Tag: Creative writing

Freshen Your Routine with These Spring-Themed Writing Prompts

~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment
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As the calendar turns to April, my thoughts often turn to the events of the season, such as long walks outdoors, seeing flowers bloom and watching baseball games. Spring is a time of renewal and cleaning the house, getting rid of things we no longer need. I always feel like I’m being reborn at this time of year, especially after the long, dark, cold winter we’ve had.

Spring is the perfect time to refresh your writing routine or recommit to it. That’s not always easy to do when you’re stuck staring at a blank screen or empty page. Sometimes working with writing prompts can jumpstart your writing routine or give you the inspiration to start fresh.

To help you, I’ve compiled a list of spring-themed writing prompts. They cover everything from rainy weekends, gardening and celebrating Easter. You never know when any of these prompts might spark an idea for a longer story or essay. Challenge yourself and have fun.

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Easter/Passover

Write a story about a child visiting the Easter Bunny at the local mall.

Someone receives an Easter basket filled with goodies plus one surprising and unusual element.

Write a story about someone choking on a jelly bean.

Write a scene or story about someone shopping for a new Easter outfit.

A young couple discovers a lone Easter egg, and they find a cryptic message inside.

A family comes together for Easter or Passover celebration. Over dinner, someone reveals a secret they’ve been keeping for years.

Write about someone who gets stuck in an Easter bunny costume.

Gardening

A new hybrid tulip has been introduced at the annual tulip festival. What is it? Why is it special?

You discover a package of seeds. When you plant them, something unusual and magical sprouts from them.

Describe the first spring flower you notice while out for a stroll in the park.

Imagine a snowflake and flower meeting for the first time, but neither knows what the other is. Write a dialogue between the two.

Write a story set during the annual cherry blossom festival.

Write about someone struggling to keep a houseplant alive.

Write about a small town or community as it prepares for celebrating Earth Day.

Miscellaneous

Someone experiences spring fever in strange ways.

Write about a springtime wedding in which either the bride or groom realize they’re making a mistake.

Write a story set during a spring music festival.

Imagine attending a class reunion. Someone there recognizes you right away, but you can’t remember who they are.

Write a story about a group of teens preparing for their first spring dance.

Write a story set in a treehouse.

Write a meet-cute in which two people fall in love over a spring weekend.

Write a story featuring three sisters named April, May and June.

Write about someone rushing to get their taxes done on time.

While cleaning out closets, someone uncovers an item that they haven’t seen or worn in years. What memories does it bring back? What do they do with the item?

On a weekend getaway, someone gets lost on the road or has a flat tire. What do they do next?

Describe someone attending their first baseball game. What do they experience? How do they respond to it?

Write about someone who is auditioning to be the mascot of the local baseball team.

Spring is a time of fresh starts. Write about what plans you want to make for this spring.

15 Writing Ideas for Your 15-Minute Writing Session

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The following is an edited post from six years ago, but the ideas are just as pertinent today as it was then.

One of the most common complaints I hear from writers for not writing is the lack of time in their schedules. That’s understandable with all the responsibilities we’re juggling these days, whether it’s work (or looking for work), household chores, taking care of kids or parents, and maintaining an active social life. Yet writing every day is helpful to create a consistent practice.

Fortunately, you don’t need hours of time to write. Try 15 minutes. Where can you find those pockets of time to sneak in writing? If you can find 15 minutes in your schedule, whether that’s part of your lunch break or waking up earlier or eliminating social scrolling time, you can accomplish more than you think. Sometimes 15 minutes is all you need to make progress towards your writing goals.

Stop worrying about finding more time to write. Even if you did have more time, would you use it for writing? Or would you find other ways to use it, like housework, sleeping or catching up on the latest streaming shows?

Because here’s the honest truth: It’s not about finding more time to write. It’s about having a system that allows you to make better use of the time you do have.

Start with a simple goal. What do you want to accomplish? What do you want to write about? Are you experimenting with flash fiction? Or are you trying your hand at poetry? There are plenty of ways to use your writing time. If all you have is 15 minutes, here’s how you can use that time:

1. Freewrite. Set a timer, then put your pen to paper and begin writing. Let the ideas flow from your brain to the page. Aim to write 100 words every session – at a minimum. Do not stop to edit or rethink what you just wrote. Just keep writing. You may be surprised at the ideas that you see on the page afterward. If you do this consistently, over 10 sessions (aiming for those 100 words), you should be able to complete a 1,000-word essay.

2. Draft a dialogue. Create a scene in which two characters have a conversation. Start with one character asking the other character a question. See where that dialogue takes your characters. Avoid writing back story or other narrative. Focus only on the dialogue.

3. Describe an object. Choose an object on your desk or somewhere close to you. Then write about it using descriptive details, such as color, shape and texture. Use the item in a short story or essay. How was the item acquired? By whom? What is the story behind that item?

4. Write an animal story. Draft a story featuring your pet and give it a voice. Write a few paragraphs as if the pet is speaking to you. What would the animal say? Would he lavish you with praise, or whine and complain that you don’t pay enough attention to them, or give enough treats?

