Emery Editing

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Due to life happenings, the mods of Emery Editing will be taking a hiatus. We thank you for your understanding and for enjoying the prompts we have provided.

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Story Sparks Spooky Roommates It's time for a Halloween special! Write about several characters that are far from human. Recently they have come to live together as roommates and to help each other and their communities blend in among humans. How do they get along and what must they do to keep their communities safe? What happens when they try to throw a (Halloween) party? Are humans invited to this party? What happens when disaster strikes and their identities are threatened to be revealed?

The stories you create from these prompts are forever yours to cultivate and grow. May they be brave and defiant. And if you want us to see your beautiful creations, please do not hesitate to tag emeryediting​​ or tweet @EmeryEditing. (Pssst…! Although not necessary, it would be super sweet of you to source us and tell others about our daily prompts!) 

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I've been trying to fit everything in, trying to get to the end before it's too late, but I see now how badly I've deceived myself. Words do not allow such things. The closer you come to the end, the more there is to say. The end is only imaginary, a destination you invent to keep yourself going, but a point comes when you realize you will never get there. You might have to stop, but that is only because you have run out of time. You stop, but that does not mean you have come to an end.

Paul Auster, In the Country of Last Things

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Story Sparks Eyes Full of Poppies

Finish this scene.

     She stepped barefoot into the field and trailed her fingers through the tall grass. Her dress brushed against poppies and weeds. Her fingers curled around the spine of a red, hardcover book.

The stories you create from these prompts are forever yours to cultivate and grow. May they be brave and defiant. And if you want us to see your beautiful creations, please do not hesitate to tag emeryediting​​ or tweet @EmeryEditing. (Pssst…! Although not necessary, it would be super sweet of you to source us and tell others about our daily prompts!) 

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“I,” I’ll type. And that will be enough. Then there are the other days, when nothing is enough. The poem grins. It grins because it knows it is a terrible poem. It grins in embarrassment. It grins in pity. It grins in superiority. I may be a terrible poem, it grins, but at least I have one comfort. At least I’m not a terrible poet. At least I’m not the guy who sat in front of a typewriter for two hours coming up with the likes of me.

Lynn Coady, Mean Boy

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Poetry Edition The World Goes By Sometimes some of the strongest poems are ones that only leave an impression of a scene. Write about a speaker moving from one place to another very quickly (such as in a car or on a train). As they travel what do they see? What characteristics of these sights are the strongest and thus stick to memory? What does the character mistake these sights as until they realize in the end what they really are?

The stories you create from these prompts are forever yours to cultivate and grow. May they be brave and defiant. And if you want us to see your beautiful creations, please do not hesitate to tag emeryediting​​ or tweet @EmeryEditing. (Pssst…! Although not necessary, it would be super sweet of you to source us and tell others about our daily prompts!) 

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I write for the kid in me… . Often when I’m working on a story, I’ll find myself laughing at something my characters have done, or even being surprised at where they’ve taken the story. It’s as if they have a life all their own. What I do is create them and then let them go on to entertain me… .

Elvira Woodruff (via

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Story Sparks The Witching Hour It's time for a Halloween special! Write about a character who happens to be an apprentice to a witch. Every Halloween the witch takes care of any lost spirits that lose their way between the human realm and the other realms beyond. This year the witch has deemed their apprentice old and skilled enough to take on the task on their own. What does the apprentice encounter on their first time alone? Is there a threat lurking about and what about these lost spirits is particularly challenging?

The stories you create from these prompts are forever yours to cultivate and grow. May they be brave and defiant. And if you want us to see your beautiful creations, please do not hesitate to tag emeryediting​​ or tweet @EmeryEditing. (Pssst…! Although not necessary, it would be super sweet of you to source us and tell others about our daily prompts!) 

[lifeismerelymadness]

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.

Dr Seuss  (via lifeismerelymadness)

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The Five Senses Bag of Treats It's time for a Halloween special! Write about a character who has finished a night of trick-or-treating. As they inspect what candy they have received, describe the assortment they have gathered. Do they try any? Describe how each piece tastes, how it appears and the textures. Do any have a particular smell?

The stories you create from these prompts are forever yours to cultivate and grow. May they be brave and defiant. And if you want us to see your beautiful creations, please do not hesitate to tag emeryediting​​ or tweet @EmeryEditing. (Pssst…! Although not necessary, it would be super sweet of you to source us and tell others about our daily prompts!) 

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There is no society that does not highly value fictional storytelling. Ever.

Orson Scott Card (via writingquotes)

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Story Sparks Mud of the Past

Finish this scene.

     It was like stepping in mud. Your heels just sink into the mess and you track your past everywhere you go. That’s how it felt after everything settled.

The stories you create from these prompts are forever yours to cultivate and grow. May they be brave and defiant. And if you want us to see your beautiful creations, please do not hesitate to tag emeryediting​​ or tweet @EmeryEditing. (Pssst…! Although not necessary, it would be super sweet of you to source us and tell others about our daily prompts!) 

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Confession time: I doubt I would ever have picked up one of Marjorie’s books, had I not met her in person. The reason is they’re categorized as Romances, which is where they are shelved in bookstores. Though I have no justification for avoiding it, the romance section is an area in bookstores I seldom wander into. Her novels also have traditional-looking romance book covers, which are occasionally a bit off-putting to us mighty manly men. Then again, who knows? I don’t carry many biases where good storytelling is concerned. I’m willing to find it anywhere, as too many of my friends will attest, when I try to drag them to wonderful movies that they aren’t eager to go to, simply because they fall under the chick-flick rubric. So, in any case, I’m glad I did meet Marjorie Liu in person, because it would have been a shame to miss out on the work of an author this talented due to whatever degree of cultural prejudices I might still possess. I trust you who read this won’t make the same mistake.

Bill Willingham (via

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Dialogue Exercise Amateur Séance It's time for a Halloween special! Write about a scene where a character or group of characters is trying to contact spirits. How do they go about this? Are they doing this for fun or is there a more serious purpose? Who are they trying to contact and do they receive a response?

The stories you create from these prompts are forever yours to cultivate and grow. May they be brave and defiant. And if you want us to see your beautiful creations, please do not hesitate to tag emeryediting​​ or tweet @EmeryEditing. (Pssst…! Although not necessary, it would be super sweet of you to source us and tell others about our daily prompts!) 

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Do not attempt to analyze or perfect your words while you are getting them down in the first draft. Write as fast as you are able, letting spontaneity take over. The time to criticize and take apart comes later – when the work is inescapably on paper.

Lee Wyndham (via

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Story Sparks Country Ghosts It's time for a Halloween special! Write about a character who encounters paranormal activity while on their visit to the countryside. Normally this character does not believe in ghosts, but what do they experience to make them think otherwise? Are they in any danger and is there a history to the place they are visiting that contributes to the mysterious atmosphere? Why are they taking this trip?

The stories you create from these prompts are forever yours to cultivate and grow. May they be brave and defiant. And if you want us to see your beautiful creations, please do not hesitate to tag emeryediting​​ or tweet @EmeryEditing. (Pssst…! Although not necessary, it would be super sweet of you to source us and tell others about our daily prompts!) 

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Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his inner vision and its ultimate expression. The chasm is never completely bridged. We all have the conviction, perhaps illusory, that we have much more to say than appears on the paper.

Isaac Bashevis Singer (via writingquotes)