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Featuring everything new and experienced authors need to develop creative and technical skills. Check out writing development articles, our Word of the Day, writing prompts, anthology opportunities and more!

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Prompts

Talk to the animals...

Recently our cat Boo had an infection.  It was difficult, both emotionally and mentally, dealing with his illness and his suffering.  He is part of our familiy, there when we get home, when we wake up, and go to bed.  He's Randy's most constant companion as he works at home.  But animals can't tell us what's wrong.  They communicate pain, discomfort, and other physical experiences the best they can, but how much do we really know?   That made me select the following two prompts.   #135
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Let's Talk About the Weather!

What does conversation inevitably drift towards when all other topics are exhausted?  Whether you like it or not, it's usually the weather     PT Prompt #199: You're a weatherman who got the forecast completely wrong before a catastrophic storm hit.  What were the consequences?   PT Prompt #200: Because the weatherman was so colossally wrong, you were taken completely by surprise by this storm.  What kind of storm was it?   Where did you weather it?  What happened
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Prompts

A Typical Monday

What’s a typical Monday for you? For example, heart attacks occur most often on Mondays. PT #161, Write about being late for work on a Monday. Describe what else happens. The bus is late, you forgot important papers at home, or the elevator doesn’t work and your office is on the fifth floor. Play around with minor catastrophes. PT #162 Write about a normal, mundane Monday with a twist. Maybe let your protagonist meet a special person.   Please include the prom
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Genres and Tags Prompts

I browsed the various genres and tags the other day and thought how about we go on a writing adventure, step out of our comfort zone, and try new things? PT #119 Your protagonist orders their favorite hot beverage at the coffee shop, stirs it with a strangely formed spoon, and suddenly the place is devoid of any customers. The door opens, and in comes a person wearing black clothes and a Venetian mask. Write the first lines of their conversation, or more? PT #120 Write a letter either as
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Prompts

Once in a Blue Moon

This month a rare astronomical occurrence is taking place... a blue moon!  Not only is it a blue moon, but also a supermoon.  So what is a blue moon?  While it is possible for the moon to appear blue under certain conditions, a blue moon is actually an extra full moon that occurs within a season.  Generally two full moons in one month.  A supermoon happens when the moon is close to earth and appears larger than normal.  Now that we're all educated on lunar occurrences, let's go howl at the moon
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Prompts

Happy Holidays?

The holidays aren't always the picture of perfection depicted in Hallmark movies or on holiday cards.  In fact, it's pretty safe to say that the opposite tends to be more true to reality for most people.  We all have that relative with opposite views who loves to start in at the dinner table, or a busybody who's all up in everyone's business and then proceeds to pass judgment on it.  Then there's making sure the food is perfect, the table is set, and the house is clean.  Planning for the holiday
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Prompts

Beam Me some Prompts

In honor of the latest Readers’ Choice Awards category, I thought it would be nice to feature some prompts based on one of the most difficult genres to write.  Who’s brave enough to tackle some sci-fi?   PT Prompt #116 An archeologist on an expedition to study ancient ruins in the deep rainforest takes a wrong turn and discovers irrefutable proof of alien presence on Earth.  What did they find and what are the implications of the findings?   PT Prompt #117 A m
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Preparation Prompts

Soooo, the Holiday season is afoot. Some are already talking about Christmas parties and ‘oh my, what do I get whoever?’. I am the lucky Prompt Team member who throws their Santa hat in the ring. PT# 185 Someone finds an Advent calendar in a rusty box among the Christmas decorations. Twenty-four empty little paper bags are waiting for a small daily gift given from December 1st to 24th. What do they fill them with and who gets them?   PT# 186 Let yourself be i
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Let's Get Technical

I love the challenge of technical writing prompts.  So here are two that hopefully you will like as well.  PT Prompt #103 Choose a setting and an emotion.  Write about the setting in a way that evokes the emotion without explicitly naming it.    PT Prompt #104 Two characters are having a conflict with each other but refuse to acknowledge or talk about it.  They are playing a game (can be any kind of game), and their true feelings keep sneaking out.  Write the scene.  
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Item Prompts

Last week, I looked in the basement for a pot for my new palm tree. You wouldn't believe how much crap I found there. Time for the next yard sale, but I digress.   PT#205 Tell the story of the forgotten rocking chair pushed into the corner of a basement and covered in dusty cobwebs.   PT#206 Three friends clear out the basement of an old house. One opens a rotting kitchen cabinet and finds a moldy box with a set of gleaming, pristine chef knives.  When he picks up t
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Argumentative Arguments

Argumentative Arguments The word argument has many different meanings: debate, dispute, statement, reasoning, or you can even view it from a mathematical point of view. Feel free to pick an interpretation of your liking and twist it into a prompt answer. PT #155 Write an argument that starts in bed. PT#156 Write a heated argument with an internet troll where you have to stay polite on the surface.   Please include the prompt number either in your story/ch
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Prompts

It's Resolution Time!

