Writer Advice

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Writing Advice

Spring 2025 ~~ Writing Advice

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A Sneak Peek at What We Look For in Flash Contest Submissions Here are some of the things we look for as we read your submissions to our Flash Contests. If you have something that deviates from this, it might still knock our socks off, but these are some general guidelines. If we love or

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Winter 2025 ~~ Writing Advice

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March Prompts Welcome to March. Try any of these prompts. Set a timer for 20 minutes. Finish the sentence. Write your next sentence and keep going. If you get stuck, use the sentence start again, and see where the writing takes you.   When I looked out the window . . . When I listened

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Fall 2024 ~~ Writing Advice

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No Time to Write in December?  Try this: Close the door to the room where your desk or a desk is. Turn off your phone or put it on airplane mode. Set your timer for 20 minutes. Write about any holiday moment in your memory. Here are a couple of starts I could use. What

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Writing Advice ~~ Summer 2024

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You can say a lot in a letter that you might have trouble saying in person. September Writing Prompts Ever read an epistolary novel? You can say a lot in a letter that you might have trouble saying in person. Here are some things to try: Write a letter to your younger self offering advice.

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Spring 2024 ~~ Writing Advice

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“Hook your readers and draw them into your world.”  ~~Anoop Judge Ways to Begin a Story: Crafting the Perfect Opening The author of this article, Anoop Judge, is also the author of No Ordinary Thursday, a family drama of secrets, misconceptions, and tragedy,  She’s the author of three additional books and is also a writing

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Winter 2024 Writing Advice

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What happens if… Some Writing Prompts to Ponder during March 🌹 What happens if you pick one prompt, complete the sentence, write the next sentence, and keep going? What happens if you write for 20 minutes? When spring comes… Did you hear… Rolling around in the grass, she was shocked to find… Did you have

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Summer of 2023 ~~ Writing Advice

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I asked the winners of our last contest to explain why entering contests is worthwhile. All sent excellent responses and no two are the same. There are 3 responses on the page, but at the top we have our September Writing Prompts.  “You never know who is reading your work and other paths that may

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Spring 2023 — New Writing Advice & Prompts

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“We are compelled to make sense of ourselves, our lives, and the physical and ethereal realms in which those unfold. We do so as interpreters, as storytellers.”   ~~ Ronald Chapman Writing as Spiritual Practice By Ronald Chapman Author of The Dark Side of Grace   Editor’s Note: MY TBR stack is climbing towards the

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Winter of 2023 — Writing Advice

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“I don’t need an alarm clock. My ideas wake me.”   —Ray Bradbury February Free Writing Topics:  Write about the layers of love in your life.  Write about your first love.  Write about your current love.  Write about your love for a child, a pet, or a project. Write about the love thoughts that won’t leave

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Fall 2022 ~~ Writing Advice

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“Today, I realize acceptances and those dratted rejections remain an integral part of the writing life.”   ~~ Catherine Forster NOTE:  Right now I’m adding new prompts every 4 weeks. The current ones were added on 12/05/22 and are in this color. Scroll past the top 2 articles to find them. Want me to post them

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Fall 2022 — Scintillating Starts Contest

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“You don’t lose until you quit trying.”   ~~Richard T. Brown, Jr.  2022 Scintillating Starts Opportunity Openings matter. They determine whether a potential agent will represent your book or move on. Writer Advice’s Scintillating Starts Opportunity is your chance to show how effectively you can grab and hold your readers and get feedback on what

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