“Mary Sue” is a shallowly written character with few flaws. “She” can be either female or male, though the latter is often called “Gary Stu” or something similar. Mary Sue has her origins in fan fiction, but she has been identified in more traditional forms of writing, too. While Mary Sues come in different flavors,…
Daily Writing Prompt #27
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] At Christmas, your mother brings your daughter an old teddy bear she found at an antique shop. After your mom leaves, your little girl runs to you crying because she dropped her bear and “broke” it. When you look closely at the stuffed animal, you…
Successful NBA Coach Delivers Great Writing Advice in 2 Sentences
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Inspiration comes in an amazing diversity of forms and from an array of sometimes unexpected sources, but you have to open your mind and heart to it or you may miss out on some gems. As a case in point, I recently came across this…
Daily Writing Prompt #26
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Old Mrs. Brown always has the best tomatoes in town, and everyone whispers about her secret formula. All you know is that she hires one high school senior each year to work her garden, and she pays well. This year it’s you. Wonder whatever happened…
Daily Writing Prompt #25
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] You’ve heard the old house is haunted, but you don’t really believe it. You go there all the time, and the only people you ever see or hear are the live ones who come looking for a thrill. Strange that they never seem to notice…
Daily Writing Prompt #24
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] You get yourself into a terrible situation and end up killing a man in a fight. No one knows what you’ve done, and you retreat to your parents’ house to try and figure out what to do. In your old room, you absentmindedly pick up…
3 Ways McDonald’s Shamrock Shake Can Make You a Better Writer
What if I told you that you that a Shamrock Shake could make you a better writer? Your first instinct might be to sniff my shake to see what sort of “special ingredients” I was imbibing. But hear me out, because this is a story about a marketing giant that can teach us all a…
Daily Writing Prompt #23
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] You work your whole life to become an astronaut, and you’re picked to be on the first manned flight to Mars. As you prepare to land on the surface, your two fellow pioneers shed their flight suits to reveal themselves as hideous monsters, and one…
Daily Writing Prompt #22
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] You’re hiking in the woods with your girlfriend, and you have a pain in your leg that has been getting worse all day. You are relieved for the break when nature calls and your girl heads off behind a bush. While she’s gone, the backpack…
173 Active Verbs — and Their Synonyms — to Make Your Writing Pop!
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] Ahh … verbs! They carry your character from place to place, and from predicament to predicament. They put the action in your tale. They’re the engine that makes your story *go*. But verbs can cut both ways, can’t they? No matter how exciting your soccer-playing,…
