This month’s Writing Prompt is more of an Exercise, and it’s inspired by this blog post on Tinderbox, which is a homeschool blog: Assignment: Write two short descriptions of the same thing. One description should use only action verbs. The other should use only linking verbs. The blog post talks about active vs. linking verbs, […]
Dialogue is a key element to any story. It’s used to show conflict, advance the plot, expose characterization, and explore theme. Here’s an exercise that can help you improve your dialogue. Take one of your scenes and convert it into a screenplay. You can look up screenplay formats on a website such as this, but […]
Submission from a previous writing prompt: SweetSarcasm shared this take on “London Bridge” for the “Twist a Nursery Rhyme” prompt. Thanks, SweetSarcasm! This month, we’ll focus on conflict. And I don’t mean a big ol’ fight to the death between characters. This prompt is inspired by an exercise from a class on conflict I took last month. Conflict is […]
After a successful Middle Grade March, we have decided to expand the Middle Grade section of Novel Novice and are happy to announce many exciting changes coming your way, including (but not limited to): * A new panel of avid readers (between the ages of 7-14) who will routinely help us review books, interview authors, […]
Over the summer I had the (much belated) fortune of reading When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. I loved it! It’s that middle grade voice I’ve been attempting (quite unsuccessfully) to develop in my own writing. The main character, Miranda, defies the stereotype that middle grade characters lack complexity, and after reading this book, […]