What is Word Bank Wednesday ?

(in case you missed this the first week.)

As writers we know that finding the right words to use in any moment is the thing we lose sleep over. The word is often dangling at the tip of our tongue, or imagination, a step or two out of reach exactly at the time we need it. We have various exercises and practices we do in order to get better at reaching for those words: we write more, we rewrite, we read, we listen, we explore reference materials and research, the list goes on. Word Bank Wednesday is simply one more thing to add to that list. We are going to play with word capture on a weekly basis and start making our own Word Banks to use in all of our writing projects.

Each week I am going to ask you to spend TWO MINUTES creating your own word bank. Each week I am going to present you with a prompt, you are going to set a timer, and, using a paper and a pen (preferably, but no one is watching, so don’t let this rule be the thing that stops you!) you are going to jot down as many words as you can in response to that prompt. If you so desire, your work can be done there. The act of scrambling to gather the words for your word bank is exercise enough. You can keep these collections for projects and prompts of your own choosing, OR…

In addition to the word bank prompt, I will add a potential prompt for you to work on with your newly collected words. It will be completely up to you if you want to spend more time with your words, or if you want to save them for later (I have an A4 notebook with lined and blank pages that is my current word bank notebook).

Let’s get started!

Word Bank Wednesday

Word Bank Prompt

TOOLS:

2 Minute Timer, Pen/pencil, notebook/paper

Step 1:

Set a timer for 2 minutes

Step 2:

Grab the book closest to you. In your notebook, write words “stolen” from its pages.

Share

An Example

It should come as of no surprise to regular visitors of this Substack that the book right next to me is three six five by Lucy Ives. Ipicked it up, opened to random page and started writing. About a minute into my timer, I opened to another random page and wrote more words. Here’s what I came up with:

The word bank I created is as follows:

their historical

three younger the

right shared exercise

vignette write caption

external without

on students story

informed left-handed

coincidence regret child

for chronology

library photo includes

generate new ask familiar

new something

entirely meanwhile maybe

Now…

What Can We Do With These Words?

You’ve got some words, if you are crushed for time, you can close your book, move on and come back next week. But, if you are looking for more, here are some ideas for how you can continue to play.

Note: The following prompts may be used individually or together, depending on your needs, desires, and writing availability today.

Potential Prompt 1: Follow the Flow

Each week I do these word banks, take a picture and then I type the words out for you if you can’t read the picture. When I translate the picture into type I decide on the way I see the words flowing on the page (usually as close as I can get to going from left to right, from top to bottom). For this prompt I would like you to do the same with your words. If you wrote your words in neat columns and lines, then this is a simple task if they are scattered all around the page, you might want to grab a pencil and sketch a line from one word to the next that you can follow like a word path.

Your prompt:

• Decide on your word bank’s flow (see above).

• Write a story (or poem) that includes all the words in your word bank IN ORDER from first to last based on the flow you created.

Potential Prompt(s) 2: Figurative Language Fitness

Whether writing poetry or prose, well-placed, well-crafted figurative language can take your common words to the next level and leave your readers sighing in admiration of the new lenses you are gifting them to see our world through.

The prompt here is simple.

Use the words in your word bank to create

• a metaphor

• a simile

• a line/sentence of hyperbole

• personify the things in your word bank

• a line/sentence using allusion

You may choose to apply one of these prompts to all of your words (for example, perhaps you are interested in only metaphor muscle building today), or trying all five. Maybe you can pick one bullet point each week. It’s up to you. No pressure! Which reminds me: go ahead and be silly, ridiculous, outrageous and push all of the boundaries with your figurative language. Allowing yourself to really stretch beyond what you normally allow in your day to day writing is part of what this practice is for.

Potential Prompt 3: Use the words in a _____

Step 1: Fill in the blank.

• Poets, you will use the words in a poem.

• Prose writers, you will use the words in a story.

Step 2: The topic for your ______ is: WATER

That is all. Now, GO WRITE!

Questions, Comments And/Or Reactions

Which book did you use this week? Is there another book you want to do this with? Let us know in the comments?

Leave a comment

I will see you again next week.

Happy Writing!

*note about bookshop.org links: I am an affiliate for bookshop.org, which means I will receive a small percentage compensation of any purchase you make on their site using any of the affiliate links I share. This commission is at no additional cost to you.

If you are interested in seeing a collection of many of the books and items I have discussed in Stop Writing Alone over the years, please check out the Stop Writing Alone Bookshop Powered by Bookshop.org.

WRITE, READ, and RESTACK!

1. WRITE and share your story based on the August Prompt:

2. READ the other stories shared in the thread, and

3. RESTACK the stories you read in Substack Notes to expand the discoverability of all the participants in this prompt party! (One of my fav ways to do this is by highlighting a favorite sentence and restacking with that. More about restacking here.)

The rules:

• Your fiction MUST be written to the prompt in the previous post.

• Your fiction must not exceed 1,000 words.

• We will only read Substack or view-only Google Doc links, in other words…

• This thread is for LINKS ONLY*

• Post by 11:59 Eastern time Monday, August 31, 2026 (the day before our next prompt party, since April was interrupted by Spring Break!)

What happens next:

• You read the stories shared in this thread and share them (New to restacking? See this article.)

• We read the stories in this thread an share them

• The other participants read the stories in this thread and share them

• All participants enjoy expanded exposure for their story and fiction Substack pages!

*Note: Please use this thread for links and likes only—share your comments with the writers on their Substack page OR in your Note when you restack them!

What is Word Bank Wednesday ?

(in case you missed this the first week.)

As writers we know that finding the right words to use in any moment is the thing we lose sleep over. The word is often dangling at the tip of our tongue, or imagination, a step or two out of reach exactly at the time we need it. We have various exercises and practices we do in order to get better at reaching for those words: we write more, we rewrite, we read, we listen, we explore reference materials and research, the list goes on. Word Bank Wednesday is simply one more thing to add to that list. We are going to play with word capture on a weekly basis and start making our own Word Banks to use in all of our writing projects.

Each week I am going to ask you to spend TWO MINUTES creating your own word bank. Each week I am going to present you with a prompt, you are going to set a timer, and, using a paper and a pen (preferably, but no one is watching, so don’t let this rule be the thing that stops you!) you are going to jot down as many words as you can in response to that prompt. If you so desire, your work can be done there. The act of scrambling to gather the words for your word bank is exercise enough. You can keep these collections for projects and prompts of your own choosing, OR…

In addition to the word bank prompt, I will add a potential prompt for you to work on with your newly collected words. It will be completely up to you if you want to spend more time with your words, or if you want to save them for later (I have an A4 notebook with lined and blank pages that is my current word bank notebook).

Let’s get started!

Word Bank Wednesday

Word Bank Prompt

TOOLS:

2 Minute Timer, Pen/pencil, notebook/paper

Step 1:

Set a timer for 2 minutes

Step 2:

In your notebook, write down words (or names) that begin with the letter G.

Share

An Example

Whoa. I didn’t expect the letter G to have such a varied hold in my brain. This will be a fun word bank to work with! Here’s what I got:

The word bank I created is as follows:

garrulous girl giant Grover

giraffe Gail giggle goose

glade goofy gumball

gigantic gold glacier gig

grandparents golden

great guffaw

gigawatts glisten gutted

gaudy glitter gala

galore gallon grandpa

gobble grandiose gook

Now…

What Can We Do With These Words?

You’ve got some words, if you are crushed for time, you can close your book, move on and come back next week. But, if you are looking for more, here are some ideas for how you can continue to play.

Note: The following prompts may be used individually or together, depending on your needs, desires, and writing availability today.

Potential Prompt 1: Follow the Flow

Each week I do these word banks, take a picture and then I type the words out for you if you can’t read the picture. When I translate the picture into type I decide on the way I see the words flowing on the page (usually as close as I can get to going from left to right, from top to bottom). For this prompt I would like you to do the same with your words. If you wrote your words in neat columns and lines, then this is a simple task if they are scattered all around the page, you might want to grab a pencil and sketch a line from one word to the next that you can follow like a word path.

Your prompt:

• Decide on your word bank’s flow (see above).

• Write a story (or poem) that includes all the words in your word bank IN ORDER from first to last based on the flow you created.

Potential Prompt(s) 2: Figurative Language Fitness

Whether writing poetry or prose, well-placed, well-crafted figurative language can take your common words to the next level and leave your readers sighing in admiration of the new lenses you are gifting them to see our world through.

The prompt here is simple.

Use the words in your word bank to create

• a metaphor

• a simile

• a line/sentence of hyperbole

• personify the things in your word bank

• a line/sentence using allusion

You may choose to apply one of these prompts to all of your words (for example, perhaps you are interested in only metaphor muscle building today), or trying all five. Maybe you can pick one bullet point each week. It’s up to you. No pressure! Which reminds me: go ahead and be silly, ridiculous, outrageous and push all of the boundaries with your figurative language. Allowing yourself to really stretch beyond what you normally allow in your day to day writing is part of what this practice is for.

Potential Prompt 3: Use the words in a _____

Step 1: Fill in the blank.

• Poets, you will use the words in a poem.

• Prose writers, you will use the words in a story.

Step 2: The topic for your ______ is: SCREAM

That is all. Now, GO WRITE!

Questions, Comments And/Or Reactions

A letter or sound themed word bank lends itself to alliterative writing. Are you a fan of repeated sounds in your poetry or prose? Let us know.

Leave a comment

I will see you again next week.

Happy Writing!

*note about bookshop.org links: I am an affiliate for bookshop.org, which means I will receive a small percentage compensation of any purchase you make on their site using any of the affiliate links I share. This commission is at no additional cost to you.

If you are interested in seeing a collection of many of the books and items I have discussed in Stop Writing Alone over the years, please check out the Stop Writing Alone Bookshop Powered by Bookshop.org.

We had our LIVE Writing Prompt Party last night. That was step one to our month long Writing Prompt Party adventure. If you are new to this whole thing, this is our monthly pattern:

1. A live Writing Prompt Party OPEN TO ALL WRITERS (DONE!)

2. A prompt post sharing the writing prompt with the entire community (THIS post!)

3. A thread post where you can share what you wrote based on the prompt for the community to read and share your fiction! (Next Thursday!)

