Gamified Grammar It was finals day at the X-Box Online High School, and Jamie only had one test left: Fantasy Grammar. His sword technique was okay, but he was still shaky on his verb tenses. He put on his VR goggles. The scene changed to a snowy forest. A barbarian with an axe appeared and…
Justin Dreamcatcher
Justin Dreamcatcher was born on a Tuesday afternoon in art class. He knew his name was Justin since that was the name that was written on his tag in black marker. He listened to the teacher explain what a dreamcatcher was. “You put them near your bed and they will chase bad dreams away,” the…
Muse on Monday – May 17, 2021, Featuring “The Boingo Job”
Welcome to a brand new week and a brand new Muse on Monday story prompt. The challenge is to write a short story and use the elements listed below. If you’re 18 years old or younger, you can submit your story using this link for a chance to have it published next Monday when the…
Writing Corner: Dialogue
Dialogue Dialogue is one of the main three parts of fiction writing, along with action and description. Dialogue is everything that people say, either to themselves or to others. We’re going to look at how to write dialogue and some things you should (and shouldn’t) do when writing it. Writing Dialogue This is a short…
Dance
No one saw it flying towards Earth. No telescopes spotted it. It was invisible. But everyone felt it, the dancing star. In the living room, it started with Dad tapping his foot. Mom came in and Dad took her hand and spun her around. The kids started jumping up and down on the couch like…
Mechon Ball
Mechon Ball Have you ever wanted to be a soccer ball? If you have, you’re probably crazy since those things get hit around a lot. But that’s basically what Mechon (meck-in) Ball is. There are two people on each team. One is in a big robot—the mech—about four meters tall. The other person is inside…
Muse on Monday – May 10, 2021, Featuring “Swimming Practice”
It’s Monday again and time for Muse on Monday, the time of the week when we give you a writing prompt. The challenge is to write a short story and use the elements listed below. If you’re 18 years old or younger, you can submit your story using this link for a chance to have…
Writing Corner: Endings
Endings Two weeks ago, I wrote about story beginnings but today I am going to write about endings. The difference, however, is that I am not going to give any examples from real stories. The problem with endings is that they really do not make sense without knowing the story that came ahead of them…
Alone on Top of the World
Alone on Top of the World Dawn came early on top of the world. It was a hard dawn, not like the mellow mornings down below. Up on top, the glaring sunrays were as flint-edged as the wind and the burning cold. But there was light and it found its way through the crack in…
Fire Drill, COVID-Style
Fire Drill, COVID-Style “Just because things aren’t actually ‘normal’ right now, doesn’t mean we’re going to jeopardize your safety,” the principal’s voice said over the speaker. He had the desperately forced cheerfulness of a man who has said “Six weeks from now, tops” for over a year and counting. “Remember, if we change even one…
The Green-Walled Treehouse 