No new issue week of July 1, but I will return the following week!
In this publication, I will include a writing prompt and writing exercise from me, and at least two personally curated content on the subject of creative writing. This can be anything from poetry, fiction writing, self-publishing, traditional publishing, specific genre, etc.
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Writing Prompt
Here is this week’s writing prompt!
Write a story about your main character buying a house and finding an ornate key. They try every door in the house but it doesn't fit any lock. Write a story about what the mysterious key unlocks. It could be something like a chest or box containing old letters or it could open to a fantasy or science fiction world.
Writing Exercise
Here’s this week’s writing exercise!
Create Three Characters: a struggling artist who lacks inspiration, an elderly scientist with a mysterious past, and a preteen child with a wild imagination.
Write A Scene: Choose a scene such as a park or a beach or a cafe; anything you want. Write a 500 word scene from the perspective of each character (1500 words total). Focus on the thoughts and feelings of each character and how they differ from each other. Maybe the artist finds inspiration, maybe the scientist reflects on how the place used to look way back when, perhaps the child is thinking of a way to prank their friends.
Qualities: After writing from each character’s perspective, note the personality traits and qualities that emerge from each based on their age and experiences and interests. How did each of these influence each scene?
Imagery
Where is this door? Where does it lead? Does it go to a home where you can smell fresh baked bread or does it lead to a secret hidden world? How do you find the door? How do you gain entry?
Recommended
3 Ways To Infuse Your Story With Theme
A great blog post by C.S. Lakin in how to incorporate themes into your story. She gives example like in the The Wizard of Oz, To Kill A Mockingbird,and Animal Farm.
123 Ideas For Character Flaws
A really great post on the different types of flaws you can give your characters. I mean, no one is perfect, we all have flaws. Some aren’t a huge deal but some can be very annoying. Like Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm. I’m doing a rewatch because I love the series and man does he have the worst character flaws amplified! This list gives good examples of how certain flaws cause certain conflicts.
10 Things To Consider When Naming Characters
To you, your characters are real people. You get emotionally attached to them. I’m very attached to my characters in my story and I’m going to hate when I get to the end because we have been on this wild adventure together and their names reflect their personalities and their histories.
What Is Subtext And Why Should You Write It?
A nice, short blog with links that explain how writing subtext leaves things open for interpretation. They give you a few examples on how to do it and some links to other resources.
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