topic

Writing prompts

Drafts, edits, rewrites. For when the words exist but refuse to line up.

• creative Find the Story Worth Telling in a Dataset

  Find the real story in a dataset before you write the wrong one.

• creative Compare Two Narrative Strategies for the Same Material

  Choose the right narrative strategy for your material before you commit to it.

• creative Critique Your Own Opening Paragraph Before Anyone Else Does

  Find out whether your opening paragraph earns the reader's attention.

• creative Reframe a Creative Project That Has Stopped Moving

  Work out why a creative project has stopped and what it actually needs.

• creative Map the Structure of a Long Essay Before You Write It

  Plan the structure of a long essay so the argument holds together.

• creative Translate Your Jargon-Heavy Draft Into Something Readable

  Rewrite a jargon-heavy draft into something a general reader can follow.

• creative Reframe a Negative Review Into What Your Writing Is Actually Doing

  Turn a stinging review into something you can actually use.

• creative Plan a Creative Project You Have Been Postponing

  Turn a creative project you keep postponing into a first phase you can actually start.

• work Critique a Business Plan Before You Pitch It to Anyone

  Find the holes in your business plan before a well-prepared investor finds them first.

• work Critique a Piece of User Experience Writing Before It Goes Live

  Find where your interface copy is failing users before it goes live.

• creative Critique a Short Story or Opening Chapter Before Sharing It

  Get a specific editorial critique of your short story or chapter before sharing it.

• work Critique a Grant or Funding Application Before Submission

  Find the weaknesses in a grant application before a panel reviewer does.

• creative Diagnose Why a Scene Is Not Working

  Find out what is actually wrong with the scene that will not come right.

• work Critique a Piece of Persuasive Writing Before It Goes Out

  Get a pre-send critique of your persuasive writing from the reader's point of view.

• work Critique a Draft Business Plan Before Showing It to Anyone

  Find the weaknesses in a business plan before an investor does.

• creative Adapt a Real Event From Your Life Into a Fictional Scene

  Turn a real event into a fictional scene that keeps the truth without the facts.

• work Critique Your Own Work Before Someone Else Does

  Find the problems in your work before the audience does.

• creative Write a Personal Essay That Actually Says Something

  Move your personal essay from an account of what happened to something that actually argues a point.

• creative Turn a Case Study Into a Story Worth Sharing

  Turn a dry case study into a story that communicates what you can do in a way worth reading.

• creative Rewrite a Paragraph Until the Prose Does Not Get in the Way

  Edit a paragraph of prose until it stops getting in its own way.

• creative Make Your Writing Voice Consistent Across a Long Document

  Find and fix the voice inconsistencies in a long piece of writing.

• creative Edit a Piece of Writing for Unnecessary Words

  Cut your writing by 20 percent without losing anything that matters.

• self Write a Letter to Your Younger Self Without the Clichés

  Write an honest letter to your younger self that is worth reading.

• creative Fix the Structure of a Story That Is Not Working

  Diagnose the structural problem in your story rather than editing around it.

more writing prompts ↓

← all topics