Your Prompts and Tips
Some free resources to help you write better and achieve the success you deserve
This is a selection we've harvested from our archives, RELOAD THE PAGE for more!
Prompts:
1. Write a few pages about a character who decides to start a garden in their backyard and uncovers an ancient artifact in the dirt that certainly doesn’t belong there. How did it get there? What will they do with it?
2. Write a few pages with a literal take on the “dog days of summer.” Does it mean a period when people worship dogs? Or is it a time when dogs are able to talk? Be creative!
3. Write a few pages about a character who somehow comes up with an actual cure for boredom and bottles it. What are the ingredients?
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Tips:
1. You may remember learning in elementary or middle school that writing has three primary purposes: to entertain, to inform, and to persuade. When you read, ask yourself what the author’s purpose is.
2. Don’t just say you like or dislike an aspect of a story. Dig deeper to support your view and get at the heart of your reaction. Did you find a particular metaphor effective? Or did a passage confuse you? In a workshop setting, it benefits the writer if you’re as specific as possible.
3. Writing is a holistic process: whatever you’re thinking and feeling inevitably makes itself known on the page (or screen!). Try writing when you’re mad and when you’re happy. Make note of any differences you notice. Was it easier or harder to write when you were angry? Did you struggle with anything in particular with your happy session?
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TO DO LIST:
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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
Metric:
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Minutes
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