Writing Prompt: Retaining Detail
Before you sit down to write, spend five minutes looking in the mirror. Observe yourself as closely as possible. Try and retain every pore, every freckle, every pimple, etc..
Go to your journal, and write a paragraph describing what you saw. Convey your features as vividly as possible. Try and remember everything you saw. Read what you’ve written so far. Can you picture yourself clearly?
Now, think of yourself as another person, or a character. With that in mind, write about what kind of person you think this is. If this person were a stranger, what assumptions would you make?
Guidelines:
1. Observe yourself carefully in the mirror for at least 3-5 minutes.
2. Write at least 2 paragraphs.
3. Make the first part about what you’ve seen.
4. Make the second part about assumptions. (As if you were a stranger)
5. Enjoy yourself!
Introducing Writing Prompts
As a writer, it’s important that we write every day. Because we don’t always know what to write, I decided to dedicate a space to writing prompts.
Here is the first:
Try writing a short piece about a character that’s never introduced. Draw from several characters–different points of view.
Guidelines:
1. Make it at least one page.
2. Make sure the “mystery character” is well-developed.
3. Describe the character without introducing him/her.
4. Describe the character from more than one point of view.
5. Keep your hand moving, and have fun!
This is the first of many! If anyone is interested in following these prompts, feel free to subscribe.
Categories: Writing Prompts Tags: character, character building, character development, character help, characters, idea, ideas, prompt, write, writer, writers block, Writing, writing help, writing idea, writing ideas, writing prompt, writing tips
Writing and Getting Published
Publication has been my dream since I was a child. Writing, my passion. Ultimately, I wanted (want) to become and established author--to make enough money doing it that I could live comfortably. As of now, I’m forced to write in my down-time. In order to write full-time, I believe that one has to take steps. The first step is to sit down and write, but there’s still much more to do.
Novel-writing was my most consistent past-time throughout High School. I even finished a couple. Every now and then I would write a short story or a poem, and when my peers read these stories, they liked them. In spite of that; in spite of my passion for writing--I never attempted to submit to a publisher. Why? I didn’t think I was good enough. Not yet. I needed more experience, more practice. Eventually, I figured, I would be some kind of super-writer. Then, I could submit.
There was one major flaw in my plan. How does one determine when he or she is good enough? I couldn’t find an answer to that question--I still had a major lesson to learn. In my senior year, I joined a Creative Writing class. The Instructor to that class was a great mentor for me. Most often she would have us spend half of the class writing on a random topic, and the other half would be spent reading what we’d written and talking about our pieces. That was nerve-wrecking for me, at first. I had yet to understand the importance of sharing. I was nervous, too. What if my classmates didn’t like my ideas; what I’d written? Or worse, what if they stole my ideas? This same fear kept me from publication. Eventually my instructor asked why. Why, when I dream to be an author, when I have talent in writing, don’t I submit some of my work? She told me that there’s no reason I shouldn’t at least submit. It’s important that I share, and make myself known. It’s important that I get my name out there. At the end of the school year, I began submitting to publishers. Since then, I’ve been published five times, and rejected more times then I can count. The moral of the story is: submit your work to publishers. Regardless of if you write fiction, nonfiction, or poetry… there’s a place for everything. There will always be a publisher looking for your work, so do your best to find them. If you’re serious about writing, it’s vital that you get your name out there in one way or another. Throw away any fear that you might have, especially of being rejected, and start submitting.
Categories: Publishing Tips Tags: creative writing, fiction, idea, ideas, publish, publish a book, publish a poem, publish a story, publishing, publishing guide, publishing help, publishing steps, publishing tips, self publish, sharing ideas, write, writer, Writing, writing guide, writing help, writing steps, writing tips
