Writing Prompt #6

I'm having fun with these. Hope you are too. Here's another.

Three things you'd bring with you to a deserted island. Assume food and water are not an issue, and that you will be stuck on the island, Gilligan-style, for an unknown period of time. Defend your choices.

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CONTEST! Post a response (on your site, with a link in the comments section here) to any of my writing prompts between now and August 26, and I'll pick one winner whose query letter I will then critique on the blog the following week. (We can remove the identifying details, if you want; we'll figure that out later.) I'm not promising representation, but I'm not ruling it out either...

Tell your friends!

Writing Prompt #5

I don't know about you, but I need a bit of a jump-start today. It was a nice laid-back weekend around here, and I need to find my rhythm and get to work. Lots to do!

Here's a new writing prompt to get you going on this Monday.

There in the morning crossword, plain as anything, was the phrase "ROGER PETERSON HAS TWO WEEKS TO LIVE."

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CONTEST! Post a response (on your site, with a link in the comments section here) to any of my writing prompts between now and August 26, and I'll pick one winner whose query letter I will then critique on the blog the following week. (We can remove the identifying details, if you want; we'll figure that out later.) I'm not promising representation, but I'm not ruling it out either...

Tell your friends!

Writing Prompt #4

New prompt!

(This one's for you, NYC in the summer.)

The Worst Smell in the World

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CONTEST! Post a response (on your site, with a link in the comments section here) to any of my writing prompts between now and August 26, and I'll pick one winner whose query letter I will then critique on the blog the following week. (We can remove the identifying details, if you want; we'll figure that out later.) I'm not promising representation, but I'm not ruling it out either...

Tell your friends!

Writing Prompt #3

Thanks for all the great entries. Keep 'em coming.

Here's another prompt. I just moved last month, so this one is close to my heart-- but I encourage you to go crazy with it. There are many more possibilities than a story about moving.

I opened the last box, and inside I found (feel free to switch to your favorite "person")

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CONTEST! Post a response (on your site, with a link in the comments section here) to any of my writing prompts between now and August 26, and I'll pick one winner whose query letter I will then critique on the blog the following week. (We can remove the identifying details, if you want; we'll figure that out later.) I'm not promising representation, but I'm not ruling it out either...

Tell your friends!

Writing Prompt #2

Here's the next prompt, for anyone who'd like to play.

The last thing he remembered was...

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CONTEST! Post a response (on your site, with a link in the comments section here) to any of my writing prompts between now and August 26, and I'll pick one winner whose query letter I will then critique on the blog the following week. (We can remove the identifying details, if you want; we'll figure that out later.) I'm not promising representation, but I'm not ruling it out either...

Tell your friends!

Writing Prompt #1

I'm glad you guys are excited about the writing prompt idea. So here's your first one:

"What I Did on My Summer Vacation."

But I want ludicrous, spectacular falsehoods. Make up every bit of it. Were you a stowaway on the last space shuttle mission? Too bad. Write about something even crazier.

Post your prompt-response (someone please give me a better term for that, ugh) on your blog, and post a link in the comments. I promise to read all of the entries. Maybe later this summer we can have some kind of a grand prize-- a query letter critique or something, if you like. Let me know what sounds fun.

Don't have a blog? Why not start one?

EDIT: So, let's do this: post a response to any of my writing prompts between now and August 26, and I'll pick one winner whose query letter I will then critique on the blog the following week. (We can remove the identifying details, if you want; we'll figure that out later.) I'm not promising representation, but I'm not ruling it out either...

Tell your friends!

On the fabled "summer slowdown."

I can sense August around the corner: my email inbox is quieting. Publishing industry folks and prospective clients alike are heading out on vacation (or at least taking a "tech vacation," a very 21st century term for a practice I highly recommend). Things feel a little sleepy at this time of year. I know I'd certainly rather sit on the patio with a glass of white wine than put the finishing touches on the "tough love" critique letter I owe one of my clients.

It's a great time of year for daydreaming, I think, and that makes it a great time of year to brainstorm ideas for new writing projects.

I'm thinking of taking a break from the "inside baseball" posts for a few weeks, but I've been missing all of you. If I posted writing prompts for a while instead, would anyone play along?

I'm thinking it would work like this: I post the prompt, and you write on the prompt on your blog (and post a link in the comments-- I promise to click over and read!). If your favorite genre is haiku, you can put the whole thing in the comments.

What do you think? And how is your summer going?