How important are writing prompts?
Writing prompts that aren’t the same old writing prompts trick people into wanting to write, and that writing becomes the vital practice that makes getting better possible. The Awe-manac is filled with writing prompts that I invented during 10 years of teaching creative writing, because I couldn’t find ones I liked anywhere. What are some of your favorite “writers-block” relievers/writing exercises? 1. Break down my writing time to just 5 to 15 minutes. 2. Lower my expectations: I just say to myself, “write something really awful, but go ahead and write.” 3. Use a word pool: I start with at least 15 randomly picked words and add other words to write something fun or profound as a warm-up. 4. Read something I’ve written that I really like: it reminds me of my voice. What do you know that you wish you knew when you first started writing? Two things: 1. Break the rules. 2. I need to write and entertain myself. Chances are that there are a lot of people out there like me who will like my w