Those of you who attended the party do not need this, but for everyone else, here is the prompt we selected this month!

Your Writing Prompt for August 2026

This month’s prompt came from a new favorite, three six five by Lucy Ives.

As the title implies, this book includes 365 “prompts,” and while I find all of them pretty intriguing in terms of cracking open my creativity, not all lead directly to story. However, when I was running into last night’s meeting, I grabbed the book, opened to the prompt I was up to and saw that it was one that fit the bill. Based on the current projects two of the Writing Prompt Party regulars are involved in, I thought this particular prompt might be of particular interest, so I decided to offer it up to the live group before moving on to another tool. The group liked it, so it is what we went with. Here it is:

Your Prompt/Exercise

Write a fiction that masquerades as a historical document or that is written as a historian. Whether it speaks of history, as such, may be another question.

Everyone in the group, without extra prompting, opted to write historical documents within our own novel universes. It was a lot of fun, so if you have a project that this lends itself to, you may want to try it!

The Page

While the book does not have page numbers, the prompts are numbered. This month’s prompt was no.24, called “usable past, part one.” This what it looked like:

Our “Rules”

Our major goal is to get you writing, so, in the big-picture sense of things there are no real “rules” for how you use this prompt, however, for participation in next week’s story sharing thread, there will be guidelines in the hopes that it aids participants in not only writing each month, but also being able to read and share as many stories as possible.

If you wish to share your story next week in the thread:

1. We are looking for fresh flash fiction! In other words, the story must be written from this prompt. Of course, creativity wins the day and if all aspects of the prompt are not adhered to that is fine, but if you are just sharing stories you’ve written in the past that clearly have no connection to this prompt, you are missing the point of us WRITING TOGETHER!

2. 1,000 words or less, please! I have high hopes to read through all stories in the thread and hope our community members do as well. Keeping our stories on the short side definitely makes this a more reasonable ask.

3. Share links, not stories! Do not copy and paste your story into the comments section. You may share a link to your fiction Substack page, or a read-only Google Doc of your story.

4. Don’t stress this. This is not a competition in any sense of the word, this is an opportunity to come together around a prompt and celebrate all of our creative minds and processes together. While I know there is no way for me to liberate you from any of the fears that may naturally come from sharing your fiction publicly, please know that this is not a forum for judgement, but for celebration. This is a PARTY and I am looking for cheerleaders all around. Critique is for another day, and a completely different forum.

If you have any comments or questions about this, please feel free to let me know in the comments section.

Leave a comment

Subscribe & Share

If you want to make sure you don’t miss a beat with these monthly prompt parties, make sure you are subscribed to Stop Writing Alone.

Subscribe now

And, if you know of another writer who would love to participate, please make sure you share this post with them so they can do the same!

Share

Now… GO WRITE!

With all that said and done, LET’S WRITE TOGETHER! I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Check your inbox next Thursday for the thread post where you can share it with us!

HAPPY WRITING!

*note about bookshop.org links: I am an affiliate for bookshop.org, which means I will receive a small percentage compensation of any purchase you make on their site using any of the affiliate links I share. This commission is at no additional cost to you.

If you are interested in seeing a collection of many of the books and items I have discussed in Stop Writing Alone over the years, please check out the Stop Writing Alone Bookshop Powered by Bookshop.org.

What is Word Bank Wednesday ?

(in case you missed this the first week.)

As writers we know that finding the right words to use in any moment is the thing we lose sleep over. The word is often dangling at the tip of our tongue, or imagination, a step or two out of reach exactly at the time we need it. We have various exercises and practices we do in order to get better at reaching for those words: we write more, we rewrite, we read, we listen, we explore reference materials and research, the list goes on. Word Bank Wednesday is simply one more thing to add to that list. We are going to play with word capture on a weekly basis and start making our own Word Banks to use in all of our writing projects.

Each week I am going to ask you to spend TWO MINUTES creating your own word bank. Each week I am going to present you with a prompt, you are going to set a timer, and, using a paper and a pen (preferably, but no one is watching, so don’t let this rule be the thing that stops you!) you are going to jot down as many words as you can in response to that prompt. If you so desire, your work can be done there. The act of scrambling to gather the words for your word bank is exercise enough. You can keep these collections for projects and prompts of your own choosing, OR…

In addition to the word bank prompt, I will add a potential prompt for you to work on with your newly collected words. It will be completely up to you if you want to spend more time with your words, or if you want to save them for later (I have an A4 notebook with lined and blank pages that is my current word bank notebook).

Let’s get started!

Word Bank Wednesday

Word Bank Prompt

TOOLS:

2 Minute Timer, Pen/pencil, notebook/paper

Step 1:

Set a timer for 2 minutes

Step 2:

Look to your left. In your notebook, write down the names of things you SEE.

Share

An Example

One of those moments when I looked left anf thought, Oh… perhaps I should have tidied up a bit before doing this one. Alas, there is often inspiration in the mess (and, honestly, that goodness for that with me!). Here’s just a bit of what assaulted my senses when I decided to look left this morning:

The word bank I created is as follows:

at towels writer on

blue batteries Spiderman

door field guide red

the microphone hanger work

polaroid air black bronze

your enclosed A portraits

reading switch atlantic

QR code hook October

bucket hole words magazines

Now…

What Can We Do With These Words?

You’ve got some words, if you are crushed for time, you can close your book, move on and come back next week. But, if you are looking for more, here are some ideas for how you can continue to play.

Note: The following prompts may be used individually or together, depending on your needs, desires, and writing availability today.

Potential Prompt 1: Follow the Flow

Each week I do these word banks, take a picture and then I type the words out for you if you can’t read the picture. When I translate the picture into type I decide on the way I see the words flowing on the page (usually as close as I can get to going from left to right, from top to bottom). For this prompt I would like you to do the same with your words. If you wrote your words in neat columns and lines, then this is a simple task if they are scattered all around the page, you might want to grab a pencil and sketch a line from one word to the next that you can follow like a word path.

Your prompt:

• Decide on your word bank’s flow (see above).

• Write a story (or poem) that includes all the words in your word bank IN ORDER from first to last based on the flow you created.

Potential Prompt(s) 2: Figurative Language Fitness

Whether writing poetry or prose, well-placed, well-crafted figurative language can take your common words to the next level and leave your readers sighing in admiration of the new lenses you are gifting them to see our world through.

The prompt here is simple.

Use the words in your word bank to create

• a metaphor

• a simile

• a line/sentence of hyperbole

• personify the things in your word bank

• a line/sentence using allusion

You may choose to apply one of these prompts to all of your words (for example, perhaps you are interested in only metaphor muscle building today), or trying all five. Maybe you can pick one bullet point each week. It’s up to you. No pressure! Which reminds me: go ahead and be silly, ridiculous, outrageous and push all of the boundaries with your figurative language. Allowing yourself to really stretch beyond what you normally allow in your day to day writing is part of what this practice is for.

Potential Prompt 3: Use the words in a _____

Step 1: Fill in the blank.

• Poets, you will use the words in a poem.

• Prose writers, you will use the words in a story.

Step 2: The topic for your ______ is: DROUGHT

That is all. Now, GO WRITE!

Questions, Comments And/Or Reactions

This week “LEFT” has been a bit of a theme. One of our regular Stop Writing Alone participants, , just got his drabble (100 word story), SOUTHPAW, published in this month’s 100 Word Project through Manawaker Studio (go read it here, it’s great, we got a sneak peek in last month’s Open Mic). The prompt was “LEFT.” I got the email this week! Then this week’s Word Bank Wednesday prompt (which I created months ago) is the one where I asked us all to “look LEFT” — strange synchronicity? Just a coincidence? Where do you fall when it comes to things like this? Let us know in the comments!

Leave a comment

I will see you again next week.

Happy Writing!

*note about bookshop.org links: I am an affiliate for bookshop.org, which means I will receive a small percentage compensation of any purchase you make on their site using any of the affiliate links I share. This commission is at no additional cost to you.

If you are interested in seeing a collection of many of the books and items I have discussed in Stop Writing Alone over the years, please check out the Stop Writing Alone Bookshop Powered by Bookshop.org.

What is Word Bank Wednesday ?

(in case you missed this the first week.)

As writers we know that finding the right words to use in any moment is the thing we lose sleep over. The word is often dangling at the tip of our tongue, or imagination, a step or two out of reach exactly at the time we need it. We have various exercises and practices we do in order to get better at reaching for those words: we write more, we rewrite, we read, we listen, we explore reference materials and research, the list goes on. Word Bank Wednesday is simply one more thing to add to that list. We are going to play with word capture on a weekly basis and start making our own Word Banks to use in all of our writing projects.

Each week I am going to ask you to spend TWO MINUTES creating your own word bank. Each week I am going to present you with a prompt, you are going to set a timer, and, using a paper and a pen (preferably, but no one is watching, so don’t let this rule be the thing that stops you!) you are going to jot down as many words as you can in response to that prompt. If you so desire, your work can be done there. The act of scrambling to gather the words for your word bank is exercise enough. You can keep these collections for projects and prompts of your own choosing, OR…

In addition to the word bank prompt, I will add a potential prompt for you to work on with your newly collected words. It will be completely up to you if you want to spend more time with your words, or if you want to save them for later (I have an A4 notebook with lined and blank pages that is my current word bank notebook).

Let’s get started!

Word Bank Wednesday

Word Bank Prompt

TOOLS:

2 Minute Timer, Pen/pencil, notebook/paper

Step 1:

Set a timer for 2 minutes

Step 2:

In your notebook, write down words you associate with today’s date.

Share

An Example

I’m surprised by how much I struggled with this word bank. As a former math teacher, my inner number geek usually has a litany of associations with any given date (I have a tendency to invent holidays such as “consecutive integer days” or “square number days” or… you get the idea), but I was drawing all kinds of blanks on this one.

They all can’t be winners.

