Flash fiction is a short story told in as few words as possible. It can vary from 6 words to a 1000 depending on the publication.

Take the following words to write a story (with beginning, middle and end) that is 850 words or less.

Swede
conserve
box
five

Good luck!
~Amber

It’s mid-July and some places around the globe are experiencing scorching heat.  This won’t last forever.  Think ahead to when leaves have fallen and there’s a slight chill in the air.  Children dressed as witches and goblins go from door to door looking for treats.

Magazines have early deadlines so waiting until September or October to write a Halloween story is too late for that year.  So I dare you to think ahead and write one now.

The Verb has a nice Intense Suspense writing contest with a September deadline.  Imagine your protagonist is in danger and the cell phone won’t work!  I think NPR had something about this… of all the disaster movies, apparently 2012 had the best cell phone coverage.

Good luck!
~Amber

It’s officially summer.  Kids are out of school and on the loose.  Imagine a beautiful day.  Children and adults have money to spend on their favorite dessert truck.  What could go wrong?

Ice cream truck, cupcake truck, ice cream cart… you name it.  Just write about the disaster that takes place.

Have fun,
Amber

I was planning on using a photo I took a few weeks ago as an image prompt but it seems we’ve had a few photo prompts lately. This afternoon I read a poem about a found digital camera which made me think of a photo related writing prompt without having to use an actual image.  (Yes, my thinking is convoluted so bear with me.)

Write about the loss of a special photo.

Have fun!
~Amber

Nearly all fiction (and non-fiction) has a range of emotions in the work.  That’s what moves the reader to laughter or tears.

Write about a relationship gone bad.

We all have deadlines of some sort in our lives.  We have self-imposed ones during NaNoWriMo and Writo de Mayo to write a set number of words or accomplish specific writing goals.

Deadlines are extremely helpful in staying disciplined with our writing.  For today’s writing exercise, pick an item from Duotrope’s Theme & Deadline calendar and respond to it before May 1st. 

Good luck!

~Amber

The wonderful thing about a timed writing exercise isyou decide how long you have available to write.  Clear your mind, shackle your inner editor and set your timer before you begin writing.  Write about the first thing that comes to you… there is no right or wrong way to write about this topic.  Now write about… (more…)

I’m quite late in posting Monday’s exercise although I had it in my To Do list.  A To Do list doesn’t help much if you ignore it to do other things (like reading) that aren’t on the list.

Going with the theme last week of Story Starter, here’s one for you from The First Line.  If you like what you write, why not send it in to them?  Their deadline is May 1st, 2010.  You can’t change the line in any way.

Paul and Miriam Kaufman met the old-fashioned way.

(This is Amber posting – the Poise and Pen site cross-posts under Rhonda’s ID.)

It’s all about writing crap.

Really.

Or at least, giving yourself permission to write crap.

So with that in mind, I dare you to write at least 100 words inspired by one of the following photographs. Not just any words though, make them terrible. Write the worst beginning of a story you possibly can.

Then if you’re really brave, share it in the comments section

(more…)

At this point you should register for NaNoWriMo if you haven’t done so already.  The servers seem to be stabilized and it’s a good time to go hunting on the forums for tips and tools.

Most of us this year have vocalized we have no idea what we’re doing.  No characters, no plot… not a problem!  Take a moment or two this week to write down a few things to help you get started.

Write down:
A short description of the novel you’d like to read.
Key plot words that intrigue you.
Character names or occupations that you want to explore.

Now take out this list every few days and review it.  Feel free to add to it.  Your subconscious will work on it and soon you’ll have an idea before November 1st.