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A Walk, Alone
At the beginning of WG Sebald's The Rings of Saturn, the protagonist sets off on a solitary walk in the county of Suffolk. He walks carefree for hours…
Elizabeth Gaffney
Jul 22
3
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A Walk, Alone
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DRINK ME!
a generative, non prescriptive writing prompt
Elizabeth Gaffney
Jul 1
4
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DRINK ME!
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Now What Do You Want?
Getting more specific about what drives your characters
Elizabeth Gaffney
Jul 8
3
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Now What Do You Want?
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Pits & Peeves
focus on what your character can't stand
Elizabeth Gaffney
Jul 7
3
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Pits & Peeves
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List
a generative, nonprescriptive writing prompt
Elizabeth Gaffney
Jun 24
2
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List
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Dear Madam —
on literary letters
Elizabeth Gaffney
Jul 7
2
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Dear Madam —
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Teeth
pearly white, gold, or wooden, they tell tales...
Elizabeth Gaffney
Jul 5
2
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Teeth
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Shouts and Whispers
modulating volume in dialogue
Elizabeth Gaffney
Aug 5
1
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Shouts and Whispers
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Three Questions
With thanks to Emily Rubin, who was reminded, as we read Frankenstein aloud in The 24-Hour Room this week, of the three questions Anna Deavere Smith…
Elizabeth Gaffney
Jul 21
1
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Three Questions
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The Weather's (Not) Fine
It’s been a beastly summer in a lot of the world, so I can’t help being drawn to thoughts of ice. In Frankenstein, the monster is impervious to extreme…
Elizabeth Gaffney
Jul 25
1
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The Weather's (Not) Fine
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Curiosity, Not Virtuosity
Sometimes we fiddle and fuss with our prose but neglect the larger gyres of story. Other times the big plot arcs drive the writing. What is the thing…
Elizabeth Gaffney
Jul 27
1
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Curiosity, Not Virtuosity
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Purity and Danger
Mary Douglas's classic work of cultural anthropology Purity and Danger points out the relativism inherent in our concept of dirt: Soil on the forest…
Elizabeth Gaffney
Jul 28
1
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Purity and Danger
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