February 2012
chrisfox asked: The only time I see the benefit of pseudonyms is when it benefits the actual written fiction. Like Lemony Snicket, for instance (this is, now that I think about it, the only modern example in recent memory I can think of). In a world where the world of consuming literature is growing, and selling books relies very heavily on a writer being consistent with their publishing, the more books you can...
cerebralsoldier asked: I think in some situations it might be preferable to use a pseudonym actually. Like you said "you have to write as if no one is going to read them." I think NOT using a pseudonym when you are uncomfortable with the prospect of people seeing what you write may cause you to filter your writing consciously or subconsciously, in order to curb the reaction from those questionable parties.
darlingletssleep asked: For viscountjan: what are the odds that your family will even see the anthology if they don't read racy things? On the other hand, my mom is ultra-conservative and I went through her browsing history once and found that she'd been searching for my blog. So I suppose there's a chance. I say, use your name anyway. Family is important. So is being true to yourself.
rubbishbinangel asked: Personally I am and am going to use a pseudonym for my writing. For one I do not want my family to use my writing as a way of boosting their own importance (when i came out of the writing closet so to speak they already began that) plus some of my writing comes from hard experiences from my life and particularly my relationship with my father so I don't really want them to see that. False...
viscountjan asked: I HAVE A QUESTION. To use or not to use a pseudonym? I'm working on a story to contribute to a horror anthology, but the story must have extreme sexual content. I want to use my name...but a pen name is safer, I think. Well, you see, I come from a conservative family and I'm the only one with a daring taste for literature. Most of my family read romance, mangas, magazines while I read...
home-for-writers asked: Hello, I was wondering if you can spread the word about our humble little writing blog as well so writers can feature the works and let the tumblr community indulge in it. Thank you in advance!
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Sorry Yeah Write has been so dead lately!
…I just got back from a week in Barcelona and Rome, and now I have 6 straight weeks of visitors coming to see me in London. #firstworldproblems, I know. I’ll try to get a huge queue of prompts going and some fun posts too, in the next couple of days. Thanks for bearing with me! I haven’t forgotten about you guys and I love you all so much.
^A big Barcelonan(?) hug from me...
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“3x5 is a better song than my ability to write a song. And when that happens,...”
– John Mayer. I don’t care what you think about him, but this is exactly how I feel about the stories I write. I’ve described inspiration this way almost verbatim.
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“Rather than set the world on fire with radical contigency, I expect that ebooks...”
– Carl Zimmer responds to Jonathan Franzen’s rant against ebooks. (via curiositycounts), Amen, sistah.
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Prompt idea by shrewdslytherin:
Write about someone walking down the street and finding an old friend who has become homeless. How did the person come to be homeless? What is the relationship between the two?
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Prompt idea by vi-vacious-lady:
Take the title of one of your favorite novels, and write a short story based off of it. Make it completely unrelated to the original text.
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Prompt idea by dmosegueda
Write about a masquerade ball.
January 2012
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Prompt idea by PhotoPlay:
Where do these doors lead?
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Prompt idea by Magictheory:
Write about the Seven Deadly Sins as if they are human beings. Describe how they look and act.
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“I’d thought I didn’t have a home anymore. But right there, right...”
– I love you Sarah Dessen.
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Write about someone surprising someone else with balloons.
What’s the occasion?
Read followers’ works inspired by this prompt:
Smiles by wordsInThemiddle
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Prompt idea by writingsober:
Write a story/scene/etc. where a character theorizes about (what he/she believes to be) an uncomfortable truth.
Read followers’ works inspired by this prompt:
anything else at all by anatomyofthewrittenword
The Tragedy of Human Nature by anatomyofthewrittenword
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Write about two people debating whether or not one of them should adopt a kitten.
D’aww!
Read followers’ works inspired by this prompt:
“Professor Mandibles” by JustinUnltd.
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Prompt idea by ordinaryeffect:
Lately I have heard people referring to themselves or others as “OCD” when they are simply well organized. Write about someone who truly suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder to the point that it effects their daily life. The DSM IV criteria for OCD is linked here.
