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 in which a character is on the receiving end of an embarrassing prank at work. How can you make readers really feel the embarrassment, as if they have experienced it themselves?
2. Turn this "telling" statement into a few pages that both show and tell: “I was scared and confused as, blindfolded, I was led through a vast space and locked into what I discovered was the frosting room of a cupcake factory."
3. Write a few pages about a therapist who is told a shocking admission by a patient and grapples with how to proceed.
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Tips:
1. Stories usually have one driving force behind them: plot or character. Of course, both of these elements are strong in good stories, but one usually has more influence. When you are reading, think about whether a narrative is carried by a compelling plot or a character that almost walks off the page.
2. Do you ever reread a story? The first time around, don’t worry about analyzing every detail—just read for fun! Your goal is to get a more general, natural sense of the narrative! The second time around, you’ll have a working understanding of the story that makes it easier (and more rewarding) to dive deeper into the nuts and bolts of the story.
3. 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.
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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,
ADD DO
Show Dones
Metric:
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Words
Minutes
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