Your Prompts and Tips
Some free resources to help you write better and achieve the success you deserve
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Prompts:
1. What if the first day of fall marked a day when something other than leaves fell, all around the world? Whether people, coffee cups or clouds, write a few pages about a global falling of some kind.
2. Romance writers aren't horsing around. Write a few pages of a romantic scene set in a moving vehicle.
3. Write a few pages in which the protagonist’s grandmother tells him or her a secret about their family history that no one else knows. How does this affect the character’s life? Do they spill the secret to someone else?
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Tips:
1. 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?
2. The words the writer chooses to put in the title carry heavier weight than any other word in the story. They are meant to entice us to read the story while also representing a theme, symbol, etc. It is always good practice to ponder the title for a moment before you read, and once again after you’ve finished the story to see if you come to understand it in a different way.
3. Take a close look at the world of the story. Could the story be told somewhere else to the same effect? Does it drive the plot in any way? For example, Sue Monk Kidd's “The Secret Lives of Bees” would not be the same if it were set anywhere but in South Carolina in 1964. Any time you read, pay special attention to the storyworld in which it's set. Is that world integral to the plot? How so?
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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,
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