Writer's Digest blog - Promptly

Your Weekend Prompt: That Wicked Old Scent

Hey writers,

The battle to finish our October issue wages on, and so I’ll again be brief: Here’s to hoping your writing and muses are treating you well. Mine were MIA for the last few days, but I blame it on a week of ominous, slightly frightening scents in the hallway of my otherwise cozy apartment building (see below).

Have a great Friday-Saturday-Sunday!

Zachary

PROMPT: That Wicked Old Scent
In 500 words or fewer, funny, sad or stirring, write a story inspired by or containing the following:

“It smells like something has died in the walls,” she said.
“Well, do something about it.”
“I always do.”
He remembered what happened last time, and the sun sagged low.

Traditional Prompts

Friday, July 31, 2009 7:59:39 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [8]

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Your Wednesday Prompt: Here's To the Lion
Hey writers,

On Monday I read through last week’s pool of stories: How you all turn around such content so fast with innovative spins continues to baffle me. Moreover, it’s awesome to see Constant Writers (the Promptly pickpocketing of Stephen King’s Constant Readers terminology) developing—a sense of your voices is percolating to the surface. I’m proud to have you writing here, and I type that without flattery. To you, and our new writers this week, thanks for sticking around after the initial challenge. I’d like to call all of you out, but you know who you are.

As for the Notable Story pick of the week, the title goes to Loveskidlit’s story from “Photogenic Stranger.” Check out her well-written, haunting flash-fiction here. To me, she took an unexpected direction and nailed the prompt, down to the meditative final line.

For today’s story, let’s try the Literary Roadshow approach again (I’ll pull a normal, out-of-context line from a book, and use it as a prompt—is one writer’s line-in-passing another’s creative jackpot?).

Yours in writing,

Zachary

From Ernest Hemingway’s short story "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber":

PROMPT: Here’s To the Lion
In 500 words or fewer, funny, sad or stirring, write a story inspired by or containing the following:

“Here’s to the lion,” he said. “I can’t ever thank you for what you did.”
Margaret, his wife, looked away from him and back to Wilson.
“Let’s not talk about the lion,” she said.
Wilson looked over at her without smiling and now she smiled at him.

--

Also, I run writing exercises in our InkWell section of the magazine, and yesterday stumbled upon Bonnie Neubauer's new WD "Take Ten for Writers" book, which is jampacked with endless prompts and exercises. If your prompt quota is still not filled, check it out or read an excerpt here—it inspires jealousy in even the finest prompt scribes.

Traditional Prompts | Notable Story Picks

Wednesday, July 29, 2009 2:42:47 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [7]

Monday, July 27, 2009

Your Monday Prompt: Next Time, Chew
Hey scribes,

We’re waging a final salvo against the October issue of Writer’s Digest magazine, so I’ll be brief today, and wish you an excellent Monday. I hope all is well in your universes, both fictive and traditional. I’m planning to drop a WD nod of the hat to last week’s Notable Story pick Wednesday.

Write on,

Zachary

PROMPT: Next Time, Chew
In 500 words or fewer, funny, sad or stirring:

At dinner, you choke. Something flashes before your eyes, only it’s not exactly your life.

Traditional Prompts

Monday, July 27, 2009 6:17:02 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [9]

Friday, July 24, 2009

Your Friday Prompt: The Terrible Decision
Hey writers,

At an old copy-editing job, I worked with a writer who thought it was hilarious to slip the occasional vulgarity—often spectacularly creative and monstrous—into one of the publication’s stories before I proofed them all. It became a sort of game, a sort of watching Zac over the top of a page as his eyes widened in final-proof horror. Sure, I chuckled, grumbled and deleted the intruder (albeit on the brink of journalism tears).

But what if I hadn’t?

Forget that for a second, and consider a moment from yesterday or today, a moment when you could have done something terrible if you had just changed one small thing. It could be anything stirred up in your imagination: bellowing a cheerful vulgarity to a co-worker who issued you the standard morning Hello!; mumbling, “No, more, all of it, everything,” when cashing a check at the bank; choosing not to extinguish a candle burning close to the curtains in a house you’ve lived in for too long.

How do you define “terrible”? And isn’t it sort of fascinating how one otherwise mundane moment, decision or turn of phrase can change a life, spreading alternate futures out like the branches of a tree?

