June 28, 2014 Prompt #57 To wrap up revisions week, here’s a playful prompt. See if you discover anything about your writing (or yourself!) with this one. Instructions Choose a section of a story or essay you’ve written that is about a page long. Or choose a single piece of flash fiction or a shortContinue reading “Genre Swap”
Author Archives: Ellen Orleans
Play It Backwards
June 27, 2014 Prompt #56 Today, more random play as we explore ways to re-vision, re-see, and re-imagine our work. This exercise comes from writer and translator T. Begley, from whom I took a writing workshop 20 years ago at The Naropa Institute (that’s what it was called back then). Instructions Choose a sectionContinue reading “Play It Backwards”
Thursday Thoughts: Trans-Genre
June 26, 2014 Prompt #55 Instead of a prompt today, I’m posing a few writer’s questions. Think about them yourself, ask other writing friends, or discuss your ideas here. Do you write in more than one genre — for instance poetry, fiction, and essays? If you write in more than one genre, do you considerContinue reading “Thursday Thoughts: Trans-Genre”
Double Double (Toil and Trouble?)
June 25, 2014 Prompt #54 Sometimes, a successful story is the result of careful planning, clear outlines, and a well-conceived structure. Other times, random play generates surprising results. For today’s prompt, we are going to play. Instructions Choose a section of a story or essay you’ve written that is about a page long. Or chooseContinue reading “Double Double (Toil and Trouble?)”
Fresh Perspectives
June 24, 2014 Prompt #53 It’s revisions week here at The Writeous Sisters, so pull out a rough draft. It’s time for a tune-up! For this prompt, we shift point-of-view. While you might not incorporate anything you write for this prompt directly into your work, examining point-of-view can give you valuable insights. Instructions Choose aContinue reading “Fresh Perspectives”
Expendable Adjectives
(One Day Late for) June 23, 2014 Prompt #52 For most of this week, we’ll be looking at revisions. So dig up some old writing and get ready to rethink, revise, and re-do. Today we’ll focus on adjectives and adverbs. Adjectives modify nouns. Adverbs modify verbs. They supply your readers with information about the nounContinue reading “Expendable Adjectives”
Sunday Shape Up: Oval
June 22, 2014 Prompt #51 For this week’s Sunday Shape-Up, we will carefully press a circle into an oval and give it a spin. Instructions Quick Tip: The word oval originates from the Latin ov or egg. Hence, oval means egg-shaped. For five minutes, jot down phrases and images that come to mind when youContinue reading “Sunday Shape Up: Oval”
Summer Solstice Ritual
June 21, 2014. Prompt #51 After dinner with friends tonight , I marked this longest day of the year with a walk to Wonderland Lake. There, redwings chattered, the foothills reflected themselves in the water, and two mallard chicks paddled behind with their mother. On the path home, I nearly bumped into a mule deer.Continue reading “Summer Solstice Ritual”
Developing Character
June 20, 2014. Prompt #50 To write effectively about characters, it’s crucial to thoroughly develop their fictional lives. Once you have a clear sense of who they are, you’ll be able to better write dialogue for them and describe their gestures, expressions, and habits. How does your character entertain herself, how does he dress, whatContinue reading “Developing Character”
Picture {Postcard} Perfect
June 19, 2014. Prompt #49 Today’s prompt may take you to places unknown. Have a marvelous journey. Instructions Do you have a collection of old travel postcards? If so, choose one for this prompt. If not, in Google image, Flickr, or another image search, type “travel postcards.” Choose a postcard image from it.Continue reading “Picture {Postcard} Perfect”
Ellen Orleans 