We tried this for January via the e-mailing list, and it was a hit. So for February open mic, here are two story idea writing prompts from Becky:

1) You have been transmogrified. Explain what you are and what you’re doing in Daley Plaza.
2) Tell the story of a romance gone askew. Dull, Scary, Mistaken Identity?

You might want to keep the wordcount limits in mind (20min usually translates to around 2750 words), but if it takes off wonderfully and you end up writing something longer who are we to argue?! You can always choose to read it installment-fashion: we’ve got another open mic the second half of 18Feb!