2025 Sixth Workshop Prompts

  • The secret was revealed, but it didn’t make anything better.
  • Outdoors in the middle of the night, barefoot, he/she/they twice crossed the rough ground between the orphanage and the empty house.
  • “Everyone knows,” the elf said, “and they blame you. Don’t feel bad.”
  • I would rather listen to a jackhammer breaking rock than to hear that name again.
  • Snow White said, “Happy endings aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.”

53 Responses on “2025 Sixth Workshop Prompts”

  1. Miss Maddox says:

    Does anyone have tips for describing the MC’s appearance in a first person POV story? I feel like it can be really hard to make it sound natural. Most of the time when I think about my own appearance, I’m thinking about things that change, like my facial expression or outfit, but in a story, the reader also needs to know the character’s general appearance that doesn’t change. How do you bring that up without it sounding weird? And how early should you bring it up? I normally describe my characters close to the beginning, but in first person stories there’s not always a good reason to bring it up immediately. If you wait, though, then your reader is lost trying to imagine them, which isn’t what I want.

    • Christie V Powell says:

      I haven’t tried writing first person myself, so all I can do is brainstorm with you. I feel like there are ways to creatively sneak it in.

      I’ve seen people sneak in hints of appearance while describing other things. (The wind catches my blonde hair as I jog down the road).

      Maybe she would think about her appearance if she’s comparing herself with someone else? (At first, I think that my long-lost sister looks nothing like me. Her hair is red, not auburn, and I don’t have freckles. But when the man who brought her calls her insulting names, I immediately recognize her glare.)

      Or if he’s comparing himself with a younger version of himself? (I haven’t seen her since I was ten. I was chubby back then, with my dark hair cropped short and long eyelashes I hated because they looked girly).

      Or, if it’s something unusual, you could show the reactions of the people around your character. (The old lady is staring in disapproval at the tiger tattoo on my shoulder).

      Maybe she’s shopping and she’s trying to see if the item she wants to buy matches her complexion?

      He’s just been injured and he’s checking the mirror to see how bad the damage is. (Is my hair long enough to hide the scar?)

    • M says:

      Ms. Powell’s suggestions are good, but if you need another one, you could have another character suggest that the main character change their appearance (new haircut, dye hair, put on some makeup/spend more time in the sun so they aren’t so pale, etc.)

  2. Fiona says:

    I was wondering what websites or tools anyone could recommend writing with. I’m currently still planning out my book, but am hoping (more like wishing as planning is taking longer than usual) that I will be ready to write soon, and I’m not sure what is the best place to start writing full manuscript drafts. If there is anyone who very much likes certain sites, or could recommend some that would be greatly appreciated!

    • Christie V Powell says:

      I use google docs for writing my rough drafts because it can be used offline. Once my alpha readers have looked at a chapter and I’ve tweaked it with their suggestions, I move it into Microsoft word for formatting/final edits. There’s a free version of microsoft word connected to my dropbox account, which is where I save most of my writing things.
      Some authors swear by Scriviner, which is specifically made for authors. I know that you write chapters/scenes individually and there are places for notes and outlines and inspiration stuff. It’s somewhat costly, so I’ve never tried it.
      Did that answer the question?

      • Fiona says:

        Yes, thank you so much! I usually use google docs and have never worked with Microsoft word, but I’ll give it a try when I finish the rough draft!

    • Miss Maddox says:

      I also use Google Docs. I think Microsoft Word is the industry standard for publishing. A lot of people love programs like Scrivener, and I’m sure they’re helpful, but I also don’t think they’re necessary. You don’t need anything that complicated to draft, just somewhere to write it all down. More complicated programs might come in helpful for organizing notes if you have a lot of them. Good luck with your writing!

  3. Christie V Powell says:

    Here’s a random question.
    I’m writing a YA fantasy retelling of Aladdin and Cinderella. I gave my main character Marjie a pet snake. (It’s an ordinary snake, not evil and not talking). It’s not important to the plot, just a fun character quirk.
    I am slightly worried that people who are terrified of snakes would stop reading or wouldn’t relate to Marjie anymore because she keeps one. So, would you put down a book if the character had a pet that you can’t relate to?

    • Miss Maddox says:

      This wouldn’t be a problem for me at all. I would find it interesting to read about a different kind of pet. But I’m also not super terrified of any specific animals, so I can’t say how I would react if I had an extreme phobia. I doubt the majority of readers have phobias that extreme, though.

      • Gail Carson Levine says:

        I would not put down the book even if it were a highly venomous viper! IRL, if it was a viper, I probably wouldn’t want to sleep over at Marjie’s house and maybe not even to step inside, but in a book, I’d just be curious.

