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Friday Flash 8: Unanswered
I’ve never believed in coincidences. Not in this town. Why you? Why me? Why tonight?
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Idea You Can Steal 89: Those Left Behind
May has one more Friday for us, which means a bonus Idea You Can Steal for you. Unfortunately, I don’t have time to write a much longer intro. Family’s visiting the next two weeks, and I have plenty to prepare before they arrive. Hope your creativity enjoys the fresh dose of inspiration.
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Idea You Can Steal 88: A Dying Kingdom
The temperatures are steadily climbing, and the rain is coming harder and more often. Summer’s definitely on its way. Here’s a new story idea to keep you inspired through the changing seasons. A kingdom is slowly crumbling into ruin. Signs of this ruin are becoming readily perceptible. A sight, sound, or smell would expose the…
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Idea You Can Steal 87: The Empress’s Daughter
Forgive me if I don’t have the mental bandwidth to craft an eloquent introduction. March and early April were really stressful for my family — some big, sudden changes we had to adapt to. Everything’s settled now, yet I didn’t realize how exhausted I was until this week. In spite of all that, I have…
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Scripts, Theater, Fiction, and the Essence of Medium
Ms. Caldwell, are you seriously advising people to write scripts? Scripts are for movies. You’re not writing a movie. You’re writing a story.
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To the Capital [Stageplay]
SCENE 1: Night. Train ambiance. Silas sits on the bed stage left, his eyes closed. Kiki sits in front of the bedside table, restless. A lit lantern rests on the table. Blankets lie in a pile downstage right.
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Idea You Can Steal 86: To Build a Wall
There’s a lot going on in my personal life right now. Nothing terrible; just really busy. So forgive the short introduction. Here’s another story idea for your muse to chew on as you’re waiting for the rain to stop.
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Blurring the Lines and Trusting Your Audience
In the previous posts, I covered the concepts of showing and telling and how Peter Rock advises using them in his essay “The Telling that Shows.” I could’ve ended this series at part 3, but that would mean willfully ignoring one of the central tenets of Rock’s essay. I’d also be omitting one of the…
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Writing Prompts 70
This is it. The final batch of writing prompts. If this news feels sudden, read this post from last September. Everything I said then still applies. I just had to postpone this entry for a month because of some sudden real life issues. All that remains is to say goodbye to this long-time blog feature.…
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What to Show
The previous post covered telling, how Peter Rock advises using it, and what details work best when told. This post will address the other side of this discussion and the other half of Rock’s essay: showing.
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Idea You Can Steal 85: The Show Must Go On
I had ideas about how to start 2025 on this blog. But there’s a foot of snow outside, my family is currently passing a cold around, and my desktop is barely functional and slowly dying. Happy New Year, everyone. Here’s a new story idea you can steal. A famous acting troupe is coming to town.…