5. Brainstorm potential story ideas. Create a bullet list of stories you’d like to write. It might help to use prompts like “I remember” or “What if?” to jump start the ideas. At the top of the page, write the prompt, then fill in the blank. For example, I remember…my first day at school, learning to ride a bike, getting my first story published. Then from the list, choose one that resonates most and begin writing about it.

6. Write a book review. Recall the last book you read and write a review about it. Alternately, write a review about a movie you watched. What did you like or did not like about it?

7. Write the final chapter. Review your current work in progress and draft the ending. Sometimes by writing the ending first, you have a clearer idea of how to start your novel.

8. Write about a vacation you took. Browse through vacation photos, old or recent. Describe the place as you remember it. Add as much detail as you can recall.

9. Create a character sketch. Think about your protagonist, antagonist or other major character. Describe their appearance, then write as much detail as you can about their personality. What do they want? What does it mean to them? What is the character’s back story?

10. Write about a dream. Recall a dream you had recently. Then write the dream as a scene in a book or movie. Be sure to include as many details as you can remember.

11. Write a letter. Is there a friend or loved one you haven’t seen in a long time? Draft a letter to someone you care about. You don’t have to mail it, just focus on expressing your heartfelt emotions. Alternately, write a letter to a historical figure you admire and wish you could meet. What would you say to them?

12. Play writing games. For example, choose three words at random from the dictionary (close your eyes, open to a random page and let your finger stop on a word) and write a story using those three words. The story can easily be two to three paragraphs.

13. Rewrite the ending of a book or movie. Think of a book or movie in which you did not like the way it ended. Rewrite the ending. Remember you only have 15 minutes, but you can jot down the key ideas.

14. Write a story about the sounds you hear. What do you hear? Describe the sounds and the images that come to mind when you hear them. Are there birds chirping? Is there a plane flying overhead? Is someone playing their stereo loudly?  You can do this same exercise with other senses as well, such as touch, taste and smell.

15. Write about a piece of music. Listen to a song you love (or alternately, one you dislike). Try an instrumental piece with no lyrics. Close your ideas as you listen to it. What images come to mind? Does it bring back any memories? Then write about the music. Does it inspire a story?

No matter how busy you may be, I believe you can always find time to write, even if it’s only 15 minutes. Your writing practice shouldn’t suffer because your time is limited. As long as you have the desire to write, you can make space in your schedule for it.

If you like this post, please feel free to share it with your friends.
Don’t forget to check out the latest writing prompt: Write a scene or short story about someone getting lost while hiking in the woods.

Demystifying Common Writing Advice

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I recently came across several discussion threads on Reddit where participants shared the worst and best writing advice they’ve received. 

In most cases, they felt the advice didn’t quite fit their skill level or genre. Others felt the advice was unrealistic. “How am I supposed to write every day when I have a full-time job, a family and other obligations?” was a common concern.  In a few instances the advice was deemed inappropriate and downright wrong, like the former college professor who advised students to include more violence in dark fantasies because “that’s what readers expect.” 

One thing to keep in mind: advice is just that–advice. Not rules which can feel more permanent and harder to shake (yet in the discussion threads the two terms were used interchangeably.) Advice is meant to be helpful; they’re recommendations or guidelines for improving our craft. We don’t have to accept any writing advice if it doesn’t work for us. 

All the same, some words of advice can be confusing. So for the purpose of this post, I’ll try to clarify a few of the most common ones.  

Advice #1: Write every day. It’s understandable that writing every day is unrealistic due to work schedules, school, family obligations, etc. This advice is usually given to new writers to encourage them to establish a consistent routine of writing every day. Even 15 minutes can make a difference. When you make time to write every day, you create momentum, you establish a consistent practice, and your craft improves exponentially. While many writers wish they had more time in their schedules for writing, the reality is, “more hours to write doesn’t guarantee they’ll be productive ones,” writes author Polly Campbell in the current issue of Writer’s Digest. “Writers who finish books and publish regularly aren’t the ones with more time to write–they’re the ones with a system that helps them write during the time they have.” 

So sit down with your schedule, find pockets of time, even if it’s only 15 minutes. Then develop a system for writing every day.

Advice #2: Write what you know. Writing requires two types of knowledge: personal experience and external supplemental knowledge. The “write what you know” part refers to personal experience, events that you’ve lived through that you can tap into while writing your story.

External knowledge represents the things you don’t know or perhaps isn’t commonly known. If you’re writing a crime novel, for example, you might need to understand how a police detective solves a crime. If your character works in a library or hair salon and you don’t know anything about either profession, it’s helpful to your story to find out about those professions.

So, yes, it’s important to write what you know, but there will be times when you need to find out what you don’t know.

Advice #3: Join a critique group. Some writers swear by getting involved in critique groups and have successfully honed their craft from their feedback. Others have gotten so bogged down by feedback that they never seem to progress toward the end of their piece. Critique groups can slow a writer down because the writer feels compelled to implement every piece of advice – whether that advice is suitable or not. Only you know if a critique group is right for you. If the group option doesn’t appeal to you, try working with a single critique partner or two. The important element is trust. No matter if you join a group or work with a single partner, you benefit from having your work seen by people you know and trust. 