…or maybe they can! Don’t count out any word banks. This one may still turn into a wonderful story or poem. Only time will tell.

The word bank I created is as follows:

thirteen birthdays august anniversary

doctor five humid eight autumn

summer appointment heat dinner

Now…

What Can We Do With These Words?

You’ve got some words, if you are crushed for time, you can close your book, move on and come back next week. But, if you are looking for more, here are some ideas for how you can continue to play.

Note: The following prompts may be used individually or together, depending on your needs, desires, and writing availability today.

Potential Prompt 1: Follow the Flow

Each week I do these word banks, take a picture and then I type the words out for you if you can’t read the picture. When I translate the picture into type I decide on the way I see the words flowing on the page (usually as close as I can get to going from left to right, from top to bottom). For this prompt I would like you to do the same with your words. If you wrote your words in neat columns and lines, then this is a simple task if they are scattered all around the page, you might want to grab a pencil and sketch a line from one word to the next that you can follow like a word path.

Your prompt:

• Decide on your word bank’s flow (see above).

• Write a story (or poem) that includes all the words in your word bank IN ORDER from first to last based on the flow you created.

Potential Prompt(s) 2: Figurative Language Fitness

Whether writing poetry or prose, well-placed, well-crafted figurative language can take your common words to the next level and leave your readers sighing in admiration of the new lenses you are gifting them to see our world through.

The prompt here is simple.

Use the words in your word bank to create

• a metaphor

• a simile

• a line/sentence of hyperbole

• personify the things in your word bank

• a line/sentence using allusion

You may choose to apply one of these prompts to all of your words (for example, perhaps you are interested in only metaphor muscle building today), or trying all five. Maybe you can pick one bullet point each week. It’s up to you. No pressure! Which reminds me: go ahead and be silly, ridiculous, outrageous and push all of the boundaries with your figurative language. Allowing yourself to really stretch beyond what you normally allow in your day to day writing is part of what this practice is for.

Potential Prompt 3: Use the words in a _____

Step 1: Fill in the blank.

• Poets, you will use the words in a poem.

• Prose writers, you will use the words in a story.

Step 2: The topic for your ______ is: WAR

That is all. Now, GO WRITE!

Questions, Comments And/Or Reactions

Do dates carry extra meanings for you, or are they all already so packed full of obligations that’s all you can think of?

Leave a comment

I will see you again next week.

Happy Writing!

*note about bookshop.org links: I am an affiliate for bookshop.org, which means I will receive a small percentage compensation of any purchase you make on their site using any of the affiliate links I share. This commission is at no additional cost to you.

If you are interested in seeing a collection of many of the books and items I have discussed in Stop Writing Alone over the years, please check out the Stop Writing Alone Bookshop Powered by Bookshop.org.

This month we have a bunch of Write-ins (scheduled “butt in chair” time with fellow writers cheering you on!), Story Club (lessons learned from the storytellers before us), a Writing Prompt Party (basically a writing improv session — come with your “yes… and…” attitude), and our monthly Open Mic. Here’s a little bit more of what you can expect from each, followed byt eh dates, times, and links you need to take advantage of them all!

• Write-ins: Live Zoom calls where we set timers to stay focused on our writing in between chats that range from casual talk about the varying weather outside the writing rooms of our participants to the serious conversations where we troubleshoot our passion projects with fellow writers. This month there are Write-ins on two Tuesdays (FREE!), all Wednesdays, and two Fridays — check the schedule to see which ones you can make it to!

• Story Club: Live Zoom book club for writers. Each month we discuss the reading of 27 Essential Principles of Story by Daniel Joshua Rubin and the story of the month. This July we will ) be discussing Lesson 4 in the Rubin book which focused on a lesson learned from South Park.

• Writing Prompt Party: Live Zoom Call where a writing prompt is shared and a timer is set. Participants are challenged to write the draft of a short story based on the prompt. When the timer ends, we then read our drafts aloud to each other.

• OPEN MIC: Our monthly Open Mic has been transforming into a fun feedback session for the regulars who have been attending. Rather than simply read aloud for applause of fellow attendees, we started reading for feedback. Come join us and decide which is right for you, all is welcome as we write together, learn together, and grow together this month!

If you are a paid subscriber and have access to the Stop Writing Alone Google Calendar (paid subscribers can Direct Message me with the email address they want to connect to the calendar), I’ve been populating the calendar from the road.

Here’s what we have coming up this August:

Subscribe now

August 2026 Calendar [PDF]

Here is a pdf copy of this month’s Google calendar schedule of events in case you want to print it:

Stop Writing Alone Calendar Of Events Aug 2026

27.6KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

What Are The “Open to All Writers” Events This Month?

This month there are EIGHT MEETINGS open to all writers:

• The 2Hour Type & Talk Write-in at 10:00am (Eastern time) on

  • Tuesday, August 11th

  • Tuesday, August 18th

• The August Writing Prompt Party being held on Thursday, August 13th at 6pm Eastern

These are great meetings to join to get a taste of what its like to be a part of an online writing community. One is designed to inspire you to create something new in a fun, judgement-free space (WRITING PROMPT PARTY!), and the other gives you a chance to commiserate with other writers while also devoting some time to your current work in progress (TYPE & TALK TUESDAYS!)!

I’m hoping once you join us and see how valuable these experiences are for yourself, you will understand why joining the paid subscription is worth your while.

If you are not yet a paid subscriber, the investment is either $15/month, or $150/year (that gives you two months for free!). Here are some of the reasons why I think you should make this investment today:

Why Join?

With a VIP membership, you can:

• have the conversations surrounding your writing life with people who understand your struggles and are ready to celebrate your successes (in other words: grow your circle of WRITER friends!)

• stretch your writing muscles with fun, non-judgemental writing exercises designed to help you find new ways into your fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction (translation:write more cool stuff!)

• engage in book clubs designed with writers in mind through our Story Club and Practicing Poets club,

• design new ways to find accountability for your writing practice based on your current needs (get to WORK ON YOUR WRITING!)

• Access to a Google Calendar with all the events and Zoom links included

So what are you waiting for?

Subscribe now

«««LINK TIME!!»»»

Link and Information for the Open to All Writers Events

Nicole Rivera is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Stop Writing Alone FREE Events

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86305096307?pwd=uspkTRkDklJPPaRa0wubEGkMO9shH2.1

Meeting ID: 863 0509 6307

Passcode: FREEAug26

The Links and Information for the Paid Events

VIPs you can get your link below:

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What is Word Bank Wednesday ?

(in case you missed this the first week.)

As writers we know that finding the right words to use in any moment is the thing we lose sleep over. The word is often dangling at the tip of our tongue, or imagination, a step or two out of reach exactly at the time we need it. We have various exercises and practices we do in order to get better at reaching for those words: we write more, we rewrite, we read, we listen, we explore reference materials and research, the list goes on. Word Bank Wednesday is simply one more thing to add to that list. We are going to play with word capture on a weekly basis and start making our own Word Banks to use in all of our writing projects.

Each week I am going to ask you to spend TWO MINUTES creating your own word bank. Each week I am going to present you with a prompt, you are going to set a timer, and, using a paper and a pen (preferably, but no one is watching, so don’t let this rule be the thing that stops you!) you are going to jot down as many words as you can in response to that prompt. If you so desire, your work can be done there. The act of scrambling to gather the words for your word bank is exercise enough. You can keep these collections for projects and prompts of your own choosing, OR…

In addition to the word bank prompt, I will add a potential prompt for you to work on with your newly collected words. It will be completely up to you if you want to spend more time with your words, or if you want to save them for later (I have an A4 notebook with lined and blank pages that is my current word bank notebook).

Let’s get started!

Word Bank Wednesday

Word Bank Prompt

TOOLS:

2 Minute Timer, Pen/pencil, notebook/paper

Step 1:

Set a timer for 2 minutes

Step 2:

Picture your 8 your old self. In your notebook, write down words inspired by that image.

Share

An Example

I guess I can’t shake that World Cup fever as the first picture in mind of my eight year old self was me in my soccer uniform! I hopped from there, but thismade for an interesting gathering of words.

The word bank I created is as follows:

white mud green disney

shinguard bowl cleats

tan soccer gold sweaty

goalie daddy fun

adventurous

mouse mickey prayer

communion church

bus yellow bellow

note hookie secret

weep scared

Now…

What Can We Do With These Words?

You’ve got some words, if you are crushed for time, you can close your book, move on and come back next week. But, if you are looking for more, here are some ideas for how you can continue to play.

Note: The following prompts may be used individually or together, depending on your needs, desires, and writing availability today.

Potential Prompt 1: Follow the Flow

Each week I do these word banks, take a picture and then I type the words out for you if you can’t read the picture. When I translate the picture into type I decide on the way I see the words flowing on the page (usually as close as I can get to going from left to right, from top to bottom). For this prompt I would like you to do the same with your words. If you wrote your words in neat columns and lines, then this is a simple task if they are scattered all around the page, you might want to grab a pencil and sketch a line from one word to the next that you can follow like a word path.

Your prompt:

• Decide on your word bank’s flow (see above).

• Write a story (or poem) that includes all the words in your word bank IN ORDER from first to last based on the flow you created.

Potential Prompt(s) 2: Figurative Language Fitness

Whether writing poetry or prose, well-placed, well-crafted figurative language can take your common words to the next level and leave your readers sighing in admiration of the new lenses you are gifting them to see our world through.

The prompt here is simple.

Use the words in your word bank to create

• a metaphor

• a simile

• a line/sentence of hyperbole

• personify the things in your word bank

• a line/sentence using allusion

You may choose to apply one of these prompts to all of your words (for example, perhaps you are interested in only metaphor muscle building today), or trying all five. Maybe you can pick one bullet point each week. It’s up to you. No pressure! Which reminds me: go ahead and be silly, ridiculous, outrageous and push all of the boundaries with your figurative language. Allowing yourself to really stretch beyond what you normally allow in your day to day writing is part of what this practice is for.

Potential Prompt 3: Use the words in a _____

Step 1: Fill in the blank.

