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On the Red Line, Part 1
Sakari ran down the dark, damp street toward the subway station, splashing through puddles left behind by the rain. Buttery gold street lights guided him through the night to a high-rise office building sandwiched between two theaters. A brightly lit sign printed with the subway system’s wheel-shaped logo and the words “Paulownia Square” marked the…
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Idea You Can Steal 40: “I’m going to find myself some treasure!”
I don’t know about you all, but I don’t mind rain. In the summer, I look forward to it. Maybe because it’s a chance to cool down, or maybe because it washes the air clean. After what 2020 has been and still is, cleaning the air sounds nice.
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How Do I…? Ellipses
Everyone knows what ellipses are, but when it comes to using them, there’s not a lot of definitive advice. The one rule that you’ll find consistently is that they’re used to indicate when and where you’re skipping over parts of a quoted text. That’s very helpful for academic pieces. For creative writing, not so much.…
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Writing Prompts 31
Happy Fourth of July to all of my fellow Americans. Here’s a set of prompts to keep your writing momentum rolling.
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Crystal Towers
Martinez stood on the roof of one of the business district’s eponymous Crystal Towers. On a sunny day, the virtually identical steel and glass skyscrapers lived up to the name. But today, the sky was an ominous gray. It was always windy this high up, yet Martinez could still feel a storm coming — in…
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Idea You Can Steal 39: The Lost Tribe
It’s been raining all day today, so here’s me slipping in a story idea for you before it starts thundering again.
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Can Dark Stories Be Uplifting? Part 4
I’ve talked about how dark stories can produce an uplifting feeling in the reader and how darkness and light can be balanced proportionally rather than equally. I want to end this series with my most important argument. Why can some readers leave a dark story feeling good or even hopeful? Why do these stories work?…
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Writing Prompts 30
It’s summertime! Sadly, there’s a lot of crazy stuff happening that I’m sure has put a damper on your usual summer plans. Yet I hope you can find time and a sunny spot to write this month. Here’s some prompts to get you started.
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Idea You Can Steal 38: The Possessed Amulet
May has an extra Friday this year, so here’s an extra story idea for you.
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Idea You Can Steal 37: The Box of Letters
A belated Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms in the audience. Here’s this month’s free story idea.