So keep the terribleness confined to your writing (and away from poor, young copy editors), and have a great weekend!

And, happy birthday to Audrey.

Yours in writing,

Zachary

PROMPT: THE TERRIBLE DECISION
In 500 words or fewer, funny, sad or stirring:

Choose a moment from yesterday or today, an otherwise normal moment when you could have done something extreme, something terrible, if you had just done one small thing different. Do it in scene.

Traditional Prompts

Friday, July 24, 2009 6:21:13 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [6]

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Surprise Attack; New Pet

Hey writers,

Do you know what house centipedes are? Those multi-legged monsters that look like the next generation of weaponized spider, and move with the speed of a gazelle? I found one in my apartment last night and a scuffle ensued. Afterward, as we sat there looking at each other, beaten and exhausted, I felt a little bad for ~~Clyde~~ him, and the following prompt bubbled to the surface.

Intruders aside, here’s the latest news about moving forward: Every week, I'll go through and pick a great story to call out in an entry as a "Notable Story of the Week." At the end of every month, we'll have the usual swag-off, and I'll rotate my co-judges to keep the perspectives fresh (I'll also get a logo drawn up for the winners, in case they have websites they want to use it on).

Yours in writing,

Zachary

PROMPT: Surprise Attack; New Pet
In 500 words or less, funny, sad or stirring:

Something unexpected attacks you. Now, you have to decide whether or not to keep it as a pet.

Traditional Prompts

Wednesday, July 22, 2009 4:10:40 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [9]

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

And the Kick-Off Winner Is . . . ?!
Hey writers,

After gobbling up mobsters, distopian doctors, cracked families and even old ghosts, it’s time for the results of the Promptly Kick-Off Breaking-Block Challenge. Even though I was frequently overtaken by interrobang-like feelings (?!) of indecision, I won’t go into the usual long-winded rant about how difficult it was to pick a winner.

Or how I lavish special props on my heroes who entered all three prompts, some of whom even tied them together in incredibly cool ways.

Or how we loved how everyone took the prompts and spread them out in their own directions and genres.

Or, simply, how appreciative I am to everyone who participated, and how I hope they’ll stick around for more stories.

In the end, longtime WD editor/online guru Brian A. Klems and I selected Patricia A. Hawkenson’s* “Hedge Fund” and its lively, weighted lines as our favorite entry. For winning, she’ll lay claim to a stack of swag containing The Whatchamacallit: Those Everyday Objects You Just Can’t Name (And Things You Think You Know About, But Don’t), Righting the Mother Tongue: From Olde English to Email, the Tangled Story of English Spelling, a copy of Writer’s Digest’s new Novel Writing magazine, and a one-year subscription or renewal to WD magazine.

From now on, our favorite-story swag will be dolled out on a monthly schedule. So don’t stop writing. Ever.

Thanks again to everyone who jumped into the challenge, and see you all tomorrow with a new prompt.

Yours in writing,

Zachary

*Patricia, please send an e-mail to writersdigest [at] fwmedia [dot] com marked "Attn: Zachary Petit," so I can get the goods shipped out to you!

Winning Stories

Tuesday, July 21, 2009 7:18:09 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [15]

Monday, July 20, 2009

Your Monday Prompt: Photogenic Stranger
Hey writers,

Everyone have a good weekend? After several million recommendations over the last few years, I finally caved and my girlfriend Audrey and I hunkered down and tackled part of the first season of Dexter—Showtime’s eerie/hilarious series about, well, a good serial killer who kills bad serial killers who kill good people. Around episode four, a plot arises involving old photographs—which prompted me to look through some of mine. As I did, the following prompt developed. (Editor's Note: That pun was unintentional, so after suspiciously eyeballing it for a few minutes, I'm going to let it stand. I was also going to bring an awkward family photo from a decade or two ago to post as creative fodder, but my flash drive isn't working, so you have been spared.)

Moreover, Writer’s Digest online guru Brian Klems and I are going to sift through the stories from the Kick-Off Challenge today, and we’ll announce the winner—and his or her swag—tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Hope all is well in your writing world,

Zachary

PROMPT: Photogenic Stranger
In 500 words or less, funny, sad or stirring:

You develop a roll of film, an old roll from about 10 years ago, and sit down to sift through the photos. As you do, you stop and analyze a figure lurking in the background of a vacation photo. You drop the pictures, aghast, and gasp for air.

