The Word Count Conundrum When this past weekend started the word count on my work in progress (WIP), tentatively called Blood in the Water, stood at 29,822. Given the way this story has been progressing I was looking forward to a very productive weekend. Saturday was a day of limited work. I had to meet […]
At Vida, writer Dallas Athent confronts one of the thorniest issues plaguing the literary scene: the unspoken nepotism-fueled culture of connections and reciprocal favors that determines who gets published where.
via Report from the Field: Struggling with Creative Nepotism — Discover
Write a short story based on the image above. Be sure to answer the following questions:
Photos: Alex Markovich. Camera: SONY SLT-A55V. April 23, 2016. Dear poets, writers, artists and all creative people! Feel free to use any pictures on your social networks, sites, blogs, etc. If you need a larger image to be published offline, please let me know and I will send you the original file. I appreciate if you share […]
via Free images for poets. Part Three. Abandoned Summer Houses. Twelve pictures — MARKOVICH PHOTO ART
Use the picture below as a writing prompt for a POEM. Make the poem as long or as short as you’d like but be sure to describe the setting. Is it dark and mysterious? Is it lush green and turquoise as far as the eye can see? Are there predators? Use your imagination. Happy Writing! 
There are several surprising similarities between your book and the dark, clandestine Nosferatu. Let’s start with the fundamentals. Vampires are bloodsucking, demon soul usurpers. They suck you dry and bleed the life out of you. Just like your manuscript! If you’re anything like me, you will have experienced that moment in which the book you […]
The writing prompt for today will explore both FICTION and NON-FICTION. It’s fun to mix real life with fiction isn’t it? Sometimes I like to sit in Starbucks or the mall and watch people, I like to make up stories about them and what their lives are like. Try this the next time you’re out and about.
Everybody loves a mysterious strangers and there is inspiration everywhere! A cute barista, an old man complaining at the bank, the eccentric woman who sits on the park bench every Wednesday afternoon in her cat pajamas (if you see this woman it’s probably me) . Think of an interesting stranger you’ve seen around and develop a story.
Be sure to use dialogue,gestures, mannerisms and ways of speaking. Don’t spend much time on physical descriptions. Focus on showing the inner conflict of your muse through their actions and words. Have fun and as always, Happy Writing!
Use the photo below as a writing prompt but there’s a catch…I want you to write from the house’s point of view! Describe the things that the house has seen over the years. This exercise will be a bit tougher but it will open you up to a different point of view and will get the creative juices flowing. Have fun and happy writing!
Great dialogue usually comes from two things: inside knowledge of your characters and tons of revisions and rewriting.
Each character has to be unique and must have their own voice. Be sure that all of your characters sound different from eachother and ensure that there is a consistency in their voice. For example, Dumb characters don’t suddenly become intelligent unless something happens, like they go to university or acquire magical powers etc. If all of the sudden your dumb character starts quoting Shakespeare for no reason, your reader will be confused. With speaker tags like “he exclaimed,” “she pronounced,” and “he spoke angrily” are totally unnecessary and possibly even distracting.
Death: Think about all of the novels you’ve read. In how many did a character die? Most of the greatest stories often involve death. , The Hunger Games, Harry Potter Charlotte’s Web, Where the Red Fern Grows, and so many more all had main characters who died. Death is universal because one day everyone will die…I guess you could always write about taxes instead.
Scott Woods is a librarian, author, poet, and critic who runs one of the most successful poetry open mics in the American Midwest. At Scott Woods Makes Lists, he compiles lists, writes mostly as a satirist, and comments on current events, popular culture, and other issues.
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