When you’re describing a place, think about how the movement and actions of a character in that place can reveal what the place is like. For example, if your character has to push through a crowd, the reader sees and feels the crowd without you having to tell us the room is crowded.

Imagine that you are the last person left in the world. Write up to 400 words describing the world as you wake up in it. Think about not only sights and smells, but also what actions you must take – how can the things you do in the empty world show the reader what the world is like?

Last prompt we wrote character actions that helped describe setting. This prompt, we’re thinking about the objects a character owns and how your character describes them. The way your character views the things around them shows your reader the essence of your character.

Both of these exercises deepen your knowledge of your characters through physical and emotional description of the things around your character.

Specifically think about an object either you or one of your characters own. This object is something inherited.

Why is it important? Who is it from? What does it look like, feel like? What words do you, or your character use to describe it? Think about voice.

Write a personal essay – either from your point of view, or a fictional piece in the voice of your character – of up to 400 words describing this object and where it came from. Think about how the words you use reveal character.

These last two prompts have been all about character and this prompt is no exception. As writers, we have to remember that our characters have histories. Their pasts shape who they now are and who they will become. I’ve been inspired by one of the many, many of you who’ve been taking this workshop to write the following prompt:

Take a long look at your character and find a scar on their body or face. In your character’s voice, describe this scar. Where did it come from? What does it mean to the character now? What memories does it contain? How has it shaped them?

Write up to 400 words.