Maybe gravity isn’t a force, but an ancient curse cast by a forgotten god. Or perhaps socks are only lost because they are actively fleeing from us, and humans are just too slow to catch them. Get weird, get wild, and maybe make us rethink our everyday “truths.”

“Birth” Your Work!

(sorry, I just couldn't resist that header)

As always, keep it under 600 words, and send your brilliantly weird creations to us vis the submissions page. If your story is hilarious, unsettling, or just so weird we can’t stop thinking about it, you might just hear it discussed on the next episode of Alchemy. And don’t worry, LeeAnna promises she’ll read your entries—even if she’s secretly a little terrified. (We’re looking forward to it—promise!)

Go to Submit Your Work @ Effigy Press