        Thank you for the book of limericks! They’re great fun, and I think it’s wonderful that you made them into a book. I forgot that I’d seen them before–sorry about that! I’m very happy that we had a chance to meet and for me to thank you in person for all the help you’ve given here. I never thought that would happen.

  4. Karleigh says:

    Okay. I’m writing a middle grade novel, and I have to explain my MCs backstory at the beginning, cause it makes no sense without it. Do you have any tips on writing a backstory in a few paragraphs and how long should the average chapter be?

  5. Thomasdwege says:

    Your perspectives are a breath of fresh air in a world full of noise, and I’d love to see you unpack how these ideas intersect with contemporary movements, like AI ethics or sustainable living. Your knack for demystifying the complex is exceptional. Thanks for always delivering such provocative content. excited for more!

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  8. Melody C. says:

    Hi everyone!
    I’m writing a fantasy-adventure story right now, and I was wondering how long the average exposition is for this genre. For my other unfinished stories, I either jump into action too soon or not soon enough. Does anyone have any suggestions for that?

    • Christie V Powell says:

      That’s tricky because different authors handle it differently. The current fashion is to have as little exposition as possible, and instead work it into the story. Here’s a clip from Brandon Sanderson on the subject: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/5mKLdVQ1weI

      Little choices in vocabulary make a big difference. Descriptions and setting details can be major clues. Here’s an example from one of my books, The Centaur Choice. This is the opening paragraphs:

      No one else would have saved a snake, but Bree had a soft spot for unloved creatures. When a brawl in the courtyard demanded all attention, she slipped down two of the wide estate steps and dropped her handkerchief over the snake. She picked it up and slipped it into a hidden pocket of her flowing red skirts. Hopefully the handkerchief would conceal its scent from the horses crowded into the courtyard. He could hide in her pocket until she found a private moment to let him go.
      All around her, men on horseback trampled paths and lawn alike. Dogs barked. Servant children laughed and threaded through the hunters with abandon. Only a few carried muskets today, and even fewer brought game sacks to carry home wild turkeys or hares. They still made her nervous.

      I didn’t explain that this is a continent loosely based on Mexico in the 1600s, or that it’s low magic, or that centaurs exist in this world (one appears at the end of the chapter). I could have written about how humans have settled this continent fairly recently and that most people live either in big cities or on estates like this one, but I held off and slipped in details as the story goes along instead. I could have written that the centaurs and humans often clash. Humans think that centaurs kidnap young women, and therefore try to exterminate them. Instead of writing that, I have my main character discover it when she enters her father’s trophy room, and gets more details when she argues about it with her brother. Adding a character who is largely ignorant of the way the world works is a good way to naturally work in information.

      Sorry that got kind of long. I hope it was helpful.

  10. Arisole says:

    I am trying to write a retelling of Allerleirauh child appropriate. (Leaving out the father wanting to marry Allerleirauh and possibly the donkey’s slaughter.) But, leaving out the beginning makes it seem like Cinderella. I think young girls will like it if I can figure out how to tell it. I cannot decide if I should leave the scenes out, hint at them, or give up and turn it into a Cinderella story. What do you guys think?

    • Christie Valentine Powell says:

      I think you could make it work. What if, instead of her biological father, he’s a father figure of some kind? A mayor or a school principal or an influential neighbor? A father of a close friend or an employer? Would you be comfortable with a stepfather? The relationship being creepy and uncomfortable is half the point.

      Have you read the retelling by the same name? It’s been on my radar for a while but I haven’t checked it out yet.

      • Arisole says:

        Thank you. A stepfather is a good idea. Then it would be like the beginning of Cinderella but reversed and make a little more sense. Because it is harder to get why a biological father would suddenly get a love interest for a daughter he has seen grow up. And it wouldn’t make young girls wary of their own fathers for a little while.
        I didn’t know that there was a retelling out there. But, I should get major details of mine figured out or it may be too similar to the one already out there. Do you know for what ages the retelling is aimed for?

  11. Melody C. says:

    Hello! My story takes place in the medieval era. Has anyone written a story in this time period? If so, do you change the language to sound like the time period? Or do you just keep it modern with contractions and such? I want it to be realistic, but I also don’t want to make it stuffy and hard to read with “thy” and “thee.”

    • Christie V Powell says:

      I would not recommend changing the language, since the Medieval era is older than Shakespeare! You’d have to be able to write in middle or old English, which is a much bigger change than removing contractions or using thee and thy. If you really want to do the research and try it, you could have one side character speak in accurate language–kind of like Hagrid or Fleur have thick accents in their dialogue in Harry Potter. Or you could have the occasional quote in middle/old English, like some fantasy authors do with their made-up languages (Tolkien and Paolini come to mind). But yeah, I don’t think the average modern reader is up for translating medieval English as they read.

