"Begins with an essay on the various ways to capture human complexity and then provides a series of prompts for producing an assortment of unique characters. ... This book is designed for practicing your creative writing a little bit at a time."--Page 4 of cover

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.

Daily exercises guaranteed to spark your writing! The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts gives you the inspiration and motivation you need to finish every one of your writing projects. Written by celebrated writing teacher and author Martha Alderson, this book guides you through each stage of the writing process, from constructing compelling characters to establishing an unforgettable ending. Alderson also helps you get into the habit of writing creatively every day, with brand-new imaginative prompts, such as: Create an obstacle that interferes with the protagonist's goal and describe how that scene unfolds moment-by-moment. Provide sensory details of the story world and what your main character is doing at this very moment. Scan earlier scenes for examples of the protagonist's chief character flaw and develop it. He or she will need to overcome this flaw in order to achieve his or her ultimate goal. Show an issue or situation in the main character's life that needs attention and have him or her take the first step forward toward a course of action. Filled with daily affirmations, plot advice, and writing exercises, The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts will set your projects in the right direction--and on their way to the bestseller list!

A fill-in book 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 write, 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 Perfectly sized to take to a café, on vacation, or on your morning commute, this book is designed for practicing your creative writing a little bit at a time. Special Features Paperback with textured cover stock, flaps, and a lay-flat binding Advice from a published writer, followed by fill-in prompts and space to write 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 Character begins with an essay by author and educator Constance Hale, who offer 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 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 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

Ramp up your role-playing game (RPG) and make your character your own with this fun, interactive workbook—an essential addition to any player’s gaming kit. You’ve chosen your class, bought your weapons, and rolled for your stats, and you’re now the proud owner of your own RPG (role-playing game) avatar. But before you begin your adventure, there’s so much more you can do with your character to make him or her your own! Just how evil is she? What does his dating profile look like? Where did she get that scar? What does he want for his birthday? With fill-in-the blank narratives, prompts, and fun activities to help you customize your character at the start of the game, or build out your backstory as you play, The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Book will help you fully imagine your character and bring them to life for the ultimate gaming experience!

Is your story suffering from prosaic protagonists and apathetic antagonists? You need some writing prompts to put the spark into those characters. 501 Writing Prompts to Help Bring Your Characters to Life, with Better Results than Dr. Frankenstein (Guaranteed) is bound, literally and figuratively, to give your characters meaningful inner (and outer) lives. 501 Writing Prompts to Help Bring Your Characters to Life's holistic approach to character development will inspire you through 501 (or more!) prompts, including 100 new visual prompts, many of which are in color. With ideas for your character's job (or lack thereof), idiosyncrasies, personal possessions, and appearance, you will find a new way of thinking about them. Whether you feel stuck fleshing out a character, totally blocked, or just want a new way of thinking about characters, the evocative prompts in this book are designed to let you into a character's world the way stories do: With evocative details that show you who they might be. If you never found the rigorous, outline-based "plotter" approach to writing useful, then this book is for you. Even if you did find it useful, this book is for you. This is especially true if someone has given you a copy. *Guarantee is rhetorical

"Wherever you go in New York, you walk through somebody's literary turf. . . . In Phillip Lopate's excellent anthology . . . . what really shines . . . is the journalism."--Garrison Keillor, "The New York Times Book Review."