Ooh, spring has sprung. That makes butt-in-chair time harder to do. I want to jump up and go outside. Or sit outside writing, which really means not writing, but watching leaves unfurl and flowers bloom. A few story prompts might help us all. Orgone (pronounced like, was he here or was he gone? Or gone.) … Continue reading 3 Story Prompts for May
Category: art and writing
4 Story Prompts for March
Need writing ideas for March? How about... https://www.apnews.com/76e7c9eb60f14db98c855ef680d43adb Wyoming District Will Open 1- Student School Next Fall There are several ideas that jumped to my mind for this one. You could write a story from the child's POV or the teacher's. And since there are two schools with one student a few miles apart, … Continue reading 4 Story Prompts for March
5 Freaky Finds for February
Dang, it's cold. Let's warm up with some weird story prompts for the month. Atlas Obscura has a compilation of creepy folktales in case you need to get your blood pumping. I am not responsible for any weird dreams, but feel free to drop a comment if you end up being inspired to write a … Continue reading 5 Freaky Finds for February
How Alix E. Harrow Makes Me Cry
This is a story analysis post shared from my Patreon. It's the 27th short story this year in which I've taken apart the casing to watch the engine move. If you like that sort of thing, please consider pledging. Do Not Look Back, My Lion is in Beneath Ceaseless Skies Issue #270, a fabulous magazine … Continue reading How Alix E. Harrow Makes Me Cry
Seven Joys of January
Soon, the cows will be having babies. They'll be so little and cute, curled up in the hay and chasing each other on too-long legs. As I type this, snow is falling thick and forever, weighing down the willows, curling their edges toward the ground. Here are places and ideas and stories that brought me … Continue reading Seven Joys of January
Every Character is the Star of Their Show
Got a sidekick? I don't mean in real life! (although maybe you do. If so, I hope you also have a kickass soundtrack.) Writing secondary characters with depth and voice is often what separates a good story from a great one, and I have an example for you from a movie! (spoilers ahead) In The Life … Continue reading Every Character is the Star of Their Show
Breaking Rules
There are no writing police. Yes, there are gatekeepers, but those editors and publishers and markets make what they want clear by what they publish. That's one reason I'm doing the 300 published stories challenge over on Patreon. (Come join me!) I'm also reading down my TBR-pile. Currently, I'm working on the re-read of Pullman's … Continue reading Breaking Rules
Olivia’s Table by Alyssa Wong
One of my 2019 goals is to read and analyze 300 short stories to help me be better at short form writing. I'm sharing them in batches of three over on my Patreon, but wanted to highlight this particular story and the lessons I learned from the exercise with you. Olivia's Table by Alyssa … Continue reading Olivia’s Table by Alyssa Wong
Far, Middle, Near
One of the higher level editing I'm tackling right now in my work involves setting. I grew up reading a lot of Sci-Fi that often felt like you were in an empty room. It was the norm for that style and time. Like fashion, genre writing changes. Evolves. Gets better! So, my writing tends toward … Continue reading Far, Middle, Near
FS;HE – Edna St. Vincent Millay
It's time for another round of the creativity game, Famous Starts/Humble Endings! If you've never played, the rules are fairly simple. I will give you lines of a famous poem in bold. Your job is to write the next line. There are no wrong answers! This is simply a way to play with words and … Continue reading FS;HE – Edna St. Vincent Millay