Traditional Prompts

Monday, July 20, 2009 6:58:52 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [15]

Friday, July 17, 2009

Promptly Kick-Off Finale: The Damaging Dispute
Hey writers,

Welcome to the last day of the Great Promptly Kick-Off Breaking-Block Challenge. My brain tends to not fully warm up until 10:15 a.m. or so, so rather than sleep-type, I'll back out gracefully by saying thanks for all of your awesome responses so far. We'll pick our favorite story from the first three prompts on Monday (you have until Sunday night to get a response in for the challenge) and shell out some WD swag.

Happy Friday!

Zachary

PROMPT: The Damaging Dispute
In 500 words or less, funny, sad or stirring:

Write an argument—the worst dispute your character has ever been in, at least in his or her opinion—without using a single exclamation point or all-caps word. It’s an exercise in discipline: Keep the fire contained, brimming at the surface but never boiling over. Oh, and make sure you mention a pair of pliers and a spectator.

--

ADDENDUM! Remember how I said that my brain doesn't come fully online until 10:15? It's about 10:35, and I just realized I forgot to mention something super-cool: Next Thursday, WD friends Jane Friedman and Alice Pope will be giving a webinar on how to write a book query letter that gets a response.

I can vouch for Jane and Alice's knowledge and awesomeness, so here's the info in case you're interested in cracking book queries, or getting some feedback on one you've stalled out on:

"Extreme Makeover: The Query Letter."
Date: Thursday, July 23, 2009
Length: 60 minutes
Price: $99.00
Presenters: Jane Friedman & Alice Pope
All attendees will be invited to submit a one-page book query letter for potential critique in this hands-on session.

You’ll witness the unbelievable transformation of ordinary, everyday query letters into strong and persuasive letters that catch the attention of agents and editors.

A seasoned and experienced editor will revise letters for stronger leads, concise and efficient expression, and compelling sales hooks - so that you better understand what a professional immediately sees and responds to in your work.

Aside from the revision action, you'll also get a checklist of the five essential elements of every query.

Traditional Prompts

Friday, July 17, 2009 3:00:00 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [23]

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Promptly Kick-Off Part 2: The Doctor is In
Hey writers,

Welcome to part two of the Promptly Kick-Off Breaking-Block Challenge. (I’ve been considering making the title even wordier, but have thus far resisted all tantalizing options.) The first prompt has generated some great responses from a broad range of voices and styles, and it’s been a thrill to read everyone’s interpretations. If you haven’t checked any of them out yet—or posted your own—drop by the comments section.

Let’s try something different today, something that spawned from a discussion about how many fascinating lines can be overshadowed in our favorite books. How about a “Literary Roadshow” type approach—I’ll pull a random, seemingly unimportant, out-of-context line from a book, and use it as prompt fodder. Like “Antiques Roadshow,” one author’s tiny line from the past might become another’s gold.

Thus, from Albert Camus’ The Plague (one of my all-time favorite books):

PROMPT: The Doctor is In
In 500 words or less, funny, sad or stirring:

“He was going to make them right with a couple of pills or an injection, and people took him by the arm on his way to the sickroom. Flattering, but dangerous.”

Now, he takes your arm. Who is this doctor? Reveal him in scene.

Literary Roadshow

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 6:26:35 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [29]

Monday, July 13, 2009

Promptly Kick-Off Challenge
Welcome writers, one and all. For a call to arms (and an explanation of just what exactly is going on in here), check out the post below. But if you’re ready to write …

Jump into the official Promptly Kick-Off Breaking-Block Challenge. Here’s how we’ll do it: I’ll post a prompt every other day this week, starting with a muse-stirring challenge today for you to grease the wheels. On Monday, July 20, the scribe who wrote the best response and posted it in the comments section of the blog (up to a 500-word vignette, which can be your entire story or an excerpted chunk of it), as selected by myself and another Writer’s Digest editor, will claim some around-the-office writing swag.

So let’s get our pens moving, eh?