      Have you read Catherine Called Birdy by Katherine Cushman? I feel like it does a good job at being readable while still bringing in a lot of the medieval culture.

  13. Perry says:

    These past few months, I’ve been struggling so so much with writing. I so want to write, and yet there’s just this crippling self doubt that I can’t get read of. Every single word past Chapter One is such a pain to write, and I really do feel so tired each time I get back to the page. I’ve tried taking breaks, but nothing’s really working. Each time I get back to writing this book, it just feels so so crippling. And I really don’t want to move onto another project. I love this story so so much, and I love the characters and this world. I’ve already given up on two projects now, and I don’t want to put down another one. Has anyone gone through this before/does anyone have any tips?

    • Gail Carson Levine says:

      Perry, yours is the question that has come in most often here over the years. There are two reasons: writing is hard, and self-criticism is habitual. I have to fight it, and almost everyone else does too. This book, which helped me a lot, may help you too: Writing on Both Sides of the Brain by Henriette Anne Klauser. The book is about any kind of writing, not just fiction. It has a lot to say about the nasty voice in my mind that tells me that nothing I write is any good.

    • Christie V Powell says:

      I’m kind of weird in that I usually struggle in the beginning and very end, but I love writing middles. If I just hang on and keeping pushing on through the beginning, I eventually get to the fun part.

      I wonder if a NaNoWriMo-style session would work for you. You choose a time and a word count, and then just put down words. No editing, no stopping, just throwing down words on the page. Later you can make it pretty. I end up brainstorming, stream-of-conscious, sometimes talking to myself on paper. It looks like a mess but because I leave instructions for myself, it’s surprisingly easy to fix up later on.

      I opened up one of mine to share as an example, but the first two pages are entirely notes, and then the first chapter is labeled “Now backstory only”. Then there are about six false starts to the real first chapter, accompanied by my own commentary on what I liked about each one and why it didn’t ultimately work. Each chapter starts with a summary of what I hoped would happen in that chapter before I wrote it. It’s an unholy mess, but they get cleaner with each chapter until I finally found a rhythm and reached my goals.

      I don’t know if that method would work for you, but you might give it a try.

  14. Perry says:

    Thank you all for your tips!! By the way, I’m currently in Act One of my book. I’m 6K words into the story, and the main character is going to meet the villain in the next scene (though the villain is disguised as someone else and she won’t know that she’s the villain), and I feel like i’m struggling a lot with introducing the reader to the MC and showing the MC’s motivations. Right now she’s just… living her usual life. She’s dealing with the grief of losing her sister, and her character arc is basically learning to deal with that grief and become the person she needs to be to save her home from this terrible curse. But I’m really struggling with showing what she really wants and waht her motivations are. I’m also pretty worried about the pacing of the Inciting Incident. I just don’t know if, at the moment, I’ve introduced the MC properly and she’s supposed to meet the villain in the next scene, which is basically at the beach and the villain is this strange woman who is standing there. Do y’all have any tips for this? Thank you!

    • Christie V Powell says:

      My top tip is the same as your last question: write it first. Once you have the big ideas in place, it’ll be easier to see what details need fixed. I like to write notes to myself as I write about what I intend to fix later, but keep writing and keep your momentum as much as you can.

      Another thought: do you have a writing group or writing friend? Whenever I have doubts, I write a question about it at the end of each chapter, and then include it when I share the chapter with my early readers. Usually they reassure me that it’s fine and I’m overthinking, but sometimes they agree that I need to tweak something. I feel like even if I didn’t have those helpers, just writing out my concern helps a lot.

  15. Isabelle says:

    I’m currently 21K words into my novel. I have so many ideas for this book, and I really want it to turn out well (I mean, it’s a first draft, so it’ll probably be messy), except I’m struggling to figure out how everything weaves together. I’m more of a pantser, and though I don’t want the first draft to be perfect, I’d like to have some form of structure instead of it being a completely messy braindump. Do you have any tips? Thanks!

    • Miss Maddox says:

      I wish I knew what to advise you. I have the exact same problem with my stories! I guess the best I can tell you is that you’re not alone. If anyone does have tips, I would also love to hear them.

