Pictures help generate new ideas for short stories. You can either try the following exercise or just exchange photographs among friends and write stories on them. You can carry this out in your classroom and have your students each bring in a picture and trade. With groups, have some kind of system for the trade so that students don’t plan ahead.
Start writing a story on the picture. The story does not necessarily have to explain the picture, so long as the picture has in some way inspired the resulting work. Make all the students read out their stories.
You do not need to write a description of the story! Remember that the purpose of this activity was to make you write something which you wouldn’t have otherwise. Try to be imaginative. Don’t copy paste something you have written earlier.
Adam C. a reader, said, “The picture I was given portrayed an elderly couple, holding hands, looking off to the left of the camera lens. There was a large boat in the background. This prompted me to write about the couple as though they had just come from their home in Europe to join their son in America. There is a feeling of fear and isolation in the photo, and this was the best way I could think to translate it into words.”
If you wish you can do this by yourself too. Just take some picture you like grab a pen and paper and let the words flow!