Bamboo Shoots Writing Contest Prompts for (the second half of) January 2026

Back from back surgery in December, and back from travel just now. Baby, I’m back, and I have possible suggestions for steering your writing somewhere yet to be discovered by you. As always, you may completely ignore the prompts and write about anything you’d like. You can’t ignore, however, the word count in your title. We’ll again be going for exactly 100 words (Jim Harstad’s favorite), exactly 200 words, exactly 300 words, exactly 400 words, or exactly 500 words.

And this time let’s add the possibility of exactly 600 words.

Please, please make sure to note the word count in your title, e.g.,

My Inspired Title (100 words)
My Inspired Title (200 words)

and so on.

As always, as well, you may write your piece in any language you choose, and no translation is required. But if you do provide a translation, you will probably reach a wider audience.

Here, then, are a few suggested topics you can use as springboards, or you can completely ignore.

The Boss
Driving
Menus
Meeting the Challenge
Giving Up
Taking Orders
Giving Orders
Bank Accounts
Taxes
Moving
Computer Snafus
Wishes
Dreams
Use-by Dates
Applications
Applications Denied
PCs vs. Macs
Illegal Activity
Invisibility
Super Powers

Remember Jim Harstad’s advice: It is always better to overwrite a word limit and edit down than it is to have to stuff in fluff that may kill the effectiveness of your piece.

Okay, folks, let’s write.

By participating in the Bamboo Shoots community, you agree to the following rules:

1. We reserve the right to remove content that promotes hate or gratuitous violence. Be respectful and courteous to others.
2. All contest challenge entries must be submitted by the designated
3. Enter as many times as you like using a trigger/prompt (this page).
4. Contest Challenge entries can be prose (including short stories, nonfiction essays, or whatever you write), poetry, or plays -- or any type of hybrid writing you dream up.
5. Every entry must have a title -- unless you choose to enter a haiku, in which case you can simply enter the word haiku in the title section.
6. All content/entries should be original work. You retain ownership of your entries; however, we may ask to use them elsewhere on the site or on social media to help promote Bamboo Ridge and/or the Bamboo Shoots online writing community.
7. Winners will be announced with all possible speed after the end of each month. Winners receive 10 Bamboo Bucks credit to spend in the BRP online bookstore. Bamboo Bucks have no monetary value outside of the online store.
8. Entries may also be selected for publication in the regular Bamboo Ridge Journal. If your piece is chosen, the editors will contact you via the email address on file.
9. Please note that you need not enter the contest challenge in order to post on Bamboo Shoots. You may post other writing if you choose. We welcome that here:  Click this link to go to Shoot da Breeze.