    • Christie V Powell says:

      So, there are a lot of story structures out there. I’ll see how briefly I can sum up mine. I do use a structured outline, but I have worked backwards with some of my earlier books–messy first draft, then edit it up with a structure.
      The basic idea is that you can break a story into eight roughly equal parts. Each one has a build up and climax, just like a novel. I usually do about 3 chapters per section, but obviously that depends on the work. Also, these are guidelines, not hard and fast rules.
      The eight sections are:
      #1: Hook. What makes your story stand out? Emphasize that element here. Climaxes at the inciting incident, when something dramatic happens to shake up the world.
      #2: A glimpse of normal life, leading up to a plot point where the characters are fully impacted by the shakeup (Example: Harry is told he’s a wizard at the inciting incident, but gets on the train here).
      #3: Experience a “new world” (literal or symbolic) leading up to a pinch point, which is some kind of reveal for the antagonist.
      #4: Reacting to the antagonist, leading up to the midpoint, which is an event that forces the main character(s) to see themselves and their problems in a new light.
      #5: Proactively moving forward, leading up to a second pinch point, where the antagonist reminds you of the stakes.
      #6: A “victory” followed by the low point, the worst the character will face
      #7: Main characters gather their courage and prepare to face down their antagonist.
      #8 Climax and resolution.

      Hopefully that helps. If you want more in depth study, I recommend the blog Helping Writers Become Authors.

  16. Fiona says:

    Does anyone else feel when they’re writing that their stories are falling flat and their minds can’t seem to write the scenes in the way they want? I feel as though every time I write, the feel of my actual process of writing is disjointed, like I can’t coherently form what I’m wanting on a page. When I go back and read, usually it’s okay. I can’t seem to find the right words though, so it stays just okay. Nothing more. I think I’m falling back in my writing skills rather than furthering them. I use the same sentences, and the same actions for characters because I can’t come up with anything else. I can’t seem to mix it up at all. It just feels bland. Does anyone else feel this way when writing, and are there any tips to maybe help this?

    • Isabelle says:

      Ohh, yes. Definitely. All the time! I think this is something a lot of writers struggle with (me especially). Are you on the first draft of your story? If so, then don’t worry about the quality of the writing! The point of the first draft is to just get your story out there. Nobody’s writing is great in the first draft!! Polishing it and editing it to make it sound good is what the later drafts are for.

      Another thing I would say is to do creative writing exercises. These helped me so much when I was first starting out! They aren’t too time consuming, and they can help develop your writing skills a lot (e.g. description, dialogue, etc.) For example, a creative exercise I like to do is to write a story with only dialogue which helps a lot with figuring out how to better write it. Another thing I like to do is pick an object. It could be an object in real life or an interesting object in my story. And then I proceed to spend the next 1,000 words describing it in as much detail as I possibly can. Not sure if anyone else does it, but for me, it helps a lot with description! There are a great deal more writing exercises you can do (I think this post I found has a lot of helpful suggestions: https://davemccreery.co.uk/writing-resources/writing-exercises/), but those are some of the ones I like to do.

      And another thing: Don’t be too hard on yourself!! It’s something I have struggled a lot too, and beating yourself up will only make it harder to get back to writing the next day. And I think Gail also talked about this a bit in her book Writing Magic. She said that when you are just starting out, you may be miles away from perfection and it can be maddening. Writing takes practice, just like any other skill, and you won’t start out writing perfect prose right away. And you may struggle with telling your story the way it appears in your head, because ideas are ideas and words on paper are words on paper. They aren’t the same and they never will be. The purpose of an idea is to get you started, and once you have started, you will need to struggle with the story that you’ve begun to write. I would say focus on practicing writing and not being too hard on yourself.

      Hopefully that made some sort of sense and helps!!

      • Fiona says:

        It made perfect sense and was honestly a huge help. I’ve never been able to commit to writing a full story, so often I’m just writing little pieces of things I want, or just the beginning. I’m in school right now and don’t have a ton of time outside of that to be writing, and I think I’m definitely too hard on myself. I also just feel like since I don’t have as much time to write, my vocabulary has decreased greatly and I forget that I’m writing for fun, not necessarily to get it published. I would love to finish one of my drafts someday and go through editing and revising fully, but I think I need to realize for now it’s okay to have moments where my writing isn’t as good as I would hope it to be.
        I also love the idea of doing writing exercises. I think it would fit my time frame and current writing right now, because that’s what most of my stories are. Just little moments within a story I’m capturing. And I think that doing something like writing fully in dialogue would help me because often I struggle to combine description and dialogue in a balanced way, so focusing on one without the other can help me see how exactly I should be incorporating both together.
        I definitely think I need to lay off myself, and write just to write. Enjoy myself because I’m not working against a deadline, or to get things published right now. I think I’ve taken a lot of the joy of writing away for myself by focusing too much on how it sounds rather than how I feel about the characters and the story itself. I think reading will also help me with a lot of my issues. I gain so much inspiration and vocabulary from reading books I enjoy, and taking more time to study others styles can help me find where I want my own style to fall. Thank you so much, that was really helpful!