Advice #4: You need a detailed outline before you start writing. The thought of using a detailed outline fills pantsers like myself with dread. A detailed outline is not for everyone and, in fact, can be limiting to the creative process. On the other hand, working with no outline can be problematic too because you may end up producing extraneous material that needs to be cut later. Most writers, I believe, fall somewhere in between. They might do a rough outline up front that is flexible enough to allow for new characters and plot points to show up during the initial draft. Or they will draft first, then create their outline afterwards before revising. Either way, it’s important to have some semblance of outlining to understand the structure of your story.

Advice 5: Don’t include a prologue. In my opinion, most novels don’t require a prologue. They tend to be dumping grounds for backstory and setting that’s not necessarily important or interesting. However, there are some situations and genres in which prologues can be helpful, or even expected. Many thrillers, mysteries and science fiction stories, for example, include prologues, usually written from a different character’s perspective or focused on an earlier time period. For most other fiction, prologues aren’t necessary and may only drag the story down. 

Advice #6: Write only when you’re inspired. Any writer will tell you that waiting for inspiration to strike before writing is a terrible waste of time because you’ll likely be waiting a long time. You have to prime the pump, so to speak. The best writers start writing even when they don’t feel like it or have anything meaningful to write about. There have been plenty of times when I didn’t feel inspired to write or my heart wasn’t in it. When I forced myself to sit and write, the words might come out wrong – at first – but eventually, the faucet turned on and the words started flowing. You almost have to show the universe that you are serious about writing before the creative muses show up for you. So even if you don’t feel inspired, start writing anyway.

Advice #7: Leave all editing until the end of the first draft. I’m inclined to agree with this advice. I prefer to finish the first draft before editing, and usually only after I’ve let the manuscript cool off for a few months. Then when I’m ready to review it, I’m able to see it with fresh eyes. Like everything else, there are exceptions. Some writers can’t progress through their first draft until they’ve edited the sections they wrote the previous day. One writer I know drafts the first five chapters, then goes back and edits them before continuing with the drafting process. As with anything else, you need to experiment to see which process works best for you.

Hope these insights help clear up any confusion about writing advice. As writers, we’re all trying to figure out this writing craft together. Take whatever advice you hear with a grain of salt, then find what works best for you.

This weeks writing prompt:
Imagine yourself hiking in the woods, either by yourself or with a friend or two. It’s getting dark out and it’s beginning to snow/rain. You realize you are lost. How do you find your way out of the woods?

Eight Ways to Reconnect with Your Writing

~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment
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As much as I loved the holidays, I’m glad they’re over because I’m ready to get back to the business of writing. I haven’t looked at my current work-in-progress or completed any meaningful projects since October, and I have felt disinterested in any form of writing.

Now that 2026 is here, I’m ready for a fresh start but at the same time, I dread tackling the massive revision I’ve been putting off the past few months. Since then, I have felt disconnected with my writer self. Between the holidays, illness and a sore foot, I’ve had little interest in writing, not even a short story or essay. My only consolation is that several other writers I know have expressed similar experiences.

What does that disconnection look like? For me, it was staring at blank pages and having a calendar with no interviews scheduled. It also was a series of avoidance tactics and excuses for not writing. Anything to get out of my commitment to write or work on my novel. Everything felt like an effort. Disconnection affected my physical body too, such as brain fog and a general emptiness inside.

The good news is that there are numerous ways to climb out of this lull in writing activity and reconnect with your writer self. All it really takes is 15 minutes a day and a little ingenuity. Below are some of the tactics I’ve used to reconnect with my writing and jump back into a creative mindset.

1. Start your day with a warm-up writing exercise or brainstorming session. On a blank sheet of paper and pen (or your computer screen if you prefer) jot down whatever topics come to mind. It could be a bullet list of story ideas, a description of something you see out your window, or a description of the last thing you ate. You could write about your pet, your best friend, your spouse or your boss. Maybe write a quickie review of the last movie you watched or the last book you read. You don’t even have to keep what you write. The point of the exercise is to simply put words down on the page, so your creative juices start flowing again.

2. Write in your journal. If you already write in a journal, congratulations. If not, a journal can serve as a useful starting point to get back into a writing routine. While the exercise above is more about taking stock of your surroundings, the journal is meant to help you explore your internal landscape–your thoughts and feelings. Again, start writing for 15 minutes and see where it takes you.

3. Take a walk in nature. One of my writer friends swears by this technique. Whenever she feels stuck when writing a scene, she walks in nature, usually with her dog. By the end of an hour or so, her mind has cleared and she’s resolved her writing problem. The next time you feel stuck in your writing or need to reconnect with your writer self, go for a walk. Then when you feel refreshed, sit down at your desk and start writing, even all you write about is what you saw on your walk.

