The Time Is Now: Writing Prompts and Exercises
Write a poem considering what you see without focusing on its meaning, a short story based on a mysterious occurrence, or an essay about your New Year’s traditions.
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Write a poem considering what you see without focusing on its meaning, a short story based on a mysterious occurrence, or an essay about your New Year’s traditions.
The author describes her failed attempts at sitting down to write, and turns to the lives and methods of famous writers, as well as her experiences as a mother, to find a way to write with a sense of spontaneity and play.
The author finds solace in rereading George Saunders’s novel, Lincoln in the Bardo, while mourning the death of her father during the pandemic.
The effects of social media on the creative process—although it can help writers identify and pay attention to the quotidian moments of their lives, does it siphon off their storytelling energy?
A new initiative from the organizers of National Novel Writing Month invites writers to find comfort in their creativity and stay inside while the battle with COVID-19 continues.
Artist Diane Samuels turns works of literature inside out in a dramatic process of creative rewriting that highlights the intimate relationship between writer and reader in a painstaking homage to the ultimate act of creativity: writing.
Write a poem attempting to find meaning in visual artifacts, a short story about a world in which memories can be manipulated, or a nonfiction piece about the season’s soundscape.
The author of eight books, most recently the story collection Suicide Woods, on turning career pitfalls into successes, the truly amazing things that can happen when someone says no, and how the only true failure is to stop trying.
Write a poem exploring the idea of slipping into another’s skin, a story inspired by your school days, or an essay that attempts to decipher a deeper meaning in a piece of literature—three prompts to get you started.
Write a poem that uses illogical language, a short story inspired by a historical figure’s words, or an essay based on a photo—three prompts to get you started.