Don’t Write Alone: Free Write

First Comes Love, Then Comes the Subplot

For our Romance Week series, novelist Sonya Lalli offers a writing exercise on how to strengthen the romantic subplots in your work.

Feb 16, 2023
Writing the Big Reveal in Romance

For our Romance Week series, instructor and novelist Bryn Donovan shares an exercise that will help you explore internal conflict between your romance protagonists.

Feb 13, 2023
Make a Comic by Drawing the Little Things

Pick one aspect of your day to expand into a short-form comic.

Feb 08, 2023
Reimagining Language and Our Own Stories

How can we write about language in a way that feels meaningful? Try out this prompt from instructor Jenna Tang to use language as a lens through which to tell stories.

Jan 25, 2023
On Writing Into Your Fears and Anxieties

We as people, especially those of us with anxiety disorders, spend a great deal of time playing the “what if” game. We are, in a way, already playing with fiction. Why not channel our imaginations and extend our “what ifs” to the page?

Jan 18, 2023
The Uses of Tenderness

In this exercise from instructor Ariana Brown, try crafting a poem that honors the truth of what it means to be in deep relation with others, in the hope of recovering tenderness.

Jan 11, 2023
Writing Autofiction

In this writing prompt from instructor Frances Badalamenti, take something from your own life and fictionalize from there.

Translating Against Cultural Stereotypes

As creative writers, we have the right to ask our readers to focus on what the “real story” is. Try out this writing exercise from Jenna Tang to practice avoiding cultural stereotypes.

Dec 21, 2022
Generating a Poem from Nature’s Patterns

This prompt will help you reconnect with nature and explore ways to write a poem as an extension of the natural world.

Begin to Build the World of Your TV Series

The success of a show often hangs on the writer’s ability to create a compelling sense of place. Use this prompt from classes instructor Alexander Aciman to imagine possibilities for your very own TV series.

Nov 09, 2022
In an Essay, Let Us Borrow Your Eyeballs—or Anyone Else’s, Really, Even a Bird’s

Meaning is an abstract concept. It needs a container. Concrete details are those vessels, the building blocks, the foundation of a good essay.

Oct 17, 2022
Writing Ghosts and Why You Want To

Write a scene in which you’re sharing space with a ghost from your memory. It can be memoir or fiction, scary or silly, simple or complex. Just like ghosts themselves.

Oct 03, 2022
Write a “Bad” Poem

When you try to be “good” it doesn’t always work, but something fascinating happens when you try to be “bad.”

Sep 14, 2022
What’s Beyond the Horizon of Your Obsession?

Take a deep dive into your obsession with this poetry prompt from Luther Hughes.

Sep 07, 2022
Reconfigure Your Memories

We build memories from these narratives. Classes instructor Jenessa Abrams wants you to try changing your story with this two-part writing prompt.

Aug 23, 2022
The Power of “What If”

Speculative fiction is fueled by curiosity and questions. Try your hand at starting a new work (or building on something you’ve already started) with this exercise from classes instructor Tara Campbell.

Aug 08, 2022
Turning a Scene Around for a Different View

A story changes depending on who’s doing the telling. Try a different version of a scene in your short story or novel to learn about your characters.

Aug 01, 2022
Stuck in Your Own Head? Try Someone Else’s

Choose a scene you’re working on in your novel and consider what that scene might look like from the perspective of someone else in the room.

Jul 27, 2022
How to Write Personal Essays Through Who You Are

This exercise is meant to let you use a part of your identity as a perspective, rather than just a subject that you’re putting under pressure and scrutiny.

Jun 30, 2022
Write that Poem

What nuggets of life are you sharing that need poems? Write the poem about how your cat won’t leave you alone with help from this prompt by Lillian-Yvonne Bertram.