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 of a story set in an apple orchard. Maybe two characters are on a first date, or one finds a talking worm poking out of an apple.
2. Listen up! Sit outside for a few moments today and write a few pages describing what you hear. Is it the buzzing and clicking of cicadas? The hum of an air conditioner? Honking traffic? Take it a step further: show your physical reaction to the sounds you hear.
3. Write a few pages about a well-meaning protagonist who experiences an unexpected stroke of bad luck. Did the character deserve this misfortune? Do they maintain a sunny disposition or let it rain on their parade?
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Tips:
1. 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?
2. Whether it’s a new word, a different perspective on a life experience, or a writing technique we haven’t used before, every story has something to teach us. It is good practice to think of yourself as a student anytime you read. Always think about what you can take away and apply back to your own writing to make it stronger.
3. The believability factor is an important one in any story. Even if the story is about talking garden gnomes, it still has to be realistic enough in the way the characters act, emotions are depicted, etc. to ground the reader in that world. When you read, ask yourself if the author really put themselves, and thus the reader, in the scene.
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TO DO LIST:
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SCRATCHPAD:
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PRIVATE JOURNAL:
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TRACKING:
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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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