Prompt: Write About a Scare
Posted by David Duhr in 
Discussion questions: Write about a scare. What has been the scariest moment of your life? Have you ever had a near-death or near near-death experience? A medical scare? A particularly creepy visit to a haunted house? What’s the scariest piece of literature you’ve ever read? The scariest thing you’ve seen on a screen? Go to the comments to share your scariest moments. read more
“Stay Connected to That Part of Yourself”: Q&A With M.E. Solomon
Discussion questions: What’s the oldest writing project you consider to still be in-progress? What makes a “real” writer? When it comes to feedback, what’s more important, quantity or quality? What do you do to “stay connected” to the writer within you on days you can’t work on your project, or can’t write at all? Random, I know, but it’ll make sense soon. Answer as many as you’d like in the comments.
Prompt: Write About a Scent
Discussion questions: Write about a scent. Something from your past that triggers a memory and the feelings/thoughts/images it summons. What do you smell right now? What is your favorite smell? In what ways do you use scent in your fiction? Your nonfiction? read more
Prompt: Write About Your First Job
Discussion questions: Has your work life ever colored your fiction? If so, in what way(s)? Have you ever written nonfiction about your work? I’d also like to learn about your first job and what it taught you.
You & Your Character: Who Holds the Reins?
Discussion questions: Do you sometimes look at your characters as entities outside of your control, or do your characters never do or say anything you haven’t given strict permission for? Do you control your characters, do your characters control you, or do you and your characters operate together? read more
Group Writing Exercise: “Oh Girl”
Discussion questions: This week we’re going to try something new, a cumulative group writing exercise that could be super fun and/or super chaotic. Together you all are going to write a story, or hopefully several stories, that begin with a line I wrote and end with a line I wrote — and everything in the middle comes from you. read more
Prompt: Write About a Scar
Discussion questions: Write about a scar. Internal or external, real or fictitious, literal or figurative. read more
Self-Publishing: Typeface & Book Design
Discussion questions: What are your likes and dislikes when it comes to typeface, layout, and design? Do you ever buy — or opt not to buy — a book based on its cover or its font? Do you despise deckle-edged pages as much as I do? If you’ve self-published before, what was your process for making decisions about type, cover, and layout? What advice would you give to a writer preparing to self-publish for the first time?Share your thoughts in the comments below. read more
RATS! Writing & Dreams & COVID-19
Discussion questions: Have you been having strange dreams since COVID-19 came along and created all this uncertainty in our lives? Do your dreams ever lead to new writing, or even appear in your writing? What’s the most bizarre and/or vivid dream you’ve ever had? Let’s talk in the comments about the connection between dreams and writing. read more
Reading & Writing Burnout
Discussion questions: Does your working life consist of a lot of reading and writing, and if so, how does that impact your literary life? Do you sometimes find it difficult to read and/or write for pleasure after a long day of doing those things for work? Does technology have a similar impact on your ability to read and write for pleasure? How do we combat these things?
Writing & Reading Goals 2020: 50-Yard Line
Discussion questions: Are you on pace to hit the 2020 writing and reading goals you laid out at the beginning of the year? In what ways has the COVID-19 situation affected, or even altered, your goals and your approach? What’s your plan for the rest of the year, reading- and writing-wise? What are the biggest roadblocks in your way? Let’s discuss in the comments.
The Best Passage You’ve Written in 2020 (So Far)
Discussion questions: What is the best thing you’ve written this year? A line or passage that made you sit back and think, “Wow, I’m a talented writer!” And are you willing to share it with us? If so, copy/paste it in the comments below. Provide some context if you want, or let your words speak for themselves. Fiction or non, poetry or screenplay, even text message or email, let’s see an example of your best work of 2020.
- This week’s Texas Observer contest finalist is “Oblivious” by Rudy Ruiz (@Rudy_Ruiz_7), who does a hell of a job ta… https://t.co/f1h53csUDJ
- RT @TexasObserver: .@thedutchsimmons’ "Solitary," a finalist in the Texas Observer story contest, recounts the thoughts of a character stuc…