Lit Starts

A book of writing prompts from the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, authors of the best-selling 642 Things series. Focus on a single aspect of the craft of writing with help from the San Francisco Writers' Grotto. Writing Action kicks off with a foreword by an award-winning author and journalist Bonnie Tsui, who offers pointers for creating page-turning prose. The rest of the book consists of prompts and space to think, providing opportunities to explore how both high-stakes and low-key moments can be action-packed. Among other ideas, you'll be asked to write an account of: - a highly competitive game of hopscotch - an orange being peeled as if it were the last one on earth - a car ride with an overly confident student driver - a meal prepared by a cook who is really depressed - the step-by-step process of opening a long-awaited piece of mail Take to a café, on vacation, or on your morning commute, and practice your creative writing a little bit at a time. Special Features - Advice from a published writer, followed by prompts - Part of a collection of single-subject writing prompt books by the San Francisco Writers' Grotto Check out the other books in the Lit Starts series: Writing Character, Writing Dialogue, and Writing Humor

A book of writing prompts from the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, authors of the best-selling 642 Things series. Focus on a single aspect of the craft of writing with help from the San Francisco Writers' Grotto. Writing Character begins with an essay by author and educator Constance Hale, who offers pointers for observing and capturing human complexity. The rest of the book consists of prompts and space to think, providing opportunities for you to develop your own characters. Among other ideas, you'll be asked to create: - a sketch of a famous person you admire - a portrait of someone based on the items on his desk - a positive take on someone you loathe - a description of your mother's emotions as they are expressed by her eyes - a scene involving a group of people, focusing exclusively on how they use their hands Take to a café, on vacation, or on your morning commute and practice your creative writing a little bit at a time. Special Features - Advice from a published writer, followed by prompts - Part of a collection of single-subject writing prompt books by the San Francisco Writers' Grotto Check out the other books in the Lit Starts series: Writing Action, Writing Dialogue, and Writing Humor

A book of writing prompts from the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, authors of the bestselling 642 Things series Focus on a single aspect of the craft of writing with help from the San Francisco Writers' Grotto. Writing Memoir starts with a foreword by New York Times bestselling author Julie Lythcott-Haims, who offers pointers for crafting a compelling narrative from your own experiences. The rest of the book consists of prompts and space to think, providing opportunities to reframe aspects of your life in thoughtful and interesting ways. Among other ideas, you'll be asked to write: - a virtual tour of your hometown - a description of what's in your purse or wallet right now - a list of all the lies you've told - an account of a historical event from your own lifetime, in a way that reveals something significant about yourself Take to a café, on vacation, or on your morning commute and practice your creative writing a little bit at a time. Special Features - Advice from a published writer, followed by prompts - Part of the Lit Starts series, a collection of single-subject writing prompt books by the San Francisco Writers' Grotto Check out the other books in this series: Writing Action, Writing Character, Writing Dialogue, Writing Humor, and Writing Sci-fi and Fantasy.

A book of writing prompts from the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, authors of the best-selling 642 Things series. Focus on a single aspect of the craft of writing with help from the San Francisco Writers' Grotto. Writing Humor starts with a foreword by author Chris Colin, who offers pointers for developing your own comedic style. The rest of the book consists of prompts and space to think, providing opportunities to explore your voice in various hilarious scenarios. Among other ideas, you'll be asked to write: - an account of a bachelor, from the perspective of his refrigerator - a Craigslist ad for something you are desperate to sell - a eulogy to a pair of jeans that no longer fit - an evaluation of a coworker in the form of a school report card - a list of embarrassing moments that are funny in hindsight Take to a café, on vacation, or on your morning commute and practice your creative writing a little bit at a time. Special Features - Advice from a published writer, followed by prompts - Part of a collection of single-subject writing prompt books by the San Francisco Writers' Grotto Check out the other books in the Lit Starts series: Writing Action, Writing Character, and Writing Dialogue.

A book of writing prompts from the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, authors of the best-selling 642 Things series Focus on a single aspect of the craft of writing with help from the San Francisco Writers' Grotto. Writing Sci-Fi and Fantasy starts with a foreword by author Dorothy Hearst, who offers pointers for writing speculative fiction and inventing fantastic new worlds. The rest of the book consists of prompts and space to think, providing opportunities to consider the rules that govern your imagined universe. Among other ideas, you'll explore the various aspects of world-building by: - writing a timeline of the history of your imagined place - describing what the inhabitants of your world look like - detailing transportation from city to city or planet to planet - figuring out who's in charge and whether or not they should be Take to a café, on vacation, or on your morning commute and practice your creative writing a little bit at a time. Special Features - Advice from a published writer, followed by prompts - Part of the Lit Start series, a collection of single-subject writing prompt books by the San Francisco Writers' Grotto Check out the other books in this series: Writing Action, Writing Character, Writing Dialogue, Writing Humor, and Memoir.

A book of writing prompts from the San Francisco Writers' Grotto, authors of the best-selling 642 Things series. Focus on a single aspect of the craft of writing with help from the San Francisco Writers' Grotto. Writing Dialogue begins with a foreword by author and educator Shanthi Sekaran, who offers pointers for creating believable speech in your fiction. The rest of the book consists of prompts and space to think, providing opportunities to explore how dialogue can bring your characters and plotlines to life. Among other ideas, you'll be asked to write speech for: - a pent-up confession of love - a family's reaction when dinner is ruined - a job interview in which the interviewee has all the power - a first date that is going well (and then not so well) - a toast at a dinner party, honoring someone who has wronged you Take to a café, on vacation, or on your morning commute and practice your creative writing a little bit at a time. Special Features - Advice from a published writer, followed by prompts - Part of a collection of single-subject writing prompt books by the San Francisco Writers' Grotto Check out the other books in the Lit Starts series: Writing Action, Writing Character, and Writing Humor