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Poise and Pen is all about writing prompts and exercises for those days when you just need a little nudge to get you started. Wednesdays we have the word of the week, and on Fridays and every other Monday I'll post other prompts and writing exercises. |  |
The First Line provides a first line for writers. The editors pick the best short stories from the submissions to be published. I challenge you to use the first line to write the best story you can and submit it. The deadline is May 1st. Good luck! |
The first line of your short story or novel can hook the reader into reading the rest. Below are some rather uninspiring first lines. Brainstorm/List new first lines that will catch your attention. You can use this exercise as a way to limber your writing muscles before a writing session. The locals say the house is haunted. Have fun! |
A lot of successful writing revolves around a theme. Once the writer has identified the theme of their work he or she can make word choices that punch it up for the reader. It’s a subtle way to reinforce the theme. So use the theme generator at Seventh Sanctum to come up with some new themes for your writing beyond “finding one’s self”. If you found any themes inspiring, you’re welcome to share them. Good luck! |
Rhonda and I rotate the Monday exercises so I must apologize for missing the December 6th post. I made a mental note of it but lost the note somewhere. NaNoWriMo was all about quantity over quality. So let’s try for something a little bit shorter where quality counts. Write a short story with a beginning, middle, and end in 1667 words or less. Good luck! |
I’m sorry the Monday exercise is several days late. I’ve been under the weather. You’ll notice short stories picked for anthologies often have a central theme but aren’t obvious or direct interpretations. So let’s try something new. Pick one of the ideas below, write down 4 – 6 ideas and then write a short story using one of the latter ideas. The Princess and the Sweet Pea Good luck! ~Amber |
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 Good luck! |
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! |
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, |
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! |
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. |
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Now, as long as I remember to look at my Toodledo list between now and mid-April I won’t be late again.
