We’re thinking about journeys and how at the heart of every story is a journey. Journeys change and shape us. They transform us and renew us – everything good writing should do too.

Write up to 500 words describing a journey that either you or your character have taken. Think about setting the scene of the new place and think too about transformation – how does the journey impact your protagonist? Just because a protagonist is moving through a place DOESN’T mean they are changing and transforming. Keep it interesting and keep the momentum by having your protagonist react to the world around them rather than just sitting on an airplane!

Here are five easy-to-fix edits:

1-    Don’t rush to post work before you’ve re-read it. Always, always take the time to glance over your writing and make sure it’s the best it can be. It’ll give your reader the best reading experience.

2-    Learn how to punctuate speech. It’s worth getting this right as it helps your reader dive into the dialogue without tripping.

3-    A strong voice compels a reader – listen in the quiet to hear your characters speak to you, think about who is telling the story, make sure the tone of the writing is consistent.

4-    Keep your characters reacting to events around them. What they do makes them who they are.

5-    Every word counts. Use powerful verbs, clear vocabulary, delicious language to elevate your text. Enjoy selecting the best words for the job.

This week the prompt is to write a letter and the reply to that letter. A thank you letter, a goodbye letter, a love letter. Any sort of letter. You have up to 500 words. In my first novel, I wrote the entire book as notes between two characters – letters are a great way to get to the heart of your characters and let us as readers know how they feel.

Make a few minutes for your writing today. I challenge you to write without stopping for 8 MINUTES. That’s it!

Clear your desk, switch off that internet video you were watching about kittens, and write without pausing, editing or stressing. Use this opening to start you off (it’s the opening of Colm Toibin’s The Master):

Sometimes in the night he dreamed about the dead–