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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.
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Can Dark Stories Be Uplifting? Part 3
Last time, I talked about light and darkness in terms of narrative polarity, how a certain type of polarity reversal is the narrative mechanism behind producing an uplifting feeling in the reader, and how polarity reversals impact your story’s plot structure. In this post, we’ll be talking about proportion. To put it simply, I’ll be…
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Writing Prompts 29
How are all of you doing? Are you still on lockdown? Have you said hi to your mom recently? I hope all is well where you are. Here’s another set of prompts to inspire your writing this month.