✍️ Written Tales Member Challenge
Prompt: The Door You Didn’t Open
Sometimes the scariest moments are the ones we avoid.
A door we didn’t open.
A path we almost took.
A life that could’ve been, but wasn’t.
For this week’s Member Challenge, we want you to write about a choice left behind. A literal or symbolic door that remained closed. What was behind it? What stayed hidden?
The heart of this prompt is mystery and reflection. What changes when we don’t act?
🔹 Prompt: The Door You Didn’t Open
✍️ Write a poem or short story (fiction or nonfiction) about a moment where someone almost did something… but didn’t.
🖋️ Word Count: Up to 1,500
📌 Deadline: Open—submit when ready!
💬 Need Some Inspiration?
A character walks past the house they grew up in, key still in hand.
A woman ignores a text that could have changed everything.
A man carries a letter he never delivers.
🎯 How to Submit
Select “Member Challenge” under “Submission For” when submitting via the Member-Only Form.
(Reminder: You must be a paid subscriber to access this.)
🎁 We may publish your piece in an upcoming newsletter and include select entries in future digital chapbooks or compilations.
Some doors stay closed forever—but the story doesn’t have to.
🖤 Written Tales
Where your stories matter.