Spellbinder submissions for the Winter 2023 Issue (publ. Jan 2023) are open until November 14th. We have shared some prompts on our social media channels during the past week to boost your creativity and imagination while submissions are open. The prompts we posted during this submission window are under the theme of “Re-writing fairy/folk tales”,… Continue reading Autumn Prompts for Re-writing Fairy/Folk Tales
Tag: writing
Writing Tips – Setting and Character
This season’s writing tips post is going to focus on the relationship between physical setting and characters. I have come up with what should be a fun and challenging writing exercise which will allow you to consider the importance of these two important elements of fiction writing. Setting – by which I mean the physical… Continue reading Writing Tips – Setting and Character
Summer Prompts – Point of View
This post will help you respond to the following Spellbinder Instagram post: “Choose a scene or a chapter from your favourite summer read and rewrite it from a different point of view. You could also maintain the main character as is, but switch points of view (eg from the first to the third person). Think… Continue reading Summer Prompts – Point of View
Writing Resources – Character
Character is a key element of prose writing, whichever form – short story, play, novel – that might take. Characters are often at the heart of a story. They drive it forward. For readers, they are often the reason we keep reading something. We want to find out more about a character’s motivations or thoughts.… Continue reading Writing Resources – Character
Winter Prompts
This blog post will help build upon the latest series of Winter themed prompts on the Spellbinder Instagram. Winter can be a hard, and harsh, period of time. It can feel desolate and bare. Here in England, it is currently damp with winter rain. The nights come quickly, and are long. As a writer or… Continue reading Winter Prompts
Writing Routes
The literary arts is a very broad field which this post will attempt to navigate. This is designed to encourage you to experiment with different forms and submit work to our magazine that does not fall into the more common categories of the short story and the poem, although we love receiving these too! Poetry… Continue reading Writing Routes
A Guide to Literary Museums
If you are a writer, you will want to learn about successful works that have achieved widespread acclaim. This will inspire you and assist you with the development of your ideas. Even if you’re not a writer, it’s still fun to visit museums and appreciate the stories behind great creators. This guide will list some… Continue reading A Guide to Literary Museums
Finding the Extraordinary
This post should inspire you to think creatively in relation to the following prompt and is especially targeted at nonfiction writers. Choose a common, trivial or otherwise unremarkable memory and describe it in the most dramatic and absurd way possible, with the aim to grab the reader’s attention. Suggestions for Nonfiction Writers Modernist literature developed… Continue reading Finding the Extraordinary
Halloween and Valentine’s combo
Writing for a particular occasion is always fun and provides a useful cultural touchpoint to get your imagination flowing. In this post, I will suggest a number of activities which groups can do near to Halloween and Valentine’s day. First we will look at the genre of horror which is apt for Halloween-inspired writing. Thinking… Continue reading Halloween and Valentine’s combo
People in Plots
Let’s begin by thinking about character… Warm up: Think about what constitutes effective character creation. Are these characters relatable? Are they consistent? Do they have recognisable qualities? Think about your favourite fictional character and consider why you like them so much. Think about the importance of names within fiction and how you might go about… Continue reading People in Plots