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Writing prompts

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

• learn Make Your Academic Writing Clearer Without Losing the Argument

  Edit your academic writing so the argument is clearer without losing intellectual rigour.

• self Write Down Your Values So They Are Actually Useful

  Turn vague values into specific decision-making tools you can actually use.

• creative Write the Opening Chapter That Actually Starts the Story

  Find where your story actually starts and cut everything before it.

• self Get Honest Feedback on Work You Are Too Close To

  Get feedback on your work that is actually useful rather than kind.

• creative Plot a Short Story That Ends in the Right Place

  Plot a short story around the single moment it is actually about.

• creative Write a Long-Form LinkedIn Article That Demonstrates Real Expertise

  Write a LinkedIn article that demonstrates actual knowledge rather than performing it.

• creative Write a Short Poem That Actually Does Something

  Write a short poem that does something specific rather than reaching for the obvious images.

• play Write a Short Story Using a Constraint to Force Creativity

  Get a story brief with a constraint that forces creative decisions you would not make otherwise.

• creative Edit Your Own Writing More Effectively

  Edit your first draft with a three-pass process that addresses each problem at the right level.

• life Write a Personal Eulogy to Clarify What Matters in the Life Still Ahead

  Write the eulogy you want and find out what is currently inconsistent with it.

• life Write a Short Speech for a Wedding or Celebration

  Write the short wedding or celebration speech you have been putting off.

• creative Write a Logline That Makes Someone Want to Read the Script

  Turn your script concept into a logline that sells the film, not just the premise.

• creative Design a Zine or Self-Published Booklet

  Make your first zine with a structure and constraint that makes it worth picking up.

• creative Turn a Personal Experience Into a Story Worth Telling

  Shape a real experience into a story that works rather than one that just recounts.

• self Write a Personal Mission Statement That Is Shorter Than a Paragraph

  Get a personal mission statement that is actually specific to you.

• creative Write a Comedy Sketch With an Actual Punchline

  Develop a comedy sketch that escalates to a real punchline rather than fading out.

• life Write a Tribute for Someone at a Leaving Do

  Write a leaving tribute that is actually about the person, not a card.

• creative Write Titles That Are Worth Clicking On

  Generate ten title options for any piece of writing and find out which three work.

• creative Generate a Compelling Antagonist Who Is Not Simply Evil

  Design an antagonist with a coherent internal logic who makes the story morally interesting.

• creative Write a Poem That Does Not Sound Like a Poem

  Write a poem that earns its form instead of borrowing from the conventions.

• creative Write a Short Story in a Genre You Have Never Tried Before

  Write in an unfamiliar genre by understanding its structural rules rather than its surface conventions.

• creative Write a Song Lyric That Does Not Embarrass You on Second Reading

  Write a lyric that implies the feeling rather than explaining it and survives the second reading.

• creative Write a Video Script That Hooks in the First Ten Seconds

  Write a video script where the first ten seconds earn the rest of the watch.

• creative Write a Scene You Are Avoiding Because It Is Too Difficult

  Get past the scene you have been circling for weeks.

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