Tag Archives: story ideas

Bite Size Writing Tips

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Esther Chilton

Clarity is key However you’re planning to draw your short story/novel to a close, make it clear. It’s no good having a character who’s been killed off earlier on in the story suddenly turning up at the end alive and … Continue reading →

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Markets For Writers

Posted on May 29, 2019 by Esther Chilton

I know that many of you are inspired by a theme so here’s one for you from The Fiction Desk: Houses and homes. Want to know more? Here’s what they have to say: ‘There should be plenty here for short … Continue reading →

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I Challenge You To…

Posted on March 8, 2018 by Esther Chilton

This week’s challenge is to read the following opening paragraph to a story and then to continue with the rest of the story. I’m intrigued to see where it takes you and how you’ll build on the characters: Six o’ … Continue reading →

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Monday Motivations

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Esther Chilton

I hope you’ve settled down into 2017 well. If you’re looking for a fresh challenge, here’s one for you: Write a story or poem on any of the following themes: Disaster Love Silence Your themes from last week were: A … Continue reading →

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Monday Motivations On A Tuesday…

Posted on April 12, 2016 by Esther Chilton

As most of you will be aware by now, I’m holding a couple of short story competitions – one for a flash fiction story of up to 100 words (open theme) and one for a longer story of up to … Continue reading →

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Monday Motivations

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Esther Chilton

Last week a few of you contacted me to say how helpful you found the opening lines in my Monday Motivations slot. So this week, I’ll give you two more – firstly for a short story and secondly, for a … Continue reading →

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Monday Motivations/Fabulous First Few Words Part Two

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Esther Chilton

In this second part of my weekly series on how to hook your reader’s interest in your story straight away, I focus on the shock factor and how it instantly grips your reader, making her sit up and take notice. … Continue reading →

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Monday Motivations/The ABC Of Short Story Ideas Part Eight

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Esther Chilton

Now it’s getting tricky…here’s V, W and X: V is for Victory: The victory in your short story could be a big one – a country taking victory in a hard fought war. You could take a particular character in … Continue reading →

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