Certain locations are great for stories about isolation, such as lighthouses, watchtowers, space stations, mountaintop observatories, and so on. This is because they exist on the edges of where people live.

This has to do with a concept called liminal space. These are places that are transition places between places where people live. Hallways and airports are examples of this (no one lives there: they’re just a way to get somewhere else). The ocean could be considered a huge liminal space since we just cross it to get somewhere else.

Liminal space can also be a normal place where people exists without the people, like a mall during the night when no one is there. This is a transition in time between normal states instead of a transition in space.

Stories about liminal space (there are a lot online) can feel eerie or surreal since they are outside the normal place where we live our lives.

Story Prompt: July 21, 2025

Write a story about a liminal space

If this is a new concept for you and you’d like to try this prompt, I’d encourage you to go online and look at some examples. A lot of the stories tend towards the scary but they wouldn’t have to be.

If you write a story with this prompt, send me a link to your story on your own site, either in the comments or at info@greenwalledtreehouse.com. You can also submit your story here for a chance to have it published on the site next week.

Have a wonderful week.

Happy Belgium National Day, if you happen to be there.