Your Prompts and Tips
Some free resources to help you write better and achieve the success you deserve
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Prompts:
1. Write a few pages about someone who is walking down the street one day and notices a jack-o’-lantern on someone’s porch that is carved to look just like him or her.
2. Write a few pages about poetic justice, in which a character meets a stranger in need, makes a decision to help or not, and then gets what they deserve, whether that’s good or bad.
3. Write a few pages about a character who sees a strange message written in fireworks during a 4th of July show. What does it say, and who is the message intended for?
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Tips:
1. Any good mystery provides enough clues that the reader is able to make well-founded guesses about the outcome, but not so many that they can predict exactly what is going to happen. As you read, note how many clues the author is giving. Are there any plot twists or red herrings? Do you feel the author left enough clues or so many that you figured out the big mystery halfway through?
2. Almost every story has some unexpected aspect, ranging from a small moment with a sudden turn of phrase all the way to a sweeping plot twist. When you read, think about what surprises you and how. Is it a pleasant or unpleasant surprise? Do you wish the story surprised you more?
3. Beyond the title, the first line of a story is the author’s one and only chance to grab the reader’s attention and prompt them to keep reading. Make sure yours piques their interest enough. It can pose a question, bring up a conflict or provoke thought of some kind. If it doesn’t, is there another line, whether the second or the twentieth, that might make for a better hook?
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TO DO LIST:
Add tasks to your sortable list, then revel in checking them off.
SCRATCHPAD:
Cache your gems as they fall in this always accessible place.
PRIVATE JOURNAL:
Reflect on your process — good, bad and ugly — in your dated diary.
TRACKING:
Measure your progress with key writing metrics, automatically,
TO DO LIST:
Add tasks to your sortable list, then revel in checking them off.
SCRATCHPAD:
Cache your gems as they fall in this always accessible place.
PRIVATE JOURNAL:
Reflect on your process — good, bad and ugly — in your dated diary.
TRACKING:
Measure your progress with key writing metrics, automatically,
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Show Dones
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Minutes
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