Category: Writing Journal

Your character wants to infiltrate a cult in order to lure his teenage daughter away from them. Write the scene where your character is interviewed by the cult leader to see if he’s a suitable candidate for membership. 

One Stop for Writers

Guidance & Tips

Write the scene of discovery (i.e., tell a story), or brainstorm and create a list of related ideas.

Here’s five story elements to consider:

• Character
• Setting
• Plot
• Conflict
• Resolution

Never forget, writing is a process. The first draft is always a mess.

The first draft of anything is shit.

Ernest Hemingway

Your character lives in a world where marriage is prized, and rare, as only soulmates may marry. Soulmates bear the same birthmark. Describe the scene when your character discovers her worst enemy bears a birthmark identical to her own. 

One Stop for Writers

Write the scene of discovery (i.e., tell a story), or brainstorm and create a list of related ideas.

Here’s five story elements to consider:

• Character
• Setting
• Plot
• Conflict
• Resolution

Never forget, writing is a process. The first draft is always a mess.

The first draft of anything is shit.

Ernest Hemingway

Your character wakes up to discover that the electricity is out and there are no cell or radio signals; all electronics have ceased to work. Upon venturing outside, she sees that everyone in her neighborhood has disappeared. Describe the moments leading up to her realization that something is terribly wrong. 

One Stop for Writers

Guidance & Tips

Write the scene of discovery (i.e., tell a story), or brainstorm and create a list of related ideas.

Here’s five story elements to consider:

• Character
• Setting
• Plot
• Conflict
• Resolution

Never forget, writing is a process. The first draft is always a mess.

The first draft of anything is shit.

Ernest Hemingway

Your gamer protagonist discovers that the person he’s been talking to in a chat room is a murderer. Worse, the person seems to know his real name. Write the exchange and your protagonist’s reactions and thoughts. 

One Stop for Writers

Guidance & Tips

Write the scene of discovery (i.e., tell a story), or brainstorm and create a list of related ideas.

Here’s five story elements to consider:

• Character
• Setting
• Plot
• Conflict
• Resolution

Never forget, writing is a process. The first draft is always a mess.

The first draft of anything is shit.

Ernest Hemingway

Your character is called to a town she’s never been to at the bequest of a close friend who has just lost her husband. After the funeral ends, your character spots a gravestone with her exact name and next week’s date. Write what happens next. 

One Stop for Writers

Guidance & Tips

Write the scene of discovery (i.e., tell a story), or brainstorm and create a list of related ideas.

Here’s five story elements to consider:

• Character
• Setting
• Plot
• Conflict
• Resolution

Never forget, writing is a process. The first draft is always a mess.

The first draft of anything is shit.

Ernest Hemingway

Your character undergoes hypnotherapy and uncovers one of her past lives. Write the scene as this happens. 

One Stop for Writers

Guidance & Tips

Write the scene of discovery (i.e., tell a story), or brainstorm and create a list of related ideas.

Here’s five story elements to consider:

• Character
• Setting
• Plot
• Conflict
• Resolution

Never forget, writing is a process. The first draft is always a mess.

The first draft of anything is shit.

Ernest Hemingway

While on a vacation, your character runs into the one that got away. The electrifying spark is still there, as strong as ever, only your character is no longer single. Write the scene, from the character’s point of view, as all these old feelings surface and mix with guilt.

One Stop for Writers

Guidance & Tips

Write the scene of discovery (i.e., tell a story), or brainstorm and create a list of related ideas.

Here’s five story elements to consider:

• Character
• Setting
• Plot
• Conflict
• Resolution

Never forget, writing is a process. The first draft is always a mess.

The first draft of anything is shit.

Ernest Hemingway

Your character is a substitute teacher for a grade four class and slowly comes to realize something unusual is going on. As impossible as it seems, some of her students are reading her mind. Write the scene. 

One Stop for Writers

Guidance & Tips

Write the scene of discovery (i.e., tell a story), or brainstorm and create a list of related ideas.

Here’s five story elements to consider:

• Character
• Setting
• Plot
• Conflict
• Resolution

Never forget, writing is a process. The first draft is always a mess.

The first draft of anything is shit.

Ernest Hemingway

Your character is inspecting his recently purchased property when he falls through a rotten well cover. While he’s unhurt save for cuts and scrapes, no one knows he’s there, so he must get out on his own. Write his escape. 

One Stop for Writers

Here’s five story elements to consider:

• Character
• Setting
• Plot
• Conflict
• Resolution

Never forget, writing is a process. The first draft is always a mess.

The first draft of anything is shit.

Ernest Hemingway

Your character is enjoying Chinese food with friends, and when the fortune cookies are opened, the predictions seem to have specific meaning to each person. Within twenty-four hours, each prediction comes to pass. Write the scene as your character’s paper future becomes reality.

One Stop for Writers

Guidance & Tips

Write the scene of discovery (i.e., tell a story), or brainstorm and create a list of related ideas.

Here’s five story elements to consider:

• Character
• Setting
• Plot
• Conflict
• Resolution

Never forget, writing is a process. The first draft is always a mess.

The first draft of anything is shit.

Ernest Hemingway