• Poets, you will use the words in a poem.

• Prose writers, you will use the words in a story.

Step 2: The topic for your ______ is: SILENCE

That is all. Now, GO WRITE!

Questions, Comments And/Or Reactions

Do you have vivid images of your eight year old self, or does another age come to mind? Is there another age you’d like to make a word bank for — a past or future self? Which age would it be and what’s the draw?

Leave a comment

I will see you again next week.

Happy Writing!

*note about bookshop.org links: I am an affiliate for bookshop.org, which means I will receive a small percentage compensation of any purchase you make on their site using any of the affiliate links I share. This commission is at no additional cost to you.

If you are interested in seeing a collection of many of the books and items I have discussed in Stop Writing Alone over the years, please check out the Stop Writing Alone Bookshop Powered by Bookshop.org.

We had our LIVE Writing Prompt Party last night. That was step one to our month long Writing Prompt Party adventure. If you are new to this whole thing, this is our monthly pattern:

1. A live Writing Prompt Party OPEN TO ALL WRITERS (DONE!)

2. A prompt post sharing the writing prompt with the entire community (THIS post!)

3. A thread post where you can share what you wrote based on the prompt for the community to read and share your fiction! (Next Thursday!)

Those of you who attended the party do not need this, but for everyone else, here is the prompt we selected this month!

Your Writing Prompt for July 2026

This month’s prompt was inspired by the epic everyone’s talking about: Homer’s The Odyssey.

I’ve been especially tuned into this tale since my husband (high school English teacher) was teaching The Odyssey this semester. As a result every Odyssey item in Barnes & Noble catches my eye, so on the afternoon before our July Writing Prompt Party I found myself flipping through a special Odyssey issue of LIFE magazine when I saw an article called Homer’s Monsters, Gods, and Mortals.

I saw that and thought, Can that be our prompt tonight? A god, a monster, and a mortal… what could we do with that? I decided I’d present it to the group to see what they thought.

Before the meeting I found a random god generator and a random monster generator. During the meeting we decided we would also need something to prompt us into the *what’s happening* to these characters, so I pulled out my ever-faithful prompt tool of The Storymatic classic to determine our mortal and our story element.

Putting that all together, here’s what we came up with for this month’s epic prompt.

Your Prompt/Exercise

Select at least one of these GODS

CHAOS LAKSHMI *GOD OF YOUR OWN CREATION

Select at least one of these MONSTERS

THUNDERBIRD DJINN *MONSTER OF YOUR OWN CREATION

Include these characteristics for your MORTAL

DEAF SHOPLIFTER

Write a story about a long awaited invitation.

*we did not use the “own creation” option in the live called due to time constraints, but I did offer it up, so I offer it to you as well!

The Elements and How We Found Them

Here’s a screen shot of the random gods:

While I pulled up the random monster generator, the ever-diligent Jackie Dana added the following quick and dirty details she found about the gods into the chat:

2026-07-23 18:22:00 From Jackie Dana to Everyone:

Rather than a traditional, worshiped deity, Greek cosmogony describes Chaos as the primordial void or a confused, formless mass. As the very first thing to exist, it was the foundation from which all other entities emerged.

2026-07-23 18:23:01 From Jackie Dana to Everyone:

Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, fortune, and prosperity. As the consort of Lord Vishnu, she represents both material abundance and spiritual fulfillment. She is commonly depicted as a beautiful, four-armed woman draped in red and gold, seated on a lotus, and surrounded by elephants.

Here’s our random monster screenshot:

And once again, Jackie got to work immediately, dropping these snippets into the chat:

2026-07-23 18:24:26 From Jackie Dana to Everyone:

The “thunderbird” animal primarily refers to a legendary creature in Native American mythology rather than a scientifically recognized biological species. However, the legend is often linked to real-world birds of prey and prehistoric creatures.

Native American Mythology

In the oral traditions of many Indigenous cultures, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, Great Plains, and Eastern Woodlands, the thunderbird is a powerful, supernatural spirit. [

Abilities: It is believed to control the upper realms of the sky. Its massive wings are said to cause thunder, while lightning flashes from its eyes or beak.

Symbology: Often depicted as an enormous bird of prey, it is seen as a protector of humans and a bringer of rain and renewal.

2026-07-23 18:25:32 From Jackie Dana to Everyone:

A djinn (also spelled jinn or jinni) is a supernatural being in Arabian mythology and Islamic belief. Created from smokeless fire, they share the earth with humans, possess free will, and can choose between good and evil. While often known as wish-granting genies in Western folklore, traditional djinn are complex, mortal beings subject to judgment.

Finally, for our mortal and story element, I selected the following three cards from The Storymatic classic deck:

Our “Rules”

Our major goal is to get you writing, so, in the big-picture sense of things there are no real “rules” for how you use this prompt, however, for participation in next week’s story sharing thread, there will be guidelines in the hopes that it aids participants in not only writing each month, but also being able to read and share as many stories as possible.

If you wish to share your story next week in the thread:

1. We are looking for fresh flash fiction! In other words, the story must be written from this prompt. Of course, creativity wins the day and if all aspects of the prompt are not adhered to that is fine, but if you are just sharing stories you’ve written in the past that clearly have no connection to this prompt, you are missing the point of us WRITING TOGETHER!

2. 1,000 words or less, please! I have high hopes to read through all stories in the thread and hope our community members do as well. Keeping our stories on the short side definitely makes this a more reasonable ask.

3. Share links, not stories! Do not copy and paste your story into the comments section. You may share a link to your fiction Substack page, or a read-only Google Doc of your story.

4. Don’t stress this. This is not a competition in any sense of the word, this is an opportunity to come together around a prompt and celebrate all of our creative minds and processes together. While I know there is no way for me to liberate you from any of the fears that may naturally come from sharing your fiction publicly, please know that this is not a forum for judgement, but for celebration. This is a PARTY and I am looking for cheerleaders all around. Critique is for another day, and a completely different forum.

If you have any comments or questions about this, please feel free to let me know in the comments section.

Leave a comment

Subscribe & Share

If you want to make sure you don’t miss a beat with these monthly prompt parties, make sure you are subscribed to Stop Writing Alone.

Subscribe now

And, if you know of another writer who would love to participate, please make sure you share this post with them so they can do the same!

Share

Now… GO WRITE!

With all that said and done, LET’S WRITE TOGETHER! I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Check your inbox next Thursday for the thread post where you can share it with us!

HAPPY WRITING!

*note about bookshop.org links: I am an affiliate for bookshop.org, which means I will receive a small percentage compensation of any purchase you make on their site using any of the affiliate links I share. This commission is at no additional cost to you.

If you are interested in seeing a collection of many of the books and items I have discussed in Stop Writing Alone over the years, please check out the Stop Writing Alone Bookshop Powered by Bookshop.org.

What is Word Bank Wednesday ?

(in case you missed this the first week.)

As writers we know that finding the right words to use in any moment is the thing we lose sleep over. The word is often dangling at the tip of our tongue, or imagination, a step or two out of reach exactly at the time we need it. We have various exercises and practices we do in order to get better at reaching for those words: we write more, we rewrite, we read, we listen, we explore reference materials and research, the list goes on. Word Bank Wednesday is simply one more thing to add to that list. We are going to play with word capture on a weekly basis and start making our own Word Banks to use in all of our writing projects.

Each week I am going to ask you to spend TWO MINUTES creating your own word bank. Each week I am going to present you with a prompt, you are going to set a timer, and, using a paper and a pen (preferably, but no one is watching, so don’t let this rule be the thing that stops you!) you are going to jot down as many words as you can in response to that prompt. If you so desire, your work can be done there. The act of scrambling to gather the words for your word bank is exercise enough. You can keep these collections for projects and prompts of your own choosing, OR…

In addition to the word bank prompt, I will add a potential prompt for you to work on with your newly collected words. It will be completely up to you if you want to spend more time with your words, or if you want to save them for later (I have an A4 notebook with lined and blank pages that is my current word bank notebook).

Let’s get started!

Word Bank Wednesday

Word Bank Prompt

TOOLS:

2 Minute Timer, Pen/pencil, notebook/paper

Step 1:

Set a timer for 2 minutes

Step 2:

In your notebook write down words you associate with the last meal you ate.

Share

An Example

Here’s my tasty word list casting memories of the end of a Mommy and son day I had yesterday — yay!

The word bank I created is as follows:

gluten free picnic

pasta pizzeria vodka

pizza glass cashew

tuppeware date saucy

debate Bario’s party

yummy walk delivery

Mommy Alex special

rookie water order

Now…

What Can We Do With These Words?

You’ve got some words, if you are crushed for time, you can close your book, move on and come back next week. But, if you are looking for more, here are some ideas for how you can continue to play.

Note: The following prompts may be used individually or together, depending on your needs, desires, and writing availability today.

Potential Prompt 1: Follow the Flow

Each week I do these word banks, take a picture and then I type the words out for you if you can’t read the picture. When I translate the picture into type I decide on the way I see the words flowing on the page (usually as close as I can get to going from left to right, from top to bottom). For this prompt I would like you to do the same with your words. If you wrote your words in neat columns and lines, then this is a simple task if they are scattered all around the page, you might want to grab a pencil and sketch a line from one word to the next that you can follow like a word path.

Your prompt:

• Decide on your word bank’s flow (see above).

• Write a story (or poem) that includes all the words in your word bank IN ORDER from first to last based on the flow you created.

Potential Prompt(s) 2: Figurative Language Fitness

Whether writing poetry or prose, well-placed, well-crafted figurative language can take your common words to the next level and leave your readers sighing in admiration of the new lenses you are gifting them to see our world through.

The prompt here is simple.

Use the words in your word bank to create

• a metaphor

• a simile

• a line/sentence of hyperbole

• personify the things in your word bank

• a line/sentence using allusion

You may choose to apply one of these prompts to all of your words (for example, perhaps you are interested in only metaphor muscle building today), or trying all five. Maybe you can pick one bullet point each week. It’s up to you. No pressure! Which reminds me: go ahead and be silly, ridiculous, outrageous and push all of the boundaries with your figurative language. Allowing yourself to really stretch beyond what you normally allow in your day to day writing is part of what this practice is for.

