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”
Tag Archives: writing teachers
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”
Streets and Neighborhoods
June 18, 2014. Prompt #48 I’ve been reading the intriguing memoir How I Became Hettie Jones. A poet, story-writer, and the first wife of Amiri Baraka, Hettie Jones offers fresh, non-glorifying insights of her Bohemian years in New York City as part of the male-dominated Beat Generation. The book’s sections have titles such as Morton Street,Continue reading “Streets and Neighborhoods”
By The Sea
June 17, 2014. Prompt #47 I’ve been steadily editing a novel of mine that takes place at a beach. Even while I am typing away here in landlocked Colorado, much of my brain has relocated to a Jersey Shore beach town circa 1993. For today’s prompt, therefore, we’ll work with words associated with oceans, bays,Continue reading “By The Sea”
Thirteen
June 13, 2014. Prompt #44 In honor of Friday the 13th, here’s a lucky writing prompt. Instructions Write about a superstition that you believe in, don’t believe in, or are on the fence about. Write for 13 minutes. Further Writing Make up a superstition. Give it history or cultural background. Write convincingly why weContinue reading “Thirteen”
Plant
June 11, 2014. Prompt #42 For the last six weeks I’ve been working on my flower bed, vegetable garden, and planters. Spring gardening is annual ritual that is sometimes hectic as I work to get soil turned and amended, seeds and seedlings planted, and everything watered in between bouts of rain and sometimes snow. Mostly,Continue reading “Plant”
Champs Elysees
June 10, 2014. Prompt #41 When I left work tonight, I came across a group of folk dancers in the plaza next to my office. They were learning the “Champs Elysees” line dance. The old-school music, the French lyrics, and the dusky setting combined for an unexpected summer moments: a mix of happiness and wistfulness,Continue reading “Champs Elysees”
Breaking News
June 9, 2014. Prompt #40 I just finished binge watching marathon viewing four seasons of Downtown Abbey. The very first episode opens with a close-up of a telegraph in motion, complete with taps and beeps as the operator sends a message. The telegraph not only grounds the story in history (in this case, 1912) butContinue reading “Breaking News”
Inspiration Everywhere: Poetry and Prose Readings
June 6, 2014. Prompt #38 On Thursday night, I attended an outstanding reading at Naropa’s Summer Writing Program. It featured Lee Ann Brown, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Rebecca Brown, Norma Cole, and Eleni Sikelianos. Over the next month, I’ll talk more about all these writers and how their work might inspire you. If you’ve never beenContinue reading “Inspiration Everywhere: Poetry and Prose Readings”
Inspiration Online [Part II]
June 6, 2014. Prompt #37 Today we build on yesterday’s visit to the Smithsonian’s image gallery. If you haven’t read my June 5th post, do that now. Today’s prompts build on yesterday’s images. Further Writing Project yourself into the image you are viewing. Write for 10 minutes. Does this changeContinue reading “Inspiration Online [Part II]”
Ellen Orleans 