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Character vs. Conflict, and Does it Really Matter?
I’m part of a writers’ Facebook group, and a recent discussion centered on the question of which was more important to the story — the characters or the conflict. Many people answered that character is more important. I answered that conflict is more essential. Maybe it’s because I enjoy playing devil’s advocate, but it’s mostly…
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Writing Prompts 10
The spookiest month of the year has arrived! Here are some writing prompts for your bag of treats.
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Friday Flash 7: Doomed
They must know by now. They’ll come for us. Someone will find us. Someone will break in.
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Idea You Can Steal 11: Patient Zero
Ordinarily, I’d make some poetic remark about the leaves changing color and the weather cooling. But the only signs of the season I’ve seen so far are pumpkin spice lattes.
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Writing Prompts 9
It’s back to old routines, and a new season is around the corner. Here are five prompts to kickstart your fall (or spring) writing.
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Idea You Can Steal 10: The Moon’s Champion
August has one more Friday left, so here’s a bonus story idea for you.
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Eight Points of View: Second Person
Throughout this series, I’ve described the relationship the writer has with the story — the roles he assumes to write it. The reader’s relationship to the story has been irrelevant. That’s not the case with our final two points of view: second person and second person observer-narrator. You can even say these points of view…
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Second Person Observer-Narrator: Garrett Morton
You, Dora, and the professor reach the center of the warehouse and enter the strangest room you have ever seen. In the dim light, you can make out hundreds of skulls lining the walls. They must have belonged to Vasco’s previous victims. You knew that Vasco was a monster, and now you have proof.
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Second Person: Niles Vasco
You’re rubbing alcohol onto the blade of your dagger — the ritual demands a clean blade — when you notice a change on the monitor hanging above your desk. The security cameras catch three people entering the warehouse. One is Professor Ellar. You watch them weave their way across each camera’s view. Should you stop…
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Idea You Can Steal 9: Stone of Fascination
Summer may be ending, but your writing doesn’t have to. Here’s an idea you can use as the season winds down.