  17. Isabelle says:

    Hey, all! So, I am currently working on my sixth novel, and I’ve been struggling a bit with untangling and figuring out the main character’s fear and how that’s going to influence the story, as well as my main character being very inactive. My book is a middle-grade fantasy, and my MC is twelve. And her fear is growing up. And she’s not quite “childish” or “immature” (she can be, but she’s twelve, so that’s to be expected), and her fear of growing up mainly stems from…. fear of the unknown, if that makes any sense? Fear of losing herself. And right now, I’ve set her off on this quest that is going to take her away from home and she doesn’t know where she’s going yet (only that she must follow this mysterious path that no one knows where it leads if she wants to save her home from this terrible darkness/shadow.) And I’m just struggling a lot with writing her fear into the story and having it show. I’m also struggling a lot with my main character being very inactive. I’ve heard a lot of people say that your MC’s actions should influence the plot, instead of the other way around, which makes sense, except I feel like I’m still struggling with it a bit. Any tips? Thanks!

    • Isabelle says:

      And something else I’ve been struggling with is having my book sound preachy and showing the theme without shoving it into the reader’s face and such. So tips for that are appreciated as well!!

      • Christie V Powell says:

        This is where I lean more into story structure and taking advice from people who have written about it.

        KM Weiland (sorry, I quote her a LOT) says that theme is where character and setting and all of those other story elements overlap. The theme doesn’t have to be stated or explicit or obvious most of the time. The theme is usually found in the character’s motivations and development (more about that in a lower comment).

        So most of the time the theme is very subtle, but there are a few places in the story that you can state it directly. For instance:

        “Save the Cat” suggests that the theme be sneaked into the story somewhere early, usually spoken by a side character. The main character usually ignores it or pays no attention, but it gets the audience to start thinking in the right direction.

        At the very center of the story is where the main character discovers the Truth that they’ve needed to learn all along, so that is one place where it can be stated directly. Another place where the theme is often stated without subtlety is somewhere in the climax.

        Here’s an example from one of my books, The Masters of Wishes:
        Princess Marjie believes that she can control and manipulate her surroundings, including people, for good. The theme is about balancing control and trust. Her brother often tells her not to meddle with his life, especially in the beginning.
        Then at the midpoint, in the center of the book, her love interest Landin gives her the opportunity to control him completely. Here is her internal thought that shows the theme:

        “He’d given her incredible control over him. She hadn’t been sure about inviting him into the royal family, but now, could she shape him into someone who belonged? She thought she’d have no choice at all when her father chose her betrothed, but now she had all of the choices in the world.

        Because Landin had given her his.

        And taking advantage of that couldn’t be right.”

        Then in the climax, Marjie is fighting with the antagonist who has complete control of her brother:

        “If she revealed her fighting skills in public, people would never again believe that she was a perfect princess. She’d lose her anonymity, her control of her public image.

        She’d have to trust her people.
        …
        Only Marjie could help. Her family was worth sacrificing for.

        She dashed forward. “

    • Christie V Powell says:

      Here are some of my thoughts. Feel free to try out or ignore as needed 🙂
      When I’m working with a character’s arc, I look at a few different things. Sometimes I use KM Weiland’s system. She starts by defining the character’s Want (what do they want, their motivation, what drives them to act), their Truth/Need (what they need to uncover about themselves/the world), the Lie they believe about the world (perhaps your character’s is something like “the grown-up world will change me beyond recognition”) and the Ghost/Wound (events in the character’s past that have prompted her to pick up the Lie).

      Another thing I sometimes do is look at personality systems and apply them to characters. Usually I use the enneagram. The idea is that people (or in this case, characters) can fit into one of nine types that all have certain fears and motivations. It helps me come up with ideas. If your character is afraid of losing herself, she might be a type four, the individualist. Here is a link to my favorite site about the enneagram, specifically type 4: https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-4/

      • Christie V Powell says:

        For the inactive one:
        Part of that is going to depend on which part of the story you’re writing. Often, the character is super active in the hook (the very beginning), and then in the second half. In the rest of the first half, though, characters do often react instead of act–to the antagonist, or whatever other catalysts are stirring up her life. If you have her be active with something in the very beginning, it catches the reader’s attention and helps them relate to her, and then they’re okay with her reacting for a while.

        As mentioned, I love KM Weiland’s blog. Here is her free blog post series on character arcs, which includes structuring in when to be active vs passive: https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/write-character-arcs/

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