Potential Prompt 3: Use the words in a _____

Step 1: Fill in the blank.

• Poets, you will use the words in a poem.

• Prose writers, you will use the words in a story.

Step 2: The topic for your ______ is: LEFT

That is all. Now, GO WRITE!

Questions, Comments And/Or Reactions

Writing about food often drives me into super sensory details, this time, not so much. How about you? Did your word bank contain all the senses, or were you inspired to go another way?

Leave a comment

I will see you again next week.

Happy Writing!

*note about bookshop.org links: I am an affiliate for bookshop.org, which means I will receive a small percentage compensation of any purchase you make on their site using any of the affiliate links I share. This commission is at no additional cost to you.

If you are interested in seeing a collection of many of the books and items I have discussed in Stop Writing Alone over the years, please check out the Stop Writing Alone Bookshop Powered by Bookshop.org.

I was really trying to ride this one out, but I am going to have to reschedule this afternoon’s Story Club to NEXT TUESDAY, July 28, 2026 at 3pm Eastern. I have been battling a massive headache/migraine for a couple of hours now that is not showing any signs of letting up in the next half hour.

I am so sorry for the last minute change.

Read more

The lesson discusses the various types of endings our novels can have and how they relate to the CDQs (central dramatic questions) we developed in lesson 2.

Our Zoom call will be this afternoon (see the July Calendar of Events) to reflect upon this lesson, but here are some notes I made from my first time going through the experience.

[story Club] Lesson 3 Writing Exercises

390KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

If you are not interested in the pdf version, here’s the rundown:

MY NOTES & WRITING EXERCISES

explore all endings

building on all we've done so far

When I first read 27 Essential Principles of Story, I left it with the impression that each chapter was a sort of stand alone lesson in story, each to be examined as a separate, but potentially equally important, piece of story telling. I don’t know why I didn’t pick up that each lesson built upon the previous. In hindsight, that seems like a silly oversight. Regardless, here we are, in lesson 3, and to get here you need to have lessons 1 and 2 under your belt, so to speak.

As we have gone through the lessons, we began with an event (lesson 1: drop the hammer) that not only helped us start our story off strong, but also guided us toward many questions (lesson 2: ask dramatic questions), that, in turn, have lead us to this moment of answering those questions (lesson 3: explore all endings).

What I found most intriguing about this month’s lesson is that although the questions Rubin encouraged us to write in lesson 2 were all “YES/NO” questions, Rubin has provided a framework that allows us to explore many more than 2 possible outcomes for our readers. I am excited to take my story through this process of listing the possible endings.

Rubin identifies six qualities of a great ending:

• Meaningful

• Inevitable

• Surprising

• Just

• Emotional

• Authentic

While I do hope to discuss all of the qualities in our chat this month, I would like to focus on one for this writing exercise: Authentic. I feel as though the first five qualities can be boiled down to a simple formula presented by Rubin

A meaningful ending is one that answers the deeper question our CDQ implies.

An inevitable ending is one that answers the YES/NO questions we developed in lesson 2, and the answer was foreshadowed.

A surprising ending plays with that CDQ by either surprising readers with which answer is selected (surprise via the “what happened”) or surprising the readers with how that answer was selected.

A just ending is one that lives within the expectations of your reader for your genre and your story.

An emotional ending is not exactly formulaic in any sense, but it is an ending that delivers more than a flat conclusion, and, I do believe focusing on the authenticity of our story is something that can help us deliver that gut punch to our readers.

step 1: tapping into your beliefs

what are your sayings?

On page 43, when Rubin discusses the authenticity of this month’s master story, The Night Of, he says, “In a Spring 1996 Paris Review interview, co-writer Richard Price said that he often thinks about the saying, ‘If God hates your guts, he grants your deepest wish.’”

Learning this after watching the full season of The Night OI, I found myself shouting, “Of course the guy who wrote THIS believes that!”

YOUR TURN!

We all have sayings that we deeply believe and/or live by. Some we pick up and use as affirmations, some are ingrained from childhood no matter how hard we try to shake them. In your writing space, list as many sayings you subscribe to (willingly or not) or have subscribed to over the years. If you feel open to it, share them in the comments.

Leave a comment

step 2: finding you in your story

it's YOUR story

I know you are writing fiction. I know many writers are not interested in harvesting from their own lives for their fiction, but when we spew the "write what you know" adage, I don't think it applies to the facts of our lives, I think it applies to our own personal Truths (note the capital T). You know what it means to live according to those sayings you wrote down in step 1. Your job now is to see which one applies to your current protagonist, world, and WIP.

YOUR TURN!

In the comments section (or privately in your own writing space), write down how the story you are currently working on is demonstrating the saying you identify with.

Leave a comment

Yay or Nay on Story Club Notes

If you made it this far, I have a question for you: Are the Story Club Writing Exercises/Notes of value to you? The first time we went through Story Club I wrote these up month by month, but at a certain point the group reading along at the time preferred the live discussions only, so I stopped posting the notes. If this is something you’d like me to continue sharing throughout all 27 lessons this go around, let me know!

So far, I have received one resounding YAY! So the Notes will keep on coming, but I am going to keep on asking in case they start to get old…

What is Word Bank Wednesday ?

(in case you missed this the first week.)

As writers we know that finding the right words to use in any moment is the thing we lose sleep over. The word is often dangling at the tip of our tongue, or imagination, a step or two out of reach exactly at the time we need it. We have various exercises and practices we do in order to get better at reaching for those words: we write more, we rewrite, we read, we listen, we explore reference materials and research, the list goes on. Word Bank Wednesday is simply one more thing to add to that list. We are going to play with word capture on a weekly basis and start making our own Word Banks to use in all of our writing projects.

Each week I am going to ask you to spend TWO MINUTES creating your own word bank. Each week I am going to present you with a prompt, you are going to set a timer, and, using a paper and a pen (preferably, but no one is watching, so don’t let this rule be the thing that stops you!) you are going to jot down as many words as you can in response to that prompt. If you so desire, your work can be done there. The act of scrambling to gather the words for your word bank is exercise enough. You can keep these collections for projects and prompts of your own choosing, OR…

In addition to the word bank prompt, I will add a potential prompt for you to work on with your newly collected words. It will be completely up to you if you want to spend more time with your words, or if you want to save them for later (I have an A4 notebook with lined and blank pages that is my current word bank notebook).

Let’s get started!

Word Bank Wednesday

Word Bank Prompt

TOOLS:

2 Minute Timer, Pen/pencil, notebook/paper

Step 1:

Set a timer for 2 minutes

Step 2:

In your notebook write down words found on cleaning products.

(Note: If you need to go take a tour of your home/office/wherever you are to go look at a bunch of cleaning products before you get started, go ahead!)

Share

An Example

I got ordely here (I’m guessing it was under the influence of cleaning products that I felt the need to tidy things up!).

The word bank I created is as follows:

method dawn

fast linen

acting bounce

all tide

purpose cling

cleaner whiter

mint day

eucalyptus toilet

lemon tablet

fresh arm

air hammer

lysol baking

bleach soda

bacteria odor

kills

Mrs. Meyers

foaming

hand

dish

soap

bubbles

degrease

power

wash

Now…

What Can We Do With These Words?

You’ve got some words, if you are crushed for time, you can close your book, move on and come back next week. But, if you are looking for more, here are some ideas for how you can continue to play.

Note: The following prompts may be used individually or together, depending on your needs, desires, and writing availability today.

Potential Prompt 1: Follow the Flow

Each week I do these word banks, take a picture and then I type the words out for you if you can’t read the picture. When I translate the picture into type I decide on the way I see the words flowing on the page (usually as close as I can get to going from left to right, from top to bottom). For this prompt I would like you to do the same with your words. If you wrote your words in neat columns and lines, then this is a simple task if they are scattered all around the page, you might want to grab a pencil and sketch a line from one word to the next that you can follow like a word path.

Your prompt:

• Decide on your word bank’s flow (see above).

• Write a story (or poem) that includes all the words in your word bank IN ORDER from first to last based on the flow you created.

Potential Prompt(s) 2: Figurative Language Fitness

Whether writing poetry or prose, well-placed, well-crafted figurative language can take your common words to the next level and leave your readers sighing in admiration of the new lenses you are gifting them to see our world through.

The prompt here is simple.

Use the words in your word bank to create

• a metaphor

• a simile

• a line/sentence of hyperbole

• personify the things in your word bank

• a line/sentence using allusion

You may choose to apply one of these prompts to all of your words (for example, perhaps you are interested in only metaphor muscle building today), or trying all five. Maybe you can pick one bullet point each week. It’s up to you. No pressure! Which reminds me: go ahead and be silly, ridiculous, outrageous and push all of the boundaries with your figurative language. Allowing yourself to really stretch beyond what you normally allow in your day to day writing is part of what this practice is for.

Potential Prompt 3: Use the words in a _____

Step 1: Fill in the blank.

• Poets, you will use the words in a poem.

• Prose writers, you will use the words in a story.

Step 2: The topic for your ______ is: BARBECUE

That is all. Now, GO WRITE!

Questions, Comments And/Or Reactions

Has word bank creation become a habit for you now, or still just a “fun when it comes up” kind of activity? Have you started making up your own word banks on days other than Wednesdays (gasp!)?

Leave a comment

I will see you again next week.

Happy Writing!

*note about bookshop.org links: I am an affiliate for bookshop.org, which means I will receive a small percentage compensation of any purchase you make on their site using any of the affiliate links I share. This commission is at no additional cost to you.

If you are interested in seeing a collection of many of the books and items I have discussed in Stop Writing Alone over the years, please check out the Stop Writing Alone Bookshop Powered by Bookshop.org.

