Tag Archives: writing prompts

Grasping at Ideas

Posted on November 9, 2023 by knlistman

Books exist that relate the basics of writing stories: how to create plots that follow specific beats and pacing, how to develop characters and throw continual problems at them, how to use settings to enhance your story. But, all this … Continue reading →

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Promptless writing

Posted on August 23, 2013 by knlistman

Writing prompts are extremely easy to come by – people are giving them away for free on thousands of different web sites – which should give you a clue to exactly how worthless most of them are. The student who … Continue reading →

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Looking for an antihero

Posted on August 21, 2013 by knlistman

Most of the students are already dreading their “special” assignment. As they walk dawdling into the room and see the prompt “Write about someone who was a good influence on you” the moans begin to crescendo. Many students quickly run … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiction in education, Teaching writing skills, Writer's resource | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A tale of two writers

Posted on August 6, 2013 by knlistman

Recently, I observed eighth graders working on a writing assignment. The prompt, “Write about a decision you made” was an uninspired one that usually failed to provoke much of a worthwhile response from struggling students. (Honestly, how many major decisions … Continue reading →

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