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Why I Write

Tell us the story of when you first realized that you needed to be a writer. (Did it happen when you were young? Was it after you read a particular book? Etc.)

Tell us the story of when you first realized that you needed to be a writer. (Did it happen when you were young? Was it after you read a particular book? Etc.)

Post your response (500 words or fewer) in the comments below.

Want more creative writing prompts? Consider:
The Writer’s Book of Matches

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Your Story #134

Your Story #134

Write a short story of 650 words or fewer based on the photo prompt. You can be poignant, funny, witty, etc.; it is, after all, your story.

NovDec24_Breaking In

Breaking In: November/December 2024

Debut authors: How they did it, what they learned, and why you can do it, too.

Rosa Kwon Easton: On Fiction Helping Tell a True Family Story

Rosa Kwon Easton: On Fiction Helping Tell a True Family Story

In this interview, author Rosa Kwon Easton discusses the surprises she faced in tackling fiction for the first time with her new historical novel, White Mulberry.

Poetry Prompt

Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 720

Every Wednesday, Robert Lee Brewer shares a prompt and an example poem to get things started for poets. This week, write an undiscovered poem.

How to Portray Time and Memory in Stories, by Anita Felicelli

How to Portray Time and Memory in Stories

Author Anita Felicelli explains her process for portraying time and memory in stories, including examples from other authors.

online prompt 12:3

Listening In

Every writer needs a little inspiration once in a while. For today's prompt, start your story with someone listening in on someone else's conversation.

Pip Drysdale: On Failure as Inspiration

Pip Drysdale: On Failure as Inspiration

In this interview, bestselling author Pip Drysdale discusses how her own experience with writer’s block helped inspire her new thriller novel, The Close-Up.

Unearthing the UnderSlumberBumbleBeasts, by Zoje Stage

Unearthing the UnderSlumberBumbleBeasts

Author Zoje Stage shares her experience of finding publication for a passion project that many loved but didn't know how to market—and how the results blew her away.

From Script

The Manipulation of Stories and Specificity of Character (From Script)

In this week’s roundup from Script magazine, Alison Schapker talks about the development and adaptation process, character development, and more.