You cannot remember the last year

You wake up one morning and realize that you have lost all memories of the past year. You try to piece together what happened, but everything feels strange and unfamiliar. As you go about your day, you start to notice small things that don’t quite add up, and you begin to wonder if there’s more to your memory loss than you initially thought.

Questions and ideas

The questions are designed to serve as an example of how to expand this writing prompt into a full story idea. It is not necessary to answer all (or indeed any) of them.

The memory loss itself.

What caused the memory loss?
Who can help you recover your lost memories?
What did you experience during the missing year that made you lose those memories?
What did you discover about yourself during the lost year that you are now afraid to remember?
Who else might be involved in your memory loss, and what do they stand to gain?

The small details

What are the small details that do not add up? For example, a house plant that is suddenly bigger.
Are there photos or other memorabilia from the missing year?
How have your friends and family changed? You might not notice such changes normally but a year’s worth all at once might stand out.
Is there anything that is true or noticeable now but is not even conceivable from the time of your last memory?
How has the town or city that you live in changed? For example, a coffee shop that was not there before.
Are the prices of things different? For example, is a bus ticket more expensive than you remember?

Things that might change in a year

A friend may have gotten engaged.
Someone might have died or moved away.
You or someone else may now have a young child.
Your favourite shop may have closed.
One or more people that you know may have changed jobs or been made unemployed.
You may have missed a significant election.
A previously unknown band or singer may have suddenly become extremely popular.
Meme culture will have moved on.
New technology may have reached the market.

Just some of the ways things could go:

The missing year was the result of an experiment or procedure that you agreed to undergo.
You were part of a secret government program that erased your memories to protect a national security threat.
Nothing seems to be the cause. You just forgot a year of your life.
You were involved in a traumatic event that triggered the memory loss, and you must confront that event to recover your memories.
You were in a coma for a year, and the memories are locked in your subconscious.
Perhaps a criminal group has learned to steal happy memories which they sell to the highest bidder.
The changes are due to a glitch in the simulation of reality to inhabit.
The memory loss was caused by a supernatural or extraterrestrial force that has been observing you for years.
The past year was a horrible one so you paid to have the memories of it removed.

Remember, these are just a few possible ways to expand the prompt, and the possibilities are endless.