New Year's Resolutions - love them or hate them?  Some people thrive on resolutions and use them to make changes in their lives, at least for January   Others scoff at the idea and remain their fabulous selves without some arbitrary date telling them it's time to effect positive change.  Since New Year's is right around the corner, let's explore some resolutions!    PT Prompt #191: You've always been steadfastly against making any resolutions come January first and have trea
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Curses and Bears

I’d like to thank Libby Drew; she inspired me to create PT#131 when she cursed my fellow prompter Cole Matthews. PT #131 Invent a colorful curse or charm, depending on your current mood, and maybe tell us something about it, such as why or who. PT #132 Your MC goes camping with someone who never did this before. Write a story or vignette and use the word bear five times without talking about the actual animal.   Please include the prompt number either in your story/
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Prompts

Take a Hike!

That’s what I’m going to do soon-ish. What about you? Do you like to become one with nature, bug repellent at the ready? Or are you more the beach-dwelling, sightseeing type?   #149 Your MC is ready to leave for their annual time-out. There is this spot by the lake perfect to put up a tent. No electronics, just favorite junk food indulgence, nature, and Henri. Who’s Henri? #150 Your MC is on the phone packing for a weekend trip, trying to tell a friend what they’re do
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Time to Travel!

Winter decided it wanted to dump our annual snowfall on us all at once this week, so it's a perfect time to think about being somewhere where the air doesn't hurt your face.     PT Prompt #197 You decide to plan your next vacation by closing your eyes, spinning a globe, and going wherever your finger lands.  Where do you end up going on vacation?    PT Prompt #198 Plan a vacation that's the polar opposite of your dream trip.  Don't like cruises?  Go on a cruis
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Random Acts of Description

I've never been a writer who enjoyed using much description.  I never thought the color of the carpet, the shadows on the flocked wallpaper or the nuances of a woman's dress did much to drive a story.  At least, that's what I used to think. Lately I've been reading more gothic short stories where the effect of the light on objects, the influence of color on mood, and the idea of space shapes impressions of the scene. As a result, I've been trying to use a bit more description in my writing.
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Bits and Pieces

"Bits and pieces put together, to present a semblance of a whole" - Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN I've always been intrigued by the ideas suggested in this quotation.  It suggests, quite correctly, that art and artifice are simply representations, and parts of a story.  Narratives necessarily pick and choose the elements they want to reveal in order to make a coherent story.  The artist decides what things are presented to a consumer of their art and what things to leave out.  For
Prompts

February Travels - The People We Encounter

Vacations are always a special treat.  You get time away from your humdrum life, time to recreate yourself and time to expand your horizons.  What a better vacation than to visit a friend in a new place to reconnect and explore.  Let's write some character sketches about the people we see and why.  I'm choosing some challenging scenarios to get writing something uncomfortable.  Good luck!   117 - You are at a resort on a tropical island when suddenly you hear your name.  Looking up, yo
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Home Prompts

These prompt ideas were inspired by a discussion on the site. Would people read stories that take place in a foreign country? How difficult is it to write these kinds of stories and still find readers on an international site like GA? Does an American want to read a story about characters falling in love in Denmark? On the other hand, what do we have to do to write a story taking place away from home, like space or for example, China, India, Africa, or wherever your muse takes you? Let’s t
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One Line Wonders

Here's part two of my language learning app prompts.  I wasn't going to do more of these, but after reading @wildone's take on PT Prompt #134, I had to after seeing another lesson mention underwear.   PT Prompt #141 - First line "No, you aren't allowed to put on my underwear." PT Prompt #142 - First line  "Your dad always steals my sausages."    Check out Wildone's response to PT Prompt #134 here.  Maybe we can encourage him to write a sequel!       
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Plain Prompts

Here is your weekly nudge or inspirational kick.    PT #195 Write a short story or vignette where a paper napkin takes on large emotional importance. PT #196 Invent a character who has a ‘Murphy’s Law' week. Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection. I
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Forgotten Treasures

Have you ever started digging through an old box and found something you had forgotten about?  Is there a scrap of paper with a name of an old lover, and it makes you sigh?  The memories start flooding back into you as you rifle through ticket stubs and T-shirts at the bottom of your closet.  Things are so good at prompting our personal histories, and so let these prompts give your characters some thoughts about events from their past.  Let the remembrances flow!!!! Prompt #181 - After Than
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Guest Prompt By Thirdly

This Friday I present a guest prompt by @Thirdly I know, I know lazy. Prompt #189 Holiday Hazard: The protagonist drank too much spiked eggnog while staying with his family over the holidays. His younger cousins somehow manage to convince him to go with them to a Winter-themed amusement park even though he has a hangover. There at the amusement park, he finds someone he manages to get along with more than anyone else he'd ever come across. They end up holding hands even while riding ro
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Going for a Joyride

What did you think when you read the headline? Did you remember the song from the nineties? Or the film from 2022? Or even a cool trip and you can’t wait to tell us all about it? Insert *eyebrow waggle* here. Anyway, here are this week’s prompts:   PT #137 Your protagonist spots an irresistible offer to rent their dream vehicle for a weekend and invites a special person for a joyride. Even though I want to know everything, what kind of vehicle, who has been invited, where they go t
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Everybody's Irish on St. Paddy's Day!

We're just a couple of weeks away from drinking green beer and eating corned beef and cabbage, so let's celebrate all things St. Patrick's Day!    PT Prompt #207 HR calls you into their office based on a report of an unfortunate pinching incident on St. Patrick's Day.  Who made the report, why, and is it true?     PT Prompt #208 After a night of drinking too much green beer and Guinness, you wake up in a strange bed that's much too small for you.  Next to you,
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