JOIN TO ACCESS THE FULL LIBRARY OF CRAFT NOTES & PROMPTS OR ATTEND PROMPT SESSIONS.

THE BIG PICTURE

WHY WRITE?

can art save lives?

MIND MAPPING

Tinker Toys for writers

ASSESS

taking stock of what you've got

THE THREE WHYS

questions to ground you at the outset, or midway, depending on your methods

MAP A NOVEL

controlling the lay of the land in a full length text



MOTIVATION

DAILY PRACTICE

show up every day

WRITE TO THE TENSION

jump to the juicy part

JUMP START

read to write

OBLIQUE STRATEGIES

Brian Eno's tiny engines of creativity

WRITE THE END

to help you survive the middle



STRUCTURE

telling it all up front, but not really

using the shapes of natural objects, artworks and artifacts

sonnets, sonatas and other structures

bookbinding for writers

find and heighten what's already there

getting there from here



CONTEXTS

it's the most important part

allusion, homage & inspiration vs. plagiarism

using the shape or structure of natural objects, artworks and artifacts

emulate your idols

build meaning and beauty by leaning on other artworks

a life rendered in 4 sentences; a seed to engender work on any scale

how much and how to


REVISION

to start powerfully, revisit your opening

taking cues from life, and breaking them

get out of your verbal rut

see what you have without getting mired in editing

radical revising



PEERS & GROUPS

how to give feedback



SERIES: 30 PROMPTS IN 30 DAYS

Can you get to a draft, or revise a draft, or just get a great start on a book, in a month?


SERIES: RIPPLE TO OCEAN

Prompts based on the readings of the Beloved and Moby-Dick Slow Marathons.


SETTING

setting's not about surfaces, or even mood, it's about story


DEVICES

  • BLACK HOLE

tapping your darkest secrets for narrative energy


UNBLOCK

daily draws from Brian Eno's deck of cards to inspire and redirect creativity


PEERS & GROUPS

be a good citizen of a writing workshop

how to give feedback