A metaphor is an implied comparison between two things that are unlike each other but have something in common. When used with restraint, metaphor is an economical way of conveying depth and complexity without ‘telling’ your reader what to think. Think about how an eggshell conveys fragility, an icicle conveys chill, or a shredder conveys … Continue reading frozen
writing prompt
snow day
Memorable stories are driven by conflict. So think of the two most incompatible people you know and start them on this walk. ebszabo Write their story as they navigate a snow day.
dead end
Under the right circumstances a dead end can feel promising. ebszabo Write the story that makes this true.
laundry is intimate
So pluck the laundry off this line, and use that action to choreograph a memoir in which each frozen item of clothing takes us further into story. photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Take us to the arctic and give us the experience of being there.
who would?
Who lives here? Who swims here? Write their story, teach us how to believe this pool is just perfect. photo: Jonathan Hogue Start with the summer afternoon when someone decided to fill the empty milk bottles and put them to use. Take us through the days to winter, convince us it was a good idea to … Continue reading who would?
pollution is personal
Pollution involves the introduction of waste or contaminants into the natural world, causing adverse and potentially catastrophic changes. Often pollutants are a result of processes or behaviors that generate benefits to some, without regard for consequences to all. Call the act of polluting 'short-sighted' or 'selfish', but changes of heart (and thus behavior) are not inspired by name calling. … Continue reading pollution is personal
the world is flat
Belief is more easily shaped by emotions than by facts. This is why the facts of climate change are so hotly contested. Write to make change. photo: LosHawlos Writing prompt: Here is a conductor's bag with money changer - create the world ten years from now in which whatever you believe about climate change proves true. Discover … Continue reading the world is flat
re·veal
To make known something that was a secret. "Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth." Buddha photo: Andrew McMillan Writing prompt: Create the moment in which one character finally reveals a truth that they have kept hidden - then enter the story that this triggers.
advice recycled
Join these three women who think they are who they are not. One of them is relaying what she learned over the phone from the woman 'Giving Advice'in the previous post. Illuminate the story, relying purely on dialogue, showing how the original advice is recycled. photo: Sam Hood
on giving advice
Caution: 'All advice is autobiographical' Austin Kleon This woman is about to give advice that will unintentionally reveal who she really is. Write her life story as it becomes evident in this phone call. photo: Bill Branson
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