Writing Challenge for August – Cooking Up a Short Story
Cooking up a short story can be fun! Join us for this challenge and cook up a new short story in four weeks.
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Creating a Beginning
The following is an excerpt from The Children’s Writer’s Guide. Many writers work very hard at creating a beginning right at the outset of their project. It certainly seems logical to start at the beginning, but in my own experience, the opening page or pages are usually the last things that are written. Once the…
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More Summer Writing Prompts to End July and Start August
Here are 7 fresh prompts for the final week of July rolling into the first week of August. Monday’s Prompt – The Last July Sunset On the very last evening of July, your character watches the sunset and makes a bold decision that sets the rest of their life in motion. Tuesday’s Prompt – Night…
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Heat Up Your Writing This Week!
Here are seven fresh prompts for the coming week, each tied to the heat and vibe of July. Monday’s Prompt – The Last Fan In a sweltering city where all the stores have sold out of fans, your character stumbles upon the very last one. But someone else wants it just as badly—for reasons that…
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Starting a Story
Following up on my article from a few weeks ago, you might even want to conduct your own personal “what if” exercises with a few story starter ideas. For example, what kind of a story might you able to conjure up from some of these random sentences? “He turned the corner and couldn’t believe it…
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Your Words Deserve Better Than the Delete Key – Set Up a Writer’s Scraps File
Let’s talk about something that happens to every writer, whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been at this for years. You’re deep in your story, everything’s flowing, and then you hit a paragraph that just… doesn’t work. Maybe it’s beautiful writing, maybe it’s a great character moment, but it slows down your scene or…
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Who Do You Think You Are?
Suzanne has been my writing coach for nearly five years. I thought it was a bit indulgent of me to hire a writing coach. “Who the heck are you to get yourself a coach?” I asked myself oh-so-many times before I contacted Suzanne. Who the heck am I, indeed. I still ask myself that question….
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Hot July Writing Prompts
Hot enough for you? Here are 7 new creative writing prompts inspired by the heat of July. Monday’s Prompt – Firecracker Sky Your character has always hated the Fourth of July crowds, but this year, something—or someone—makes them stay out under the fireworks. What changes everything? Tuesday’s Prompt – Heatwave Secrets During an unbearable July…
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Stories From Your Ideas
The following is an excerpt from The Children’s Writer’s Guide. On several occasions, I’ve had part of the story but haven’t been able to put my finger on some element that would make the plot work really well. Then one day, something comes to me out of the blue, perhaps from an overheard conversation or…
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Writing Prompts for Today
Get in a little writing practice every day this week with these fun, creative writing prompts. Monday’s Prompt – The Midnight Parade At exactly midnight, a parade of glowing creatures marches silently down your street. No one else sees it—except your main character. What happens when they decide to follow? Tuesday’s Prompt – The Lighthouse…
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Tips for Speculative Fiction
The following is an excerpt from The Children’s Writer’s Guide. As a writer, I often find myself wondering, “What if?” This can in itself lead to many story ideas, some of which may end up being more developed than others. What if you received a letter informing you of your acceptance into a school for wizards?…
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Genre Fiction Writing Prompts
Here are 7 fresh genre fiction writing prompts. Each one is designed to kick off a story with a clear genre direction. Monday’s Prompt – Sci-Fi When the world’s largest tech company accidentally sends a test AI into the past instead of the future, a 1980s arcade employee discovers the truth—right after the AI asks…
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