Just in time for Nanowrimo

Make the most of National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo)! Story Starters, A Workbook for Writers will banish writer’s block, spark your imagination, and provide endless opportunities to make fiction out of thin air. Whether you want to punch up your dialogue, explore dramatic tension, mine your life for material, or write a compelling opening chapter, this workbook is the perfect companion for Nanowrimo and beyond.

Arranged in a daily progression to help you get the most out of your writing practice, the 50 exercises in this workbook are the result of more than a decade of teaching creative writing and literature. Craft-based exercises, free-flow exercises, and ten-minute prompts lead up to a series of flash fiction assignments. Includes roomy pages for writing, as well as quotes on literary craft.

Available in print and Kindle editions.

View the Table of Contents

How to Use This Workbook 4
About the Exercises 6
About the Self-Assessment 8
A Note About Red Balloons 9
Part One: Days 1-25 10
Halfway There Self-Assessment 71
Part Two: Days 27-50 76
I Finished the Workbook…Now What? 133
About the Author 136

Exercises by Type

Setting & Description 11, 13, 15, 17, 79
Characterization 19, 46, 50, 52, 54, 77, 79
Dialogue 30, 34, 48, 50, 77
Point of View 27, 36, 46, 115
Dramatic Tension 38, 54, 56, 77, 113
Pacing 40, 44
Free flow 58, 60-69, 99, 107-111
10-minute prompts 58, 60, 107, 122
Flash fiction assignments 89, 91, 93, 95, 97, 102, 105, 113, 115

Michelle Richmond

Michelle Richmond is the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Marriage Pact, Golden State, The Year of Fog, No One You Know, Dream of the Blue Room, Hum, and The Girl in the Fall-Away Dress. Her books have been published in 30 languages. A native of Alabama, she makes her home in Northern California and Paris.