Tag Archives: writing exercises
Writing Exercise: What the Donald Maass Literary Agency Is Looking For II
Every couple of months, the Donald Maass Literary Agency, which represents a roster of genre writers in science fiction, romance, mystery, and horror, posts to its website “what we’re looking for”—a handful of book ideas within a central theme. The … Continue reading
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Writing Exercise: Photo Booth
In addition to my other New Year’s resolutions, I resolved to reunite with my writing group. I arrived at the first klatch of the year armed with a prompt inspired by a quote from Wings of Desire: You get your … Continue reading
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Wednesday Writing Exercise: Literary Roadshow
Writer’s Digest‘s prolific blogroll introduced a new feature a couple of months ago: Promptly, a blog updated three times a week with writing exercises to get the juices flowing. I started digging around in the relatively recent archives and discovered … Continue reading
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Wednesday Writing Exercise: StoWriDay
NaNoWriMo—i.e., National Novel Writing Month—is right around the corner. Here’s an exercise from Creative Writing Corner to get you warmed up: write a story in a day. There are two tacks you can take with this general idea: Choose a … Continue reading
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Wednesday Writing Exercise: Eulogy
The hardest part about laying a loved one to rest for me has never been the funeral nor the burial. No, what brings me to tears is the viewing, usually held the day before the funeral, where friends and family … Continue reading
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Wednesday Writing Exercise: Hatch’s Plot Bank
Looking for the plotline for your next novel, short story, or screenplay? Need a prompt for tonight’s writing group? Find literally thousands of story starters at Hatch’s Plot Bank, ranging from “sitcom clichés” to bizarre scenarios ripped from the headlines. … Continue reading
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Wednesday Writing Exercise: Donald Maass’s Plotting Exercise
Breathe new life into your WIP with this plotting exercise from Donald Maass’s Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook. First, tear a sheet of paper into fifteen pieces. On the first five pieces, write down the names of characters from your … Continue reading
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Wednesday Writing Exercise: Clue
Here’s another prompt borrowed from Red Plume Press, who in turn got the idea from Soup Kitchen Writing: Write down a name. Name an action. Pick an object. Choose another name. Now assemble these into a sentence. The inspiration for … Continue reading
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Wednesday Writing Exercise: Mix-and-Match Analogies
Write down four adjectives. Then list four nouns. Finally, think up four gerund phrases. Now mix and match words and phrases from each of these lists to create analogies. I stepped out onto my balcony and looked around for inspiration. … Continue reading
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Wednesday Writing Exercise: Thirteen Writing Prompts from McSweeney’s
Google “writing prompts,” and a wealth of story starters appears. It’s this glut of sometimes ridiculous material that Dan Wiencek satirizes for McSweeney’s with “Thirteen Writing Prompts.” Among my favorites is this John Gardner-inspired exercise: Write a scene showing a … Continue reading
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