Write Every Day, Not "Some Day"!
Today’s prompt is from writer, illustrator and all-round good egg Debbie Ridpath Ohi, who shares one of her Daily Doodles with us today to help inspire a story. Thanks, Debbie! The Prompt It Wasn’t Me! Tips from Julie Use the words or picture in any way that seems right to you If you’re not an [...]
Today’s guest prompter is novelist Phil Giunta. Thanks, Phil! The Prompt Natalie arrives home from work and is perplexed that her dog is not there to greet her as usual. In fact, he is nowhere to be seen or heard. Even more disturbing is the semi-automatic pistol sitting on her coffee table and the sound of running water from the kitchen. Tips [...]
Continuing our Guest Prompt week, today’s prompt comes from novelist and teacher Gregory Frost. Thanks, Greg! The Prompt Unusual Ways of Seeing Imagine a person with a very idiosyncratic way of seeing the world (for example, a low-end drug dealer who’s perpetually paranoid because he’s sure everyone wants to steal his stuð; or an accountant [...]
Today’s prompt is from best-selling novelist and popular writing teacher James Scott Bell. Thanks, Jim The Prompt from JSB Write about your antagonist’s life at the age of sixteen. What were the events that shaped this character back then, and still haunt today? James Scott Bell is a best-selling author of books for writers and [...]
To engage your readers and hook them in from the first line, it’s a great idea to start in media res, which means into the middle of things. So…
Today’s prompt is adapted from one of the most popular segments of the Warm Up Writing Course that I run here as an online course (and a home-study version). The Prompt Write A Copycat Story, based on one of your favorite short stories by another writer Tips Take a story by a writer you really, really admire [...]
This prompt had a brief, premature debut last week. If you used it then, why not travel back and use one of these prompts from last week, today? Also, use some time today to pick a short story that you will use to guide your writing tomorrow. Pick one you really love. Need recommendations? Maybe [...]
I get mad sometimes. I mean, properly fuming about things. I won’t tell you which things, because that doesn’t matter, but I’m betting you do too. Neighbors’ dogs barking too much? People in the street being inconsiderate? Politicians doing nothing (or the wrong thing) about an issue you care about? Take that energy and use [...]
Simple prompt today from a song title: The Prompt Write a story prompted by the song title Beyond The Blue Horizon Tips This song was written in the golden age of the popular song, by Leo Robin, W. Franke Harling and Richard A. Whiting. If you want to write a 1940s period piece have a [...]
Simple task today (ha!): The Prompt Write a story that opens, “On the edge of the mountain, silhouetted against the setting sun, there is a small ramshackle cottage made of wood.” Tips This sounds, at first blush, as if it has to be set in a fantasy or fairy-tale world, but I bet you can [...]
Step-by-step instructions on how to write every day, not "some day". Lessons, workbooks and timesheets included!
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