Yours in writing,

Zachary

PROMPT
In 500 words or less, funny, sad or stirring:

The phone rings and a low voice groans—“Why me?”
You hang up.
Twenty minutes later, it rings again. “You made a mistake.”
The dial tone throbs as the phone hangs from its cord, limp.

Traditional Prompts

Monday, July 13, 2009 2:57:15 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [44]

A Call to Arms
It’s a curse. A bloodsucking curse, robbing our stories with the thirst of those Twilight vampires, eating away our passion and making our writing numb with—

OK, OK, well maybe not exactly a curse, but a catastrophic little problem inherent to our craft: writer’s block. I fidget; I stare at the screen. I’m 90,000 words into my first novel, and I’m drained. My protagonist, wily though he may often be, just walked into the room and yawned, then sat down on a couch and stared at a wall.

Suddenly I’m not feeling The Words, no matter how much tea I dump into my good-luck Sherlock Holmes mug. A shred of sun hangs in the sky, falling across my protagonist's lifeless face. A spider watches from the ceiling: Do something already. But then he goes on his way without a single sagely word.

All of us writers need a little help sometimes, whether it’s to break block, to get back in a groove, to feel part of a community, to flex the muscle that lets us do this strange thing we do, or to merely inspire, really pour some gasoline on The Words—the ones that makes our characters do the unpredictable, the right things for the right stories right now.

(My protagonist has settled down on the couch. No … get up! We’re in the home stretch now. Get up!)

So meet Promptly: A writing prompt-driven community that aims to do all of the above by shelling out prompts to get your pen moving and keep it that way.

Here’s how it works: I’ll post on Monday, Wednesday and Friday every week, offering flash-fiction prompts, activities, writing-grub-for-thought and maybe even some Q&As—in addition to some positive reinforcement. Prompts can be had Dine In or Carry Out. If you write and post up to 500 words from your responses in the comments section of the blog here—which is the ideal path, so other writers can absorb and play off your inspiration—I (if we haven't met before, I work as the managing editor at Writer’s Digest magazine) and a guest WD judge will pick a favorite post every month for some around-the-office writing swag. Think books, magazines and so on, and expect an array of prompts—from traditional ones to reverse-style prompts and even photo prompts.

(My protagonist looks up, wipes some drool and checks his head for a fever … Yes! A start.)

Thus, I challenge you to dive into our kick-off event. Check out the next post to get involved, and to flex your writing muscles and feel The Words. I’ll be right there beside you.

(My protagonist picks up the phone and dials a random phone number, and a very bad man answers. Now we’re talking …)

   Let’s see what happens.

   Yours in writing,

   Zachary

Monday, July 13, 2009 2:46:56 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [7]

Sunday, July 12, 2009

About Promptly

All of us writers need a little help sometimes, whether it’s to break block, to get back in a groove, to feel part of a community, to flex the muscle that lets us do this strange thing we do, or to merely inspire, really pour some gasoline on The Words—the ones that make our characters do the unpredictable, the right things for the right stories right now. (And keep them from, say, lounging around on the futon, chewing gum and staring at walls, as my characters are prone to do in their weaker moments.)

So meet Promptly: A writing prompt-driven community that aims to do all of the above (sans lounging) by shelling out prompts to help get your pen moving and keep it that way.

Here’s how it works: I’ll post on Monday, Wednesday and Friday every week, offering flash-fiction prompts, activities, WD magazine news and even Q&As. Prompts can be had Dine In or Carry Out. If you write and post up to 500 words from your responses in the comments section of the blog here—which is great, because other writers can then absorb and play off your inspiration—your name will be automatically thrown into the WD fishbowl for occasional drawings for some around the office swag. Think books, magazines and so on, and expect an array of prompts—from traditional to photos and new concepts.

Check out any of the prompts to get involved, and to flex your writing muscles and feel The Words. I’ll be right there beside you (if we haven't met before, I work as the managing editor of Writer’s Digest magazine), occasionally passing my characters notes to forget the futons. At the very least, it's a start for my more slothful fictional associates—and getting started is often the hardest part of the entire craft, isn't it?

Here's to hoping you find one here.

Zachary

ABOUT PROMPTLY

Sunday, July 12, 2009 9:08:32 PM (GMT Daylight Time, UTC+01:00)

Comments [0]

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