Category Archives: PROMPTS

I. Begin a story that is set in an unusual time and place, so that you must absolutely let your reader know that, hey, this isn’t here and now, but there and then. Can you do this without the obvious This is Gettysburg, Pennsylvania during the Civil War? II. Begin a story whose setting is a ‘character’ in the narrative, Continue reading SETTING PROMPTS→

I. Write a 6 sentence narrative wherein each sentence represents a plot point on Freytag’s Pyramid: 1. Exposition (introduce character w. desire) 2. Conflict (antagonist) 3. Rising Action (complications) 4. Crisis Moment (moment of truth/choice) 5. Falling Action (consequences) 6. Resolution (end result) II. Using your response to the above exercise, begin your story by introducing your protagonist, her desire, Continue reading PROMPTS→

I. Anecdote: write a short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident. This should be something from your own life, a brief, humorous episode. Again, this is a writing workshop, so you are striving to achieve a presentation that is entertaining in the ways that stories entertain. II. Personal Narrative: write a short personal narrative: this is a form Continue reading PROMPTS FOR VOICE AND STYLE→

I. Write a scene about something your character did when she/he was a kid, that now she/he is ashamed of. II. Write a scene for a story, using third-person narration, that opens with your main character having just done something despicable. Despite what he or she has done, find a way in writing the rest of the scene to make Continue reading PROMPTS FOR CHARACTERIZATION→

I. NOW, IT’S YOUR TURN: A couple are seated at an outdoor café. At first they seem in harmony, but something changes the mood. Write this scene, with showing, not telling. II. WRITING INSIDE VERSUS WRITING OUTSIDE : Tell your story from ‘inside,’ not from ‘outside.’ An example: Matt and Samantha were driving down a lonely highway on a cold February night. It was after midnight and they were Continue reading PROMPTS FOR SHOW AND TELL→

I. Write a 1st Person POV narrative that begins with this line: I know it didn’t happen that way, because I was there. II. Write a 3rd Person Limited POV narrative that begins with this line: There was nothing s/he could do.  III.  Write a 3rd Person Objective (Fly on the Wall) narrative for this scenario: A couple, Chris and Continue reading PROMPTS FOR POINT OF VIEW→

Write a narrative that begins with this line: They both wanted what only one could have.

Write a short narrative concerning the following dramatic situation: A package delivered to the wrong person.

I. Write a 6 sentence narrative wherein each sentence represents a plot point on Freytag’s Pyramid: 1. Exposition (introduce character w. desire) 2. Conflict (antagonist) 3. Rising Action (complications) 4. Crisis Moment (moment of truth/choice) 5. Falling Action (consequences) 6. Resolution (end result) II. Using your response to the above exercise, begin your story by introducing your protagonist, her desire, Continue reading PROMPTS FOR STORY, PLOT, STRUCTURE→

Write a short narrative that begins with this line: Nobody remembers this, but…