The Noob There are times in a story where you need to explain things to your readers. It all depends on the type of story you are writing. If you are writing a story about middle school students in daily life, you can assume that your reader will already understand most things in the story…
DailyArt
DailyArt I don’t remember when I got my DailyArt™. It’s an electronic picture frame with a subscription: every morning when I wake up, a never-before-seen picture greets me. They started out cheerful but soon the colors darkened, and the shapes hinted at tragic things. Then this morning I woke up to a single scrawled word….
Muse on Monday – June 16, 2025
Welcome to another week and another Muse on Monday! Today’s prompt is what I call a one-piece prompt, in that it gives you one piece of a story premise but leaves enough room for you to fill in the details about setting, genre and plot. Story Prompt: June 16, 2025 Write a story about a…
A Key Problem
A Key Problem “Why?” A shouted. “Nah, Y is up there,” said A’s neighbor, who was always a smart-S. The writer using the typewriter was writing a fantasy story. “Abracadabra!” they heard him murmur. A groaned as he got hit on the head five times in quick succession. “Quiet,” Z grumbled from just below. “I…
Muse on Monday – June 9, 2025
Story Prompt: June 9, 2025 Write a story based on the picture below: This is a picture of the county courthouse in Erie, PA. I’m not sure why it’s lit up blue, but it makes a cool effect. If you write a story with this prompt, send me a link to your story on your…
Death Mill
Death Mill “It roars through, same time every afternoon, on these metal rails. No one knows from where or to where.” “They’ve got to lead somewhere. You could follow them.” “I tried! Walked for, like, an hour. Still going. What’s important, though, it’s great for milling wheat. You put the wheat all along the rails…
Muse on Monday – June 2, 2025
There is a quote by the science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke that goes “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” This means that while a gun or a lightbulb might seem like magic to someone from thousands of years ago, a tractor beam or teleporter might seem like magic to us, since it…
Muse on Monday – May 26, 2025
One of the main elements of fiction is conflict. There has to be some problem to solve or it is not that interesting to read. A lot of stories take place in horrific circumstances, where there is conflict all over the place. However, could you write a story in a seemingly ideal situation? What would…
The Sweet Life
The Sweet Life The air was filled with delicious smells and the sounds of nightmares. The Hive was in port, that wandering ship of bees the size of Shetland ponies. “Where’s your brother?” Mom asked. We watched through the slats of the blinds as two drones buzzed by, tattooed and addled on mead. I shrugged….
Muse on Monday – May 19, 2025
Time for a super specific prompt this week, loosely based on the picture above. Story Prompt: May 19, 2025 You are hurrying home at night when you meet a figure in a black cloak and holding a sword. “Don’t be afraid,” it says. Remember that the plot and the tone are totally up to you….
The Green-Walled Treehouse 