- Write a story backwards from finish to start.
- Write a steamy love scene between two characters who are each harboring secret thoughts about breaking up with the other.
- Write a scene between three characters in which two of the characters are arguing about something they don’t wish the third to know about.
- Running out of gas can be a nightmare, especially if you are out in the middle of nowhere and come across something a little less than human.
- Create your own poison! How long does it take to work? What are the symptoms? Is there a cure? Write a short story about how it was discovered or used.
- A group of teens head off into the woods for a night of hard partying, but one begins to become paranoid that they are being watched.
- You receive a letter in the mail saying you have won a prestigious award, but when you get to the reception there is a surprise.
- Create a list of names that you think would make good titles. Use those names to generate some story ideas.
- Make a list of unusual ways you can kill off a character.
- Make a list of your favorite scenes and what you like about them, then try to reproduce that feeling in your own scenes.
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Check out the new page of well-known literary awards. Links coming soon!
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Here are some questions you can ask your reviewer to get more direct and usable feedback.
- Are there any words that you think were used too often?
- Did you have to reread any part of the story to understand it?
- Did you feel the author was lecturing to you at any time?
- Do you think the story would work better as a movie, play, book, poem, etc?
- What genre do you think this story is?
- What characters did you feel the most strongly about?
- Did you have to take a break from reading, and if so at what point?
- Did you find yourself skipping over any passages because they seemed to long or over-written?
- Was the main plot clear or needlessly complex?
- Are there any loose ends or holes in the story?
- Was there anything that took you out or distracted you from the story?
- Were there any over used cliches?
- Were you able to get a clear picture of the locations in the story?
- Was the bad guy interesting?
- Was the author overly dramatic at any time?
- Do you know of anyone else who might be interested in this story?
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