Write a story in which something psychological becomes physical. As an example, read my story “Dowager’s Hump” in Litro. Don’t shy away from making this comic. Tragic situations often appear absurd. This story appears in my new collectioni “Alligators At Night”

Write a story in which a character is vulnerable and another characters senses this and takes advantage of the situation. However, do NOT make the 2nd character “evil”, give that character depth. “Bad people” (even criminals) don’t see themselves as bad. In fact, they sometimes think of themselves as ‘heroic’. For an example, here’s my story “Mating” in Jellyfish Review. This story is in the collection “Alligators At Night”.

Write a story about holiday weirdness. As an example, read “Baking” in Wigleaf, which also appears in my collection ‘Alligators At Night’.

Write a story in which a character invents stuff to look forward to while going through something difficult. As an example, here is my story “Summergun” from Wigleaf.