4. Use a writing prompt. If you’re still staring at a blank page, try using a writing prompt to get the words flowing. One common prompt is “I remember…” Fill in the blank with any number of situations you remember from your life. Other possibilities include: “What if…” and “I believe…”  There are plenty of other sources for writing prompts you can find online, such as Reedsy and Writers Digest.

5. Re-read something you wrote and published previously. It will remind you of the success you’ve had in the past. Would you do anything differently? Perhaps rewrite paragraphs differently, or give it a different ending? By re-reading something you wrote, you might feel encouraged to try something new.

6. Find a writing buddy or join a group write-in. As writers, we tend to spend a lot of time alone in our own imaginations. But spending time around other like-minded souls can motivate you to write again. You can bounce ideas off each other, swap writing tips and review each other’s work. Besides, it’s comforting to know that you’re not alone, and that can be enough motivation to keep writing. Group write-ins are similar but in a group setting, like a library or classroom. Everyone is writing. There is a feeling of community when you’re all working alone, but together (if that makes any sense).

7. Skim through a book (or two) about writing. One way to reconnect with writing is to read about writing technique. Learning something new can inspire you to experiment with it in your own writing.

8. Sign up for a workshop or webinar. Much like reading about writing, taking a workshop or webinar can inspire you to try out a new technique, or to look at your own work with a fresh perspective. Or check out some videos on YouTube to get into the spirit of creative writing again.

No matter which strategy you try, remember to start slow and ease into your writing routine, one day at a time. You don’t need to spend hours either. Sometimes all it takes is 15 minutes. Before you know it, you’ll be reconnected with your writer self in no time.

Overcoming Rewriting Paralysis

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Whenever I get to the end of my first draft of whatever novel I’m working on, I’m filled with a range of emotions: joy, relief, satisfaction and pride. After spending weeks and months crafting a story I hope readers will love and creating characters I care about, I’m ready to celebrate.

The celebration is short-lived, however. Because I know there’s more work to do. A LOT more work. Being an intuitive writer, I don’t do much planning beforehand except sketching out the initial scenes. By the end of the drafting phase, my manuscript is a mess. That’s when I come face to face with the monster in the room – the rewrite.

For me, revision and rewriting is a daunting process, much like getting my wisdom teeth pulled. I usually spend hours staring at my pages wondering what to do next.

Recently, I came across a term for this. It’s called rewriting paralysis, defined by a state of being stuck and unable to move forward with a writing project because you’re frozen by the daunting task of revision.

For more information, check out this excellent piece by creativity coach Anne Carley who explains what rewriting paralysis is all about. There are several signs that you’re experiencing rewriting paralysis (sometimes called analysis paralysis because you’re over-analyzing a writing problem).

* You experience brain freeze. Or what others might call writer’s block. After looking at so many scenes, your mind goes numb. You wonder if you’ve covered every aspect of your story. Even if you do sense you’re missing a scene or two, your brain stops working. When you try to finish your story, the words won’t come.

* You feel emotionally spent. You’ve poured so much of your emotional energy into writing the first draft that you have nothing left for the rewrite.

* Your inner critic takes over the creative process. Maybe it berates you for sloppy work or keeps reminding you that you’re wasting your time. The critic’s non-stop chatter discourages you from finishing the rewrite.

* Self-doubt creeps in. Now that you’ve finished the draft, you’ve given the manuscript time and space to breathe. But in that space, the critic’s cousin Self-Doubt makes its presence known.  The more you doubt yourself, the more you wonder if you’re doing the right thing or if you should start over.

* You feel overwhelmed by the task ahead. Paralysis sets in because the project suddenly seems too big and overwhelming to tackle on your own. You’ve created a monster, but now you wonder how to turn it into Cinderella. You’re not sure how or where to begin the rewrite process, so you set aside the manuscript and hope for inspiration.

Fortunately, there are remedies to re-energize your project and push through the rewriting phase. I’ve experimented with some of these with some success. They might help you too.

Strategy 1: If the project seems too big and overwhelming, it might help to attack the rewrite by breaking it down into smaller sections, working through each Act or several scenes at a time. Author and book coach Janice Hardy suggests creating an editorial map that lets you see how your story is progressing. She also recommends creating a revision plan to organize each edit and check them off as you finish them.

Strategy 2: Draft a synopsis of your current work-in-progress. The end of the first draft may be the perfect time to draft a synopsis to make sure the story is progressing the way you imagined. The synopsis can reveal problem areas that need to be fixed. For example, when I drafted a synopsis for my current project, it revealed part of my protagonist’s backstory that explained why she felt so conflicted toward her deceased mother. Up to that point, that backstory had been a mystery to me.

Strategy 3: Review story structure. Paralysis might occur because you haven’t worked out the plot of your story, or it might be missing certain elements. The end of the drafting phase might be a good time to review story structure. There are multiple structure types, and it’s not always easy to choose the best one that fits your story. For information about story structure, check out this guide from Reedsy or this blog series and book, Structuring Your Novel by author K. M. Weiland.

