I’ve been giving a lot of thought over the last couple of months to my weekly writing prompt post. I have never been truly happy with the name Wednesday Writing Prompt Challenge. It doesn’t really convey what I hope this challenge will be for myself and other writers. And the tag #WWPChallenge sounds more like some sort of wrestling event.
The purpose of these writing prompts is two-fold. First, it should be fun. Writing is hard work, but there should always be the element of fun, or it no longer feels worth doing. Second, it is to inspire ideas. Sometimes the idea well runs slow, and prompts and exercises such as these are designed to prime the pump. It may not turn into anything. Or it could be your next big thing. It might be the key you were looking for to fill a hole in your plot. It just might be the very thing you need to unlock your muse.
Therefore, I am reinventing this weekly post. It has a new name: Unlock the Muse. A new cover photo (courtesy of Pixabay). And a new format designed to inspire, encourage and equip your writing.
Inspire:
This weekly Unlock the Muse post will have three parts. First, the usual writing prompt you’ve come to expect each week. As always, this will be a random writing exercise designed to get ideas flowing and put words on the page. Whenever possible, I’ll include some ideas on how the exercise might be valuable. Writing exercises aren’t the same for everyone, but they’re only intended to be a spark.
Encourage:
The second part of the post will include either a nugget of writing inspiration from a favorite author, or a snippet of wisdom gleaned from whatever writing craft book I’m reading at the time. I’m always reading one in hopes I might learn something worthwhile from those who’ve been in the business of writing much longer than I have. Currently, I am working on This Year You Write Your Novel, by Walter Mosley. It seems an appropriate book to start the new year.
Equip:
I’ll conclude each post with a question and answer. I invite you to ask me a writing-related question, and I will do my best to find an answer. For now, questions should be about my specific writing process or questions about grammar and language usage (English language only, please). Keep in mind, unless the question is about a specific rule of grammar, the answer will be my opinion, and should not be taken as the absolute and only right answer.
It’s your turn now. What sort of writing exercises work best for you? Who are your favorite writers and writing craft books? Do you have a question about a tricky grammar issue, or just want to know my writing process? Leave a comment below!
Or send me your question(s) by email here:
TAwrites 