I am here in the back seat of my car, somewhere in the midatlantic (maybe Maryland?) headed down south to a stop in Georgia on our way to a family vacation in Florida. For this reason, the early part of this month is quiet here in Stop Writing Alone. I’ll be back home mid-week two of July, so our regularly scheduled meetings will pick up on July 17th. While the shortened month does mean we will be missing some of our regular monthly meetings (no Writing Practice or Practicing Poets are on the schedule as of right now), here’s what’s still in store for you;

• Write-ins: Live Zoom calls where we set timers to stay focused on our writing in between chats that range from casual talk about the varying weather outside the writing rooms of our participants to the serious conversations where we troubleshoot our passion projects with fellow writers. This month there are Write-ins on Tuesdays (FREE!), Wednesdays, and Fridays — check the schedule to see which ones you can make it to!

• Story Club: Live Zoom book club for writers. Each month we discuss the reading of 27 Essential Principles of Story by Daniel Joshua Rubin and the story of the month. This July we will ) be discussing Lesson 3 in the Rubin book which focused on the HBO limited series The Night Of.

• Writing Prompt Party: Live Zoom Call where a writing prompt is shared and a timer is set. Participants are challenged to write the draft of a short story based on the prompt. When the timer ends, we then read our drafts aloud to each other.

• OPEN MIC: Our monthly Open Mic has been transforming into a fun feedback session for the regulars who have been attending. Rather than simply read aloud for applause of fellow attendees, we started reading for feedback. Come join us and decide which is right for you, all is welcome as we write together, learn together, and grow together this month!

If you are a paid subscriber and have access to the Stop Writing Alone Google Calendar (paid subscribers can Direct Message me with the email address they want to connect to the calendar), I’ve been populating the calendar from the road.

Here’s what we have coming up later in July:

Subscribe now

July 2026 Calendar [PDF]

Here is a pdf copy of this month’s Google calendar schedule of events in case you want to print it:

Stop Writing Alone July 2026 Calendar of Events

29.7KB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

What Are The “Open to All Writers” Events This Month?

This month there are EIGHT MEETINGS open to all writers:

• The 2Hour Type & Talk Write-in at 10:00am (Eastern time) on

  • Tuesday, July 21st

  • Tuesday, July 28th

• The July Writing Prompt Party being held on Thursday, July 23rd at 6pm Eastern

These are great meetings to join to get a taste of what its like to be a part of an online writing community. One is designed to inspire you to create something new in a fun, judgement-free space (WRITING PROMPT PARTY!), and the other gives you a chance to commiserate with other writers while also devoting some time to your current work in progress (TYPE & TALK TUESDAYS!)!

I’m hoping once you join us and see how valuable these experiences are for yourself, you will understand why joining the paid subscription is worth your while.

If you are not yet a paid subscriber, the investment is either $15/month, or $150/year (that gives you two months for free!). Here are some of the reasons why I think you should make this investment today:

Why Join?

With a VIP membership, you can:

• have the conversations surrounding your writing life with people who understand your struggles and are ready to celebrate your successes (in other words: grow your circle of WRITER friends!)

• stretch your writing muscles with fun, non-judgemental writing exercises designed to help you find new ways into your fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction (translation:write more cool stuff!)

• engage in book clubs designed with writers in mind through our Story Club and Practicing Poets club,

• design new ways to find accountability for your writing practice based on your current needs (get to WORK ON YOUR WRITING!)

• Access to a Google Calendar with all the events and Zoom links included

So what are you waiting for?

Subscribe now

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Link and Information for the Open to All Writers Events

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What is Word Bank Wednesday ?

(in case you missed this the first week.)

As writers we know that finding the right words to use in any moment is the thing we lose sleep over. The word is often dangling at the tip of our tongue, or imagination, a step or two out of reach exactly at the time we need it. We have various exercises and practices we do in order to get better at reaching for those words: we write more, we rewrite, we read, we listen, we explore reference materials and research, the list goes on. Word Bank Wednesday is simply one more thing to add to that list. We are going to play with word capture on a weekly basis and start making our own Word Banks to use in all of our writing projects.

Each week I am going to ask you to spend TWO MINUTES creating your own word bank. Each week I am going to present you with a prompt, you are going to set a timer, and, using a paper and a pen (preferably, but no one is watching, so don’t let this rule be the thing that stops you!) you are going to jot down as many words as you can in response to that prompt. If you so desire, your work can be done there. The act of scrambling to gather the words for your word bank is exercise enough. You can keep these collections for projects and prompts of your own choosing, OR…

In addition to the word bank prompt, I will add a potential prompt for you to work on with your newly collected words. It will be completely up to you if you want to spend more time with your words, or if you want to save them for later (I have an A4 notebook with lined and blank pages that is my current word bank notebook).

Let’s get started!

Word Bank Wednesday

Word Bank Prompt

TOOLS:

2 Minute Timer, Pen/pencil, notebook/paper

Step 1:

Set a timer for 2 minutes

Step 2:

In your notebook write down words beginning with the letter E.

Share

An Example

I used one of line-free pages and tried to go wild, but my mind (and maybe my hand, too) resist it. Look at how, even when writing on an angle, I am still trying to line up these words in some way. Ugh!

The word bank I created is as follows:

energize elemental elegant

entropy elephant emerge England

elementary emblem effort elevate

effuse elevator exponential e-gads!

ebb economic english muffin

entertain evaluate electric

escalation emancipation

Now…

What Can We Do With These Words?

You’ve got some words, if you are crushed for time, you can close your book, move on and come back next week. But, if you are looking for more, here are some ideas for how you can continue to play.

Note: The following prompts may be used individually or together, depending on your needs, desires, and writing availability today.

Potential Prompt 1: Follow the Flow

Each week I do these word banks, take a picture and then I type the words out for you if you can’t read the picture. When I translate the picture into type I decide on the way I see the words flowing on the page (usually as close as I can get to going from left to right, from top to bottom). For this prompt I would like you to do the same with your words. If you wrote your words in neat columns and lines, then this is a simple task if they are scattered all around the page, you might want to grab a pencil and sketch a line from one word to the next that you can follow like a word path.

Your prompt:

• Decide on your word bank’s flow (see above).

• Write a story (or poem) that includes all the words in your word bank IN ORDER from first to last based on the flow you created.

Potential Prompt(s) 2: Figurative Language Fitness

Whether writing poetry or prose, well-placed, well-crafted figurative language can take your common words to the next level and leave your readers sighing in admiration of the new lenses you are gifting them to see our world through.

The prompt here is simple.

Use the words in your word bank to create

• a metaphor

• a simile

• a line/sentence of hyperbole

• personify the things in your word bank

• a line/sentence using allusion

You may choose to apply one of these prompts to all of your words (for example, perhaps you are interested in only metaphor muscle building today), or trying all five. Maybe you can pick one bullet point each week. It’s up to you. No pressure! Which reminds me: go ahead and be silly, ridiculous, outrageous and push all of the boundaries with your figurative language. Allowing yourself to really stretch beyond what you normally allow in your day to day writing is part of what this practice is for.

Potential Prompt 3: Use the words in a _____

Step 1: Fill in the blank.

• Poets, you will use the words in a poem.

• Prose writers, you will use the words in a story.

Step 2: The topic for your ______ is: WIN

That is all. Now, GO WRITE!

Questions, Comments And/Or Reactions

Have you been trying to write differently for each of your words banks? For example, have you tried writing in perfectly neat lists, and then scattered around the page? Have you turned your notebook sideways or upside down?Have you done these activities in different places? Let us know!

Leave a comment

I will see you again next week.

Happy Writing!

*note about bookshop.org links: I am an affiliate for bookshop.org, which means I will receive a small percentage compensation of any purchase you make on their site using any of the affiliate links I share. This commission is at no additional cost to you.

If you are interested in seeing a collection of many of the books and items I have discussed in Stop Writing Alone over the years, please check out the Stop Writing Alone Bookshop Powered by Bookshop.org.

What is Word Bank Wednesday ?

(in case you missed this the first week.)

As writers we know that finding the right words to use in any moment is the thing we lose sleep over. The word is often dangling at the tip of our tongue, or imagination, a step or two out of reach exactly at the time we need it. We have various exercises and practices we do in order to get better at reaching for those words: we write more, we rewrite, we read, we listen, we explore reference materials and research, the list goes on. Word Bank Wednesday is simply one more thing to add to that list. We are going to play with word capture on a weekly basis and start making our own Word Banks to use in all of our writing projects.

Each week I am going to ask you to spend TWO MINUTES creating your own word bank. Each week I am going to present you with a prompt, you are going to set a timer, and, using a paper and a pen (preferably, but no one is watching, so don’t let this rule be the thing that stops you!) you are going to jot down as many words as you can in response to that prompt. If you so desire, your work can be done there. The act of scrambling to gather the words for your word bank is exercise enough. You can keep these collections for projects and prompts of your own choosing, OR…

In addition to the word bank prompt, I will add a potential prompt for you to work on with your newly collected words. It will be completely up to you if you want to spend more time with your words, or if you want to save them for later (I have an A4 notebook with lined and blank pages that is my current word bank notebook).

Let’s get started!

Word Bank Wednesday

Word Bank Prompt

TOOLS:

2 Minute Timer, Pen/pencil, notebook/paper

Step 1:

Set a timer for 2 minutes

Step 2:

In your notebook write down words you associate with FROGS.

Share

An Example

Clearly there’s only ever one frog in my heart. I worked very hard not to make a word bank totally devoted to The Muppets (in hindsight, perhaps I missed the point of this week’s word bank and should have just let loose!). Here’s my frog bank:

The word bank I created is as follows:

Kermit poison green dart

happy flies Muppets

rainbow banjo connection

coqui ribbit trees song

crickets swap pond

lily pad jump

legs tadpoles France

scuba swimming

life cycle eggs

amazon tongue

Now…

What Can We Do With These Words?

You’ve got some words, if you are crushed for time, you can close your book, move on and come back next week. But, if you are looking for more, here are some ideas for how you can continue to play.

Note: The following prompts may be used individually or together, depending on your needs, desires, and writing availability today.