Strategy 4: Study the revision process or take a course in revision. Author and book coach Jessica Brody teaches an online self-study course The Complete Novel Revision course which breaks down the process into three levels: story edits, scene edits and page edits. Whether you follow Brody’s process or use someone else’s, it takes time to review, reassess and rewrite your story to whip it into shape. Be patient with yourself and with the process.

Of course, before starting any rewriting or revising, it’s helpful to set aside the draft for a few weeks or months. Then print out the manuscript and read through it as a reader would. The time away from your story will clear your head and you’ll see the story with fresh eyes.

Armed with these strategies, you can easily overcome rewriting paralysis and create the novel of your dreams.

Five Ways to Write a Scary Good Story

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The following post originally appeared on The Regal Writer in 2020. It’s been edited and reposted here, just in time for Halloween.

Author Carmen Maria Machado once said, “How do you tell interesting stories? You puncture through reality and you let magic and weird stuff and ghosts bleed back through.”

I thought about this statement while pondering what to write about scary stories. All I could think about was the following vignette I saw on TV (Night Gallery, I think) many years ago. 

In this vignette, a man is at the kitchen sink washing dishes one night. As he finishes, he notices a tiny spider crawl out of the drain. He turns on the faucet to drown the creature or force it back down the drain. Seconds later, the spider returns, this time a little larger than before. The man turns on the faucet again to shove it back down the drain. This happens several more times, each time the spider grows a little bigger. Panic and fear sets in. The man’s eyes grow large and he begins to sweat. At the end, you see a close up of the man’s face as he stares up at the spider off screen. Then the screen goes black as the man screams.

The audience is left to wonder: Did the spider kill the man? Or did his fear of the spider kill him?

There was no blood or gore in this scene, but it was still scary (to me, at least) because it fed on my imagination – and the man’s fear. Logically, we know it’s not physically possible for a spider to grow so quickly under the rush of running water. Yet we saw it happen on the TV screen over and over. The man may have been afraid of spiders, but it was our imaginations that filled in the blanks.  
I believe that is the appeal – and the power –  of a truly scary story. It’s usually not the blood and gore that scares people; it’s the hint that something awful is about to happen.

Writing scary stories – whether about oversized spiders, brain-eating zombies or ghostly hauntings – can be a challenge for some writers, who may find it easier to conjure a creepy creature than follow the elements of good storytelling. How do you scare the bejesus out of readers when you have to pay attention to mundane things like plot structure, character and dialogue? Fortunately, there are ways to write spine-tingling scenes that readers will rave about.

1. Tap into your own fears. Horror author Shirley Jackson believed tapping into your deepest fears made the best scary stories. Think about all the things that scared you as a child, and what makes you afraid now. Most people admit to being afraid of snakes or spiders. Others fear drowning, being buried alive, thunderstorms, enclosed spaces, and suffocation. Any of these things can be the basis for a scary story. Tap into your fears and see what comes out from them.

2. Get inside the narrator’s head. Author R.L. Stine liked writing his teen horror stories from the first person POV so readers could view the action through the protagonist’s eyes. When the protagonist and her friends explore an abandoned warehouse late at night, readers see what they see, what they hear and what they feel, just as they do.

3. Create a good hidden monster. Sometimes the best monsters aren’t creepy-looking at all, but look like normal people like you and me. It can be the boy next door, a teacher at school or even the family pet. On the surface, they seem innocent, but maybe they possess a strange, magic power or worse, a diabolical, evil streak that no one else sees. Even more compelling is the evil being that never dies. It keeps coming back to life no matter how many times a protagonist tries to kill it – like the poor homeowner who couldn’t drown the ever-growing spider. One of the creepiest ways to end a story is by hinting that the monster is alive and well, and is prepared to kill again.

4. Write about your own obsessions. Is there an experience you can’t quite forget? A relationship you can’t get over? A friend who betrayed you? We all have our obsessions, things we can’t let go of. We all have those dark places within us where anger, jealousy and greed reside. Use those obsessive dark places to create your scary stories.

5. Make the story relevant to your reader. Think about the setting of your story. Sometimes seeing the story take place in a familiar place can be unsettling for readers. Instead of the overused haunted house, set the story in a library, school, a public park or the local coffee shop. Add modern elements too, such as cell phones and social media. There’s nothing more terrifying than getting a threatening text message from an evil adversary or someone who supposedly died long ago.

6. Take your ghostly and weird creations seriously. Not everyone will appreciate the scary beings born out of your imagination. That’s okay, as long as you do. Sci-fi author Ray Bradbury says the strangest, weirdest beings you create represent fear in some form. Furthermore, writers should be selective about whose criticisms they believe.

“I have never listened to anyone who criticized my taste in space travel, sideshows or gorillas,” Bradbury once said. “When this occurs, I pack up my dinosaurs and leave the room.”

The scariest stories aren’t necessarily about blood and gore, although for some people, that’s enough. Sometimes the mere hint of something mysterious or creepy can scare readers. Anything that draws on their personal fears and overactive imaginations may be enough to scare the heck out of them.

Why Writers Need to Celebrate Their Failures

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As you might have heard, the Chicago Marathon took place last week, winding its way through the streets of our grand city. Watching the coverage on TV, one comment stood out–that just starting the race is a victory and success in itself.