I hate when people say things like, “I am so OCD about this/that/the other...
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Write about someone with bruised knees.
Where did the bruises come from? A fight? A fall? Something scandolous?
Read followers’ works inspired by this prompt:
Yours Faithfully by xpoisonousx
It’s a Matter of Faith by Blandrew
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Prompt idea by apparentlyimadeablog:
Write about an affair (you can be the one having the affair, or you can be the mistress/male-mistress, it’s up to you).
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Using a piece that you’re already working on, write a flashback scene that takes place in Autumn. What is your character remembering, and why?
The scene obviously doesn’t have to go into your final draft, but it may help you develop your character and/or your story.
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Prompt idea by missymansanas:
Write what happens when the one that got away comes back.
Read followers’ works inspired by this prompt:
Break by Flirtingwithhonesty
Mourning a Dead Love by Mona Thurman
Da Capo by whenmitchwrites
dying fire and ice by ringono
Common Difference by The Escapist
Untitled by Right, Write.
Da Capo by whenmitchwrites
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I'm sitting in my bed right now...
…all snug under the covers, and I realized that I left my Kindle over on my desk. And then I also realized that whenever I don’t want to get up to get something I subconsciously think “Accio Kindle!”
Also I walked past the WB Studios HQ in London and they had all this HP stuff in the lobby in cases, like a Death Eater Mask and a real broom. I almost fainted.
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Write a scene/story/poem in which the central conflict is which direction the protagonist wants to go in his/her life. He/she has just completed a major life stage (college, a job, etc.).
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Prompt idea by dmosegueda:
Take a childhood memory and write about it from the perspective of someone else who was there.
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Write about city kids getting lost in the woods.
Read followers’ works inspired by this prompt:
City Kids by insider-outsider
Back woods by CJ
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Prompt idea by katmorrissette:
Write about a protagonist/hero from the point of view of someone who is a practically invisible part of their entourage.
Most writers pick a main character and focus on that person and their point of view in their writing. It can be challenging to focus on that same character without utilizing their own point of view at all.
A good example of this type of...
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Write about a kid who has too many adult responsibilities.
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Prompt idea by runthroughthestorm:
Write about you grounding yourself instead of you being grounded by a parent.
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Write a story/scene/poem based on this photo.
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MacKenzie Rae Reads: Extremely Loud and Incredibly... →
Another great review by MacKenzie Rae Reads! I also just read Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close over Christmas Break, and agree whole-heartedly with her review. I listened to half of it and read the other half on my Kindle, though, so I didn’t see the colored words, waa!
I’ve also read Foer’s Everything is Illuminated, and yes, MacK, it definitely is better.
...
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Prompt idea by runthroughthestorm
Write about being in a place where you can never know what time it is.
Read followers’ works inspired by this prompt:
A Timeless Box by Jonvi
The Scenic Route by Insider-Outsider
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Write about someone eating something laced with drugs.
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After a Brief Holiday, Yeah Write is Back in...
Hello yeah writers!
First off, I would like to apologize for the fact that over the last few days, no content has been publishing on YW. This was the first time since I started the blog almost a year ago that I let the queue run out and no prompts were published—I’m so embarrassed!
Pretty much since mid-December, my life has been a clusterfuck. I finished up exams at Carolina, had...
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yesigrok asked: For the young writer: I think Cicada (part of the Cricket Magazine family, geared toward literary-minded teenagers) still takes submissions from readers. At least it did back when I subscribed :)
sleeptard asked: hello! i was wondering if you know how to verify if a word exists. is there an "absolute" dictionary to verify it? i know this may sound silly, but im currently tackling David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest", (i meant to italicize, but i can't) and there are many specific words like "hyperfloration" that show up. and, all while i read, i am O_O and...
crazyserendipity asked: Hello there(: I was wondering if you (or anybody else who reads this) know of any magazines that would consider younger writers for publication. I'm only 16, but I've been thinking lately that I'd really like my work considered seriously for lit mags. I've recently entered the scholastic writing competition and it has made me think about my writing in a whole new light. Anyway,...