Potential Prompt 1: Follow the Flow

Each week I do these word banks, take a picture and then I type the words out for you if you can’t read the picture. When I translate the picture into type I decide on the way I see the words flowing on the page (usually as close as I can get to going from left to right, from top to bottom). For this prompt I would like you to do the same with your words. If you wrote your words in neat columns and lines, then this is a simple task if they are scattered all around the page, you might want to grab a pencil and sketch a line from one word to the next that you can follow like a word path.

Your prompt:

• Decide on your word bank’s flow (see above).

• Write a story (or poem) that includes all the words in your word bank IN ORDER from first to last based on the flow you created.

Potential Prompt(s) 2: Figurative Language Fitness

Whether writing poetry or prose, well-placed, well-crafted figurative language can take your common words to the next level and leave your readers sighing in admiration of the new lenses you are gifting them to see our world through.

The prompt here is simple.

Use the words in your word bank to create

• a metaphor

• a simile

• a line/sentence of hyperbole

• personify the things in your word bank

• a line/sentence using allusion

You may choose to apply one of these prompts to all of your words (for example, perhaps you are interested in only metaphor muscle building today), or trying all five. Maybe you can pick one bullet point each week. It’s up to you. No pressure! Which reminds me: go ahead and be silly, ridiculous, outrageous and push all of the boundaries with your figurative language. Allowing yourself to really stretch beyond what you normally allow in your day to day writing is part of what this practice is for.

Potential Prompt 3: Use the words in a _____

Step 1: Fill in the blank.

• Poets, you will use the words in a poem.

• Prose writers, you will use the words in a story.

Step 2: The topic for your ______ is: BREAKFAST

That is all. Now, GO WRITE!

Questions, Comments And/Or Reactions

Do you have a favorite frog?

Leave a comment

I will see you again next week.

Happy Writing!

*note about bookshop.org links: I am an affiliate for bookshop.org, which means I will receive a small percentage compensation of any purchase you make on their site using any of the affiliate links I share. This commission is at no additional cost to you.

If you are interested in seeing a collection of many of the books and items I have discussed in Stop Writing Alone over the years, please check out the Stop Writing Alone Bookshop Powered by Bookshop.org.

The lesson is all about the importance of asking dramatic questions to drive our story forward from the hammer we dropped back in lesson 1.

This afternoon will be our Zoom call (see the June Calendar of Events) to reflect upon this lesson, but here are some notes I made from my first time going through the experience.

[story Club] Lesson 2 Writing Exercises

2.11MB ∙ PDF file

Download

Download

If you are not interested in the pdf version, here’s the rundown:

MY NOTES & WRITING EXERCISES

ask dramatic YES/NO questions

be explicit for both you and your readers

In chapter 2 of 27 Essential Principles of Story, when Rubin told us to “Ask dramatic questions” I thought I had this one in the bag. As a former teacher and teacher coach, my entire profession was built around my ability to ask great questions. However, after reading the chapter and attempting to apply this idea to my own stories, I found myself struggling to ask the kinds of questions that had the power to drive story forward the way Rubin suggested. It took my reread of the Mini Final Exam Answer on p. 31 to read the phrase that finally brought the entire lesson into focus for me. When Rubin explains why the multiple choice answer d is the correct answer for his final exam (an answer I didn’t choose, by the way...) he says, “This makes it explicitly clear what will happen next...”

Wait a second, I thought. I flipped back to the front of the chapter and skimmed through to find all of the questions Rubin presented to us throughout the chapter: they were almost all YES/NO questions. They each pointed a direct line to a possible ending. Did they give the ending? No, but the choices were super limited when it came to where the story was going.

Looking back at my own questions, they were all too profound. They were the *big questions* that I hoped my story would tackle, but they were not the types of questions Rubin suggested as the powerhouses in crafting story. On page 25, as Rubin describes the CDQs (central dramatic question) in Finding Nemo, our master story of the month, he writes:

“The CDQ shifts from, ‘Will Marlin protect Nemo?’ to ‘Will Marlin find Nemo?’ Notice how simple it is to state these dramtic questions. Both just four words. Yet we’re exploring one of the most profoundly important humann questions: How do parents keep children safe?”

Rubin emphasizes the simplicity in the question’s construction (”just four words”), but I don’t believe that is where the power lies. The power of a question always lives in the answer it can yield. A CDQ’s power to help writers develop a clear story structure, and to help guide a reader through our tale is embedded within the fact that it is a YES/NO question that enables the story to explore the more profound questions as we seek the simple answer!

For this month’s writing exercise we are going to build off last month’s exercise to::

• Use the hammer drop to find or craft our powerful YES/NO question

• Create a complementary internal or external CDQ

• Practice creating at least one SDQ and one Sub DQ to help move the story forward, and

• Complete a “Set Up, Ask, Build, Answer” sketch for our story so far

step 1: what question does your hammer drop ask?

Part 1: What’s Your Hammer Drop? (A Review from Lesson 1)

In this first step, we need a story idea to work with. In the Lesson 1 Writing Exercise, you were tasked with creating a “Drop the hammer” moment for either a WIP, or to use the prompts provided to create one. To review, a “hammer drop” is an event that kicks things off by profoundly changing the protagonist’s life and driving them into story.

It’s that second bit, the “driving them into story” we are about to expand upon. As an example, I will share one of the character/story ideas I was prompted to create in Lesson 1’s Writing Exercise. (Note: this is very much in the drafting stage!)

Rosalita Hernandez is surrounded by gang life. Her parents, brothers, still-living cousins, and her boyfriend are all members of the same gang. Rosalita has finally reached the age (16?) where she can “hit in” to become a full member of the gang. To “hit in” a person, who has been nominated by a current member, is given the name of a rival who they must kill. Rosalita has been given the name, and is readying for the act she plans to do by week’s end. However, before Rosalita gets a chance to follow through, she is arrested on the street charged with the murder she has not yet been able to commit.

As she is being taken away, a crowd gathers. Rosalita spots her older brother in the crowd who nods at her. It’s then that she remembers him borrowing her lucky knife the night before. It’s clear he has committed the murder for her, but why?

Rosalita Hernandez has garnered a name for herself on the street as one of the most prolific street artists of Fleshum Alley. Since she was 12 years old, she started painting roses all over the neighborhood that were not only recognized by the hood with respect, but had also begun to go viral online as well.

Rosalita’s brother learned of a new program called “Painting Through Probation” -- a project to identify at-risk talented youth to get them off the street. He commits the murder, calls the project and tells them about his sister’s recent arrest who they may know about due to a recent profile on local street art in the newspaper. The project pays Rosalita’s bail on condition she enters the program, meanwhile the she has not lost face with the gang and her brother saves her from committing murder.

Part 2: What YES/NO Question Does This Hammer Ask?

It’s now time to do the work of lesson 2. Once you know your “Hammer drop” you can begin identifying and/or crafting the central dramatic question (CDQ) of your story. Remember, while you may have big ideas about the themes your story will tackle, this question is a simple YES/NO question that is most likely embedded right within the event you created as your hammer drop. For example, in my Rosalita story

This is a simply stated YES/NO question that can only be answered by going through my story. Both yes and no have very equal, reasonable possibilities. This is what Rubin characterizes as an external CDQ. He tells us there are four different kinds of CDQs

• external CDQ: hero attempts to acquire a physical object of desire

• internal CDQ: hero’s attempt to acquire a greater peace of mind

• shifting CDQ: the questions shift from one to another as the story moves forward

• retrospective CDQ: a question that only becomes clear after reading is completed

(for more in depth explanations with examples see pp. 19-20)

YOUR TURN!

Take a moment now to work with your own work in progress and see if you can identify your CDQ. Remember to keep it simple, direct, and YES/NO. Drop it in the comments!

Leave a comment

step 2: complement your cdq

Is There More To Ask?

On page 20 Rubin tells us, “Many stories have both external and internal CDQs that are so closely related, they’re essentially one question.” This is different than the shifting CDQs that tend to build off, or at least react to, one another. In this case, a complementary CDQ almost feels like a rewording of the initial CDQ. For example, I do believe my story has one of these, and this is what I came up with:

I feel like a big part of this story could be Rosalita’s struggle to find a new way of life outside of the norm her family showed her. This is an internal struggle, likely even a bit of an identity crisis which differs slightly from the idea of her finding a way out of the gang life, but definitely in the same conversation.

YOUR TURN!

Does your story idea have a question like this that not only is a rewording of your initial CDQ, but, perhaps, could deepen your character’s exploration of the effects of the hammer drop on their life? If so, share it in the comments!

Leave a comment

step 3: HOP into story

Hop Into Story

In lesson 1, with the “drop the hammer” event we discussed how to start a story strong. With lesson 2, we now can start taking steps into story using questions as stepping stones. There are so many different types of questions discussed in this lesson, it can get a bit overwhelming, but I started to think of them all as stepping stones helping us cross the river of our story.

Have you ever played the game Frogger? Basic premise of the game is you are a frog that needs to cross a river by jumping from one moving item to the next. This game would be no fun if there was one jump across the river and the frog just had to hop straight across! In my mind, the CDQ, in its simplicity, is whether or not the frog makes it to the other side, the other types of questions, the secondary dramatic question (SDQ) and the subordinate dramatic questions (Sub DQ) offer up more moving parts thereby making our story more entertaining on that journey.

Adding Logs & Turtles

Chances are when you thought of your story, you had more in mind than a simple YES/NO question. Those details of what will happen in your story can lead you to these other questions. For example, right within the creation of my “hammer drop” I thought of the “Painting Through Probation” program. This lead straight to my SDQ.

Rosalita’s experiences within the Program can lead to SubDQs as well. For example:

As I begin to develop more characters (other probation painters, mentors/teachers) and story elements (program events, living situations, “graduation”) more SubDQs will develop as well. Changing each of these elements into a YES/NO question will help maintain focus in the storytelling.

YOUR TURN!

In the comment section, write down at least one SDQ and one SubDQ your hammer drop story idea could lead to.