It’s often said that writing a novel is a lot like running a marathon. The two activities have much in common:

  • Both require hard work to prepare for the long haul. While a writer’s legs may not be moving as they write, their brains are to conjure up plots and dialogue. 
  • Both require commitment of time and energy to keep training and working toward the end goal.
  • Both require continuous learning and dedication. Athletes continue to learn about how their bodies respond to the physical demands of running a race, while writers continue to learn about their craft and how their creative minds work. 

Perhaps the biggest similarity is this: Success comes by getting to the starting line or by sitting down to write. Because the only true sign of failure is not showing up. 

That’s why we must honor our successes AND our failures. After all, failure has a lot to say about our success.

For runners, failure might look like pulling up lame during a race and having to quit, or it might mean an injury or illness sidelines them. For writers, failure might mean never finishing a story you started writing or receiving rejection letters for a story you poured your heart and soul into. 

The Rome Business School in Italy outlines several benefits of embracing failure in our work, no matter what kind of work that might be. Failure can help you:

  • Develop resilience – the ability to bounce back from setbacks and challenges.
  • Encourage creativity – It forces you to consider other solutions to your writing problems and think outside the box.
  • Foster a growth mindset – It helps us view challenges as opportunities, which we use as a stepping stone toward our main goal
  • Build confidence – Failure doesn’t have to define you. Instead, it can set the stage for figure efforts.

Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb, phonograph, and movie camera, among other things, failed many times. He was noted for saying: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

The lesson to be learned from Edison is this: If we find something that doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean we failed. It simply means that we need to explore other possible solutions. 

Since failure can be instrumental in our career growth, it might be worthwhile to celebrate and honor your writing failures as much as your successes. Here are some possible suggestions:

  • Compile all your rejection letters and save them in a file. Occasionally read them to remind you of how far you’ve come in your writing journey. Seeing the feedback can spur you to keep working toward your goal or to find solutions to some of your nagging writing issues. Some writers even frame their rejection letters so they can see them all the time.
  • Light a candle and read each rejection letter out loud. Alternatively, if you’re working with beta readers or an editor, read aloud any of their negative feedback. Try not to react viscerally to comments, but allow their meaning to sink in. Maybe they didn’t get the message you were trying to convey in your story, in which case you may need to rewrite the message differently.
  • Journal your reactions to failure and rejection. As you write, you might discover why rejection makes you feel like a failure or why it has such a strong hold on you.
  • Rethink the role of failure in your work. Sometimes you have to view it as a stepping stone toward your ultimate goal rather than a dead end. What can you learn from the failed experience? Failure can teach us many things–courage, perseverance, resilience. It can coax you to try new techniques and pull you out of your comfort zone.

Whether you’re an athlete training to run in the next marathon or a writer working on their first (or tenth) novel, it’s okay to embrace failure. It has a lot to teach us if we’re willing to listen to its lesson and learn from it. The only true failure is not trying.

Use These Prompts to Kickstart Your Autumn Writing Practice

~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment

There’s a hint of autumn in the air (at least where I live). Once Labor Day passes, I’m ready for pumpkin spice and apple cider, fall foliage, and making soups and stews.

It’s also an opportune time to reconnect with your writing routine especially if the long, hot, humid summer zapped your creative juices. If you’re looking for a chance to start up your writing routine or need some fresh story ideas for fall, I’ve put together a list of 40 prompts that can kickstart your imagination, including a few for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Feel free to embellish or tweak to fit your genre, whether that’s romance, fantasy or narrative nonfiction.

Hope these ideas inspire you to have a little fun with your writing this autumn season.

Just a reminder too that you can find writing prompts on my website, which are updated every couple of weeks.

Autumn-Themed Prompts:

1. An event that takes place in an apple orchard or pumpkin patch.

2. A child/children follow a black cat to some unknown destination.

3. A pumpkin carving contest with a surprise twist.

4. Someone gets lost in a corn maze.

5. An event or mishap takes place during a football game.

6. Grade-school students get a surprise visit from a famous person.

7. A group of people plan the annual fall festival.

8. A farmer and his crew bring in the fall harvest.

9. A character discovers or invents a new autumn-themed beverage.

10. A battle of the marching bands reaches a crescendo during a half-time show.

11. A football player pops the question to his girlfriend on the field.

12. A group of alumni celebrate their university’s Homecoming weekend in an unusual way.

13. A couple marries during a fall-themed wedding.

14. Something surprising and unexpected happens during a tailgating party.

15. A newlywed couple in their new home makes their first attempt at fall housekeeping, including cleaning the garage or attic and clearing out the gutters.

