Writing Prompt Challenge 2026
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Blog Collection
Writing
Essays, prompts, publishing notes, and the long tail of figuring out how to turn writing into a real practice.
Writing with the senses
Writing what you see is very common. It’s an easy way to illustrate a scene visually if you describe what the character is seeing, but settings and scenes go way beyond just seeing
How Coming to Terms with Criticism Will Make you a Better Writer
I have been editing my most recent story. It’s taking me a while since this editing has caused me to have to do some rewrites. A while back I had an editor and writer friend do a l
5 Tips for Designing Your own Book Cover
We’ve all heard the expression, “never judge a book by it’s cover.” The thing is, that most of us actually do. A well designed book can help you sell your book by showing off that
230 Replacements for the Word 'Said'
Editing my novel is a go. I got my novella back from my beta reader and one of the things she noted, was I keep using the words “said” and “replied” when describing who is speaking
5 Tips to Get You Editing
I’ve finally wrapped up the rough draft of my NaNoWriMo Novel. I’d really like to eventually publish is, but right now, my book is – crap. If you are like me, you wrote quickly jus
Wandering Minds
In one of my many procrastinating moments, I discovered this video:
7 Notes of Inspiration
I’ve taken an impromptu break from writing my blog as I have been focusing on freelancing and work, because money. I like money. It allows me to buy things like food and gas. That
5 Cliche Plot Devices and How to Avoid Them
There are only seven original plots out there, so let’s be honest, my work and your work aren’t that original. That shouldn’t stop us from writing and doing our best to think outsi
Who now? 5 Helpful Tips for Writing Characters
Characters are one of the most important parts of the story. Therefore, it is important to take your time in developing the character.
How Long Should Your Story be? A Short Guide to Story Lengths
How long should you story be? You’ll get different results depending on who you ask, but a good general rule to follow is this: don’t let word count harm or hinder your story. Your
He or she vs They and it. How to use pronouns.
In editing my newest story, I’ve come across a problem with pronouns. Pronouns are those pesky “he,” “she,” “they,” or “it” words that allow us to talk about someone previously int
How to Build a Fantasy World With Magic
Not every fantasy novel has to have magic to be fantasy, but a majority of fantasy stories have some form of magic involved. Magic, when used properly, can be a great device for ma
Action 5 tips to help you write a fight scene
I try to write a little bit of everything in my stories. I want action, I want thought. Writing a fight scene, however, is completely different from writing dialogue.
Technical Writing vs Fiction Writing. 3 Simple Tricks for Technical Writers
I have been really bad about posting these past few weeks and it’s because I’m writing a technical manual. I have been trying to get some technical writing freelance jobs for a whi
Dash vs Ellipsis
In the last grammar post, I talked about the different dashes – or at least the hyphen, en dash, and em dash. You may have noticed that some uses for the dash overlap with the elli
Writing Prompt: Somewhere Beyond the Sea
Hey guys! Here is a new writing prompt.
How to Use Hyphens, En Dashes, and Em Dashes, Oh My!
Different types of dashes have different uses. We can connect words or syllables, create a pause, or even show a continuation. Here are the different dashes and how to use them.
How to use colons and semicolons
In the past, I’ve discussed the grammar of quotation marks and dialogue. Now I’m going to discuss semicolons and colons.
Writing Prompt: A Door to Where?
I haven't done a writing prompt in a while, but I figure now's as good a time as any.
"The Key" got an ISBN!
My first story finally got an ISBN. For those of you who don't know what an ISBN is, [check it out here](http://allisonbetancourt.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-isbns/). The
How to Kick Writer's Block
We all get it at some point. We get stuck and we don't really know where or what the next step is. It's annoying and frustrating and many people stop writing completely when they g
The Rules and Grammar of Dialogue
A while back, I wrote a post on the grammar of [quotation marks](/writing/2013-01-25-grammar-and-quotation-marks). Now, I'm going to go over how to use those quotation marks in dia
Writing Prompt: A Story of Intrigue and Masks
Masks are worn for a number of reasons. They can be worn for protection, disguise, entertainment, or for a performance. Many different cultures have incorporated masks from carniva
How to Write a Great Author Bio
This is where you get to tell the world about yourself! Author bios are great for publishers and for indie-authors alike. Having an author bio will inform readers about who you are
Writing Prompt: Ghost Train Express
Again, I found a picture of an abandoned place for this week's writing prompt. I'm addicted to looking at photos of these places. There is a lot of wonder in them for me. Why were
How to Write a Good Book Description
"Don't judge a book by it's cover!" That's what we're told, but people do it anyway. Most readers will not only judge the cover, but read the book description to find out what type
"The Key" now available on Smashwords!
The Kindle Select contract is up, so now my book is available on [Smashwords](https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/308064){:target="_blank"}. There you can buy the book in a varie
Writing Prompt: The Forgotten Castle
This week's writing prompt is an original of mine. One thing you'll learn about me is how much I like looking at photos of abandoned places. Why were these places abandoned? Who ha
Writing Prompt: Underwater Tea Party
Tips for Self-Editing
You've written your book, now what? Now you edit. Editing is often the part of publishing that most people dread. Writing is often easy in comparison.
Writing Prompt: Emotions in a bottle
Practice makes perfect. Lots and lots of practice. This certainly holds true for writing too. Writers need to constantly work on scenes or short stories to practice their writing.
Writing Multiple Stories at Once. Writing A.D.D.
Are you writing multiple stories at once? Then join the club. I am currently in the middle of four stories right now and I'm weighing my options on whether this is a good thing or
Why You Should Use the Oxford Comma
The Oxford comma (aka the Harvard or serial comma) is a comma put in the list right before the "and" or "or" that connects the last item in the list. For example you could write a
Publishing Woes: Amazon and the Disappearing Reviews
It's happened to me twice now. Amazon has removed two of my reviews. The first review that was removed I wasn't happy about, but I felt it was sort of fair. I did not prompt him, b
Grammar and Quotation Marks
When writing fiction, the use of dialogue is necessary for character speech. To help us signify that a person is talking, we use quotation marks. Dialogue can get complicated, howe
Ebooks: Old School vs New School
The change in technology has added many pros and cons to the way the publishing industry works. Now you can buy a book anywhere and just start reading. Now you can publish yourself
"The Key" is now available in the Kindle Store
Hey, everyone!
Lessons in Self-Publishing
I have been an aspiring writer for quite some time. My mom always encouraged me to write, she's an aspiring writer herself. I have written many projects, but I wrote my short story
First Book Completed: "The Key"
Hello, everyone!