Leave a comment

Yay or Nay on Story Club Notes

If you made it this far, I have a question for you: Are the Story Club Writing Exercises/Notes of value to you? The first time we went through Story Club I wrote these up month by month, but at a certain point the group reading along at the time preferred the live discussions only, so I stopped posting the notes. If this is something you’d like me to continue sharing throughout all 27 lessons this go around, let me know!

Leave a comment

WRITE, READ, and RESTACK!

1. WRITE and share your story based on the June Prompt:

2. READ the other stories shared in the thread, and

3. RESTACK the stories you read in Substack Notes to expand the discoverability of all the participants in this prompt party! (One of my fav ways to do this is by highlighting a favorite sentence and restacking with that. More about restacking here.)

The rules:

• Your fiction MUST be written to the prompt in the previous post.

• Your fiction must not exceed 1,000 words.

• We will only read Substack or view-only Google Doc links, in other words…

• This thread is for LINKS ONLY*

• Post by 11:59 Eastern time Tuesday, June 30, 2026 (the day before our next prompt party, since April was interrupted by Spring Break!)

What happens next:

• You read the stories shared in this thread and share them (New to restacking? See this article.)

• We read the stories in this thread an share them

• The other participants read the stories in this thread and share them

• All participants enjoy expanded exposure for their story and fiction Substack pages!

*Note: Please use this thread for links and likes only—share your comments with the writers on their Substack page OR in your Note when you restack them!

What is Word Bank Wednesday ?

(in case you missed this the first week.)

As writers we know that finding the right words to use in any moment is the thing we lose sleep over. The word is often dangling at the tip of our tongue, or imagination, a step or two out of reach exactly at the time we need it. We have various exercises and practices we do in order to get better at reaching for those words: we write more, we rewrite, we read, we listen, we explore reference materials and research, the list goes on. Word Bank Wednesday is simply one more thing to add to that list. We are going to play with word capture on a weekly basis and start making our own Word Banks to use in all of our writing projects.

Each week I am going to ask you to spend TWO MINUTES creating your own word bank. Each week I am going to present you with a prompt, you are going to set a timer, and, using a paper and a pen (preferably, but no one is watching, so don’t let this rule be the thing that stops you!) you are going to jot down as many words as you can in response to that prompt. If you so desire, your work can be done there. The act of scrambling to gather the words for your word bank is exercise enough. You can keep these collections for projects and prompts of your own choosing, OR…

In addition to the word bank prompt, I will add a potential prompt for you to work on with your newly collected words. It will be completely up to you if you want to spend more time with your words, or if you want to save them for later (I have an A4 notebook with lined and blank pages that is my current word bank notebook).

Let’s get started!

Word Bank Wednesday

Word Bank Prompt

TOOLS:

2 Minute Timer, Pen/pencil, notebook/paper

Step 1:

Set a timer for 2 minutes

Step 2:

In your notebook write down words (not lines) from your favorite song lyrics

(note: doing a web search for song lyrics is not cheating. “Misheard” lyrics are also welcomed.)

Share

An Example

This was a weird one for me. I was planning on looking up some lyrics to get started, but as soon as the timer went off and I started thinking, “What do I want to look up?” a bunch of songs flooded into my mind, so I am all over the map, but, hey, that’s kind of the point of these things!

The word bank I created is as follows:

all slow lovers

king brings rainbow

hook green going

bites hey good dust

on fallin’ Sunday

back someday morning

what’s yeah I

connection half said

asleep dream dreamers

sailors voices the same

crown go away

need bones me

never

Now…

What Can We Do With These Words?

You’ve got some words, if you are crushed for time, you can close your book, move on and come back next week. But, if you are looking for more, here are some ideas for how you can continue to play.

Note: The following prompts may be used individually or together, depending on your needs, desires, and writing availability today.

Potential Prompt 1: Follow the Flow

Each week I do these word banks, take a picture and then I type the words out for you if you can’t read the picture. When I translate the picture into type I decide on the way I see the words flowing on the page (usually as close as I can get to going from left to right, from top to bottom). For this prompt I would like you to do the same with your words. If you wrote your words in neat columns and lines, then this is a simple task if they are scattered all around the page, you might want to grab a pencil and sketch a line from one word to the next that you can follow like a word path.

Your prompt:

• Decide on your word bank’s flow (see above).

• Write a story (or poem) that includes all the words in your word bank IN ORDER from first to last based on the flow you created.

Potential Prompt(s) 2: Figurative Language Fitness

Whether writing poetry or prose, well-placed, well-crafted figurative language can take your common words to the next level and leave your readers sighing in admiration of the new lenses you are gifting them to see our world through.

The prompt here is simple.

Use the words in your word bank to create

• a metaphor

• a simile

• a line/sentence of hyperbole

• personify the things in your word bank

• a line/sentence using allusion

You may choose to apply one of these prompts to all of your words (for example, perhaps you are interested in only metaphor muscle building today), or trying all five. Maybe you can pick one bullet point each week. It’s up to you. No pressure! Which reminds me: go ahead and be silly, ridiculous, outrageous and push all of the boundaries with your figurative language. Allowing yourself to really stretch beyond what you normally allow in your day to day writing is part of what this practice is for.

Potential Prompt 3: Use the words in a _____

Step 1: Fill in the blank.

• Poets, you will use the words in a poem.

• Prose writers, you will use the words in a story.

Step 2: The topic for your ______ is: BEACH

That is all. Now, GO WRITE!

Questions, Comments And/Or Reactions

What is your funniest or most embarrassing misheard song lyric story?

Leave a comment

I will see you again next week.

Happy Writing!

*note about bookshop.org links: I am an affiliate for bookshop.org, which means I will receive a small percentage compensation of any purchase you make on their site using any of the affiliate links I share. This commission is at no additional cost to you.

If you are interested in seeing a collection of many of the books and items I have discussed in Stop Writing Alone over the years, please check out the Stop Writing Alone Bookshop Powered by Bookshop.org.

We had our LIVE Writing Prompt Party last night, but that was just step one to our month long Writing Prompt Party adventure. If you are new to this whole thing, this is our monthly pattern:

1. A live Writing Prompt Party OPEN TO ALL WRITERS (DONE!)

2. A prompt post sharing the writing prompt with the entire community (THIS post!)

3. A thread post where you can share what you wrote based on the prompt for the community to read and share your fiction! (Next Thursday!)

Those of you who attended the party do not need this, but for everyone else, here is the prompt we selected this month!

Your Writing Prompt for June 2026

This month’s prompt was taken from one of my newest resources and obsessions, three six five: prompts, acts, divinations by Lucy Ives. My discovery of this book started a couple of weeks ago with a book review in The New Yorker titled WHY THE BEST WRITING ADVICE IS OFTEN THE WEIRDEST by David O’Neill. (In all honesty, I didn’t realize I was reading a book review until I was quite a ways into the read and already liking the sound of this book three six five that is seemed like the author thought I should know about.) By the end of the read I had my Barnes & Noble trip scheduled to go ahead and pick up this book sight unseen.

Since I haven’t shut up about this book in all of our Stop Writing Alone meetings ever since I got it, the group requested that we try it out when our monthly Writing Prompt Party hit. I happily agreed IF it made sense.

Why the “if”? Well, this book isn’t just a prompt book. As the subtitle spells out, there are prompts, acts and divinations. There are 365 things to do and I have been tackling them one at a time, about one day at a time. Not all of them lead us to a story, in fact, not all of them lead to writing. For example, one task (room language no. 9) was to rearrange a room before writing. In addition to this possibility, other tasks may include a prompt for writing, but only after another action is taken. This example comes right in task no.1, called short-term memory, which says:

However, after undertaking other tasks like no. 3, called sky writing, which simply says, “Write a story set entirely in the future tense,” I knew we had a potential party favor in this book after all. When the party fell on the same day I opened my book to no. 14, called reconstruction, I was certain we’d all get something out of it.

Here is what our prompt of the month asked us to do…

Your Prompt/Exercise

Begin a story with a remnant, trace, residue, scrap, fragment, hint, or clue. Rebuild from here.

The Page

The pages are not numbered, but the tasks are both numbered and named. This prompt was shared from Lucy Ives book, three six five: prompts, acts, divinations. It is reconstruction no.14. It looks like this:

Our “Rules”

Our major goal is to get you writing, so, in the big-picture sense of things there are no real “rules” for how you use this prompt, however, for participation in next week’s story sharing thread, there will be guidelines in the hopes that it aids participants in not only writing each month, but also being able to read and share as many stories as possible.

If you wish to share your story next week in the thread:

1. We are looking for fresh flash fiction! In other words, the story must be written from this prompt. Of course, creativity wins the day and if all aspects of the prompt are not adhered to that is fine, but if you are just sharing stories you’ve written in the past that clearly have no connection to this prompt, you are missing the point of us WRITING TOGETHER!

2. 1,000 words or less, please! I have high hopes to read through all stories in the thread and hope our community members do as well. Keeping our stories on the short side definitely makes this a more reasonable ask.

3. Share links, not stories! Do not copy and paste your story into the comments section. You may share a link to your fiction Substack page, or a read-only Google Doc of your story.

4. Don’t stress this. This is not a competition in any sense of the word, this is an opportunity to come together around a prompt and celebrate all of our creative minds and processes together. While I know there is no way for me to liberate you from any of the fears that may naturally come from sharing your fiction publicly, please know that this is not a forum for judgement, but for celebration. This is a PARTY and I am looking for cheerleaders all around. Critique is for another day, and a completely different forum.

If you have any comments or questions about this, please feel free to let me know in the comments section.

Leave a comment

Subscribe & Share

If you want to make sure you don’t miss a beat with these monthly prompt parties, make sure you are subscribed to Stop Writing Alone.

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And, if you know of another writer who would love to participate, please make sure you share this post with them so they can do the same!

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Now… GO WRITE!

With all that said and done, LET’S WRITE TOGETHER! I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Check your inbox next Thursday for the thread post where you can share it with us!

HAPPY WRITING!

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If you are interested in seeing a collection of many of the books and items I have discussed in Stop Writing Alone over the years, please check out the Stop Writing Alone Bookshop Powered by Bookshop.org.