16. A story featuring caramel apples or apple cider donuts or some other apple treat.

17. Someone attempts to make soup, stew or chili and mistakenly adds one surprising and unexpected ingredient.

18. A character reminisces about the last day of the weekly farmer’s market.

19. A story that features one of the following: hot cocoa, hot apple cider or pumpkin spiced latte.

20. Someone sees the fall foliage for the first time.

21. A grade school class goes on a fall-themed field trip – farm, petting zoo or cemetery.

22. A broadcaster makes a blooper during a live telecast of a football game.

23. Someone discovers an old cedar chest in the attic, but it’s locked. How do they get it open? What do they find?

24. Someone without baking skills reluctantly joins a baking contest.

25. A college professor finds a mysterious package on their desk.

Halloween and Thanksgiving Themes

26. A young girl meets a friendly ghost in her new home.

27. A PTA meeting or dance takes place at a haunted high school.

28. A character watches a horror film for the first time.

29. A group of friends or a family tell ghost stories around the campfire.

30. A character wakes up one morning and finds a real skeleton in their closet.

31. A scarecrow in a corn field comes to life after dark.

32. Instead of leaves changing bright colors, they turn purple or black. Why did this happen?

33. Two rival families compete for the town’s annual Halloween decorating contest.

34. College students car pool home for Halloween weekend. What happens when their car breaks down or they make a wrong turn?

35. A child wakes up one morning and discovers he/she has magical powers.

36. A character experiences Halloween or Thanksgiving for the first time.

37. Something goes terribly wrong at the Thanksgiving Day parade.

38. An unexpected and unwelcome guest arrives for Thanksgiving dinner.

39. A character is forced to share a ride home for Thanksgiving with someone they don’t like.

40. Children find something unusual inside their Trick or Treat bag of goodies.

Do’s and Don’ts of Maintaining a Writing Practice

~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment
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Starting a writing practice can be difficult to start and maintain. There’s always the potential for distractions, like a child or pet wanting you to play with them. But with every milestone achieved, whether it’s finishing 1000 words or completing the first short story or essay, there is a sense of accomplishment. 

No matter what type of writer you are–or want to be–having a consistent writing practice is key to making progress. Inspired by this article on Writer’s Digest website recently about the do’s and don’ts of writing, I’ve created my own list based on my own experience on this writing journey. Because while writing is a solo activity, we can all learn from each other.

Do’s:

  • Do maintain a consistent practice. Whether that’s 500 words per day for six days or only one morning on the weekend for three hours, the schedule is up to you. The important thing is to be consistent about it. It may not seem like you’re not making much progress with your manuscript, but by the end of several months, you’ll have a completed story.
  • Do read and learn as much as you can about the publishing industry, particularly about the different paths to publication. There are numerous resources, magazines, industry blogs, and workshops that can help you understand what’s at stake. The more you know about the various paths to publication–whether traditional, hybrid or self-publishing–the better prepared you will be to decide which path is right for you.
  • Do read often and widely. Most writers I know are voracious readers. Reading different genres and authors exposes you to various writing styles. It’s just as important to read in your chosen genre so you know what readers are buying in the current marketplace. Reading widely can help you to develop your own narrative writing voice.
  • Do learn about story structure (if you’re writing fiction). When I started writing, I didn’t know anything about story structure, character arcs and creating tension. I know a lot more than I used to, but I’m still learning. I probably will always be learning because I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I want to write the best story I can. So do your homework. Once you understand the rules of story structure, you can break them later.
  • Do develop a professional support system. Surround yourself with people who can provide encouragement and support when you need it, like when you get your first rejection notice or when you feel stuck on your work-in-progress. Other writers can provide insights about your process, and friends who are avid readers can tell you what’s working and what isn’t. You don’t have to go through the writing process alone. Reach out to others when you need a lift.
  • Do keep writing. This is probably the most important to-do of all. There are times when you will feel like quitting, times when the motivation just isn’t there. That’s when it might be tempting to walk away from the desk or give up altogether. If you need to take a day off to clear your head of storylines and characters, that’s okay. But walking away from your writing will feel like you’ve given up on yourself. So even when you’re having a rough day at your desk, do keep writing.

Don’ts:

  • Don’t worry about the first draft (or even the second). It will always be garbage, a jumbled mess of ideas. This is a normal part of the story development process. Think of the first draft as the brainstorming phase in which you throw out all your ideas, no matter if they make sense or not. See which ones stick. The real writing begins with the revision phase.
  • Don’t let the revision process overwhelm you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stopped my own progress because the revision process overwhelmed me. Was I doing it right? Did I really need that scene? (If you have to ask that question, you probably don’t.) It’s okay to take baby steps with revision, and it’s also okay to ask for insights from a critique partner. Take one chapter at a time and review it to see if it aligns with your overall story. Does the scene push the story forward? Does it align with the story arc? Only you can answer those questions. Revision isn’t a race, more like a rough sludge through mud. But with a slow, consistent pace, you will get to the finish line.
  • Don’t wait for inspiration to strike. If you wait for the lightning bolt of an idea to strike you before writing a word, you may be waiting an awfully long time. Even if you don’t know what to write about, sit down and write anyway. So what if it’s all garbage to start with.  Inspiration will come. It usually does. You sort of have to knock on the door of inspiration first. The door will open and let you in.
  • Don’t deny your creative needs. We go through life taking care of our various needs, such as the physical need for nutrition and proper sleep and the emotional need for connection with others or giving back to the community. Most of us don’t think about the other basic need–the need to express ourselves creatively. Creative needs are as critical to our well-being as proper nutrition and self-care. They’re also as natural as breathing and sleeping. So don’t neglect your creative needs, and find ways to express yourself through your writing or other creative outlet.
  • Don’t be afraid to share your work with others. While you may prefer to keep your writing to yourself or wait until the story is absolutely perfect (guilty as charged), keeping your writing a secret serves no useful purpose. Some things are better when it’s shared. 

You probably have your own list of do’s and don’ts about writing. What’s at the top of your list? Is there anything here you agree or disagree with?

How to Hook Readers into Your Story

~ The Regal Writer ~ Leave a comment
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If you’ve ever gone fishing (I admit I have not), you usually need something to lure your catch, such as a worm. You need to do the same for readers (minus the worm). Author K.M. Weiland describes it best:

“Unless you hook readers into your story from the very first chapter, they won’t swim in deep enough to experience the rest of your rousing adventure, no matter how amazing it is.”

Hooks are used to get reactions from readers and entice them to ask questions about what’s happening on the page. There’s some suspense connected with hooks too because they hint at the action to come, prompting readers to keep reading.  

A recent webinar by Contemporary Romance Writers outlined the most common types of hooks. I’ve described a few of them below.

1. Show some action – The easiest way to hook readers is by engaging characters in some type of action. That doesn’t mean it has to be violent or mysterious, like a car chase. But something should be happening on the page. Maybe someone is cleaning out the attic and finds an old diary. Or the character is baking a cake to prepare for a wedding. Or someone else is in the middle of a presentation to their work colleagues. Avoid cliches such as waking up from a dream or a description of the weather because frankly, they’re overused and boring, and do nothing to engage readers. And that’s the ultimate goal of a hook.

2. Introduce a unique character – Introduce a character with unique characteristics. It typically is the protagonist but not always. Show how that person is different. Do they have a unique job or hobby, or unique skills, like seeing dead people? Do they have an odd habit, like being perpetually late for appointments. Or maybe your character is like John Singer, the deaf-mute man featured in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, who befriends the lonely people in a small town while struggling with his own feelings of loneliness.

3. Form an emotional connection – Try reading the opening pages from several of your favorite books. Do they make you feel any specific emotion, such as sadness, anger or guilt? Does the action make you feel anxious for the character because they might be in danger? Establishing an emotional connection with readers will ensure that readers stay engaged and will follow along on the character’s journey.

4. Pose a question – Sometimes the hook may come in the form of a formally asked question: “Why did I think I could get away from this?” (That’s not a real opening hook; I just made that one up.) Readers will want to know who the narrator is and what they were trying to get away with. The most important question readers will have though is something they ask themselves:  “What happens next?” As long as they keep asking that question, they’ll keep reading to get the answer.

5. Share a surprising or shocking dialogue – Opening scenes may feature a conversation between people, but the subject or tone may be shocking. For example, in Nutshell by Ian McEwan, a married pregnant woman and her lover discuss plans to murder her husband, and every word is overheard by the woman’s unborn child, who narrates the story. Who wouldn’t want to keep reading to know more about what happens next?

6. Include humor – Making readers laugh from your opening scene is another great way to hook them into your story. Humor can be found in the way a character behaves or in a witty exchange. In the opening scene of The Love of My Afterlife by Kristy Greenwood, the young protagonist chokes on a piece of bread and is convinced she is about to die. Her mind goes into overdrive with assorted worries and fears, some quite irrational, but Greenwood does it in such a way that makes you laugh out loud. When done well, adding humor can suffuse any tension. 

7. Foreshadowing – The hook may hint at some sort of conflict or action that will take place  later. For example, in the opening prologue in The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn, a mysterious stranger looks on from a distance as Eleanor Roosevelt welcomes a Russian sniper to the White House. The stranger is clearly angry, and readers sense that a confrontation will occur at some point between him and the sniper, which entices them to keep reading.

8. Describe a surprising situation – One thing all these hooks I’ve discussed have in common is the element of surprise. Something surprising or unexpected occurs in the opening scene from the overheard dialogue to someone choking on a cheap hamburger. Its impact is to jolt readers to attention, and ask the question, “What happens next?”

I’ll add one more hook to this list, courtesy of the experts at Master Class. The title of your story serves is the earliest opportunity to grab readers’ attention. It serves as a “mini-hook” using “emotionally loaded language or surprising combinations of words to hint at the story within its pages.” Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets offers a clear hook. You know right away from the title who the story is about and what they’ll be looking for. 

Hooking readers doesn’t end with the opening scene. You need to keep hooking them throughout the novel. Thriller authors are adept at doing this. One technique often used is to introduce a new question every time the previous one is answered. Also try opening each chapter with a teaser – some action, dialogue, an intriguing new character – much like you do to start your story. That keeps readers engaged until the end. 

Your story and its genre will dictate what kind of hook will work best. Experiment and see what works. As long as you keep the action moving, readers will ride along on the journey until they get to The End.