Are you looking for some ideas of things to write about? Have you ever sat and stared at a blank sheet of paper, or a blank screen, wondering what to write? Below you will find a selection of prompts to use and develop each week for an entire year. Get back to doing what you love: writing!

Writing is a useful outlet for our thoughts and feelings: it entertains, it informs, it asks questions, and it even voices discontent. Writers use a variety of tools, such as computers, word processors, typewriters, pens, pencils, paper, floppy disks, CD-RW's, newspapers, books, the Internet, e-mail, etc. But what happens when your chosen form of writing is suddenly not reliable? What if the package of pens you bought writes in red ink, when the package states it should be blue? What if your hard drive keeps crashing? What if your e-mail messages are not getting through?

Find one thing in your life that just isn't working well. Take a moment to write a letter to the manufacturer, or the store where it was purchased, or to Tech Support. Let them know about your disappointment in the product or service. Voice your displeasure, and don't take the "I'm sorry, it's probably my fault anyway" attitude.

Even better: find something that you really like—something you've found that works exceptionally well, that you've told friends about. Write a letter of praise to the manufacturer, store, etc., or write a letter of recommendation to a friend or relative.

Have you ever considered all the work involved in keeping WRWA running? The conferences, contests, memberships, etc. The Wisconsin Regional Writer often has a listing of the Board and Committee members. Have you ever taken a moment to look over that list? Where would WRWA be without those dedicated members? We wouldn't have conferences with great speakers; we wouldn't gain new members; there wouldn't be a newsletter; etc.

This week, why not take a moment to write to the President, Vice-President, Secretary, or Treasurer of WRWA, or any of the other members of the Board of Directors or the Committee Chairs? Let them know that you appreciate their hard work in keeping WRWA running!

At a past conference, speaker Joanne Flemming suggested a wonderful way to capture memories.

Purchase a roll of paper—white wrapping paper, or butcher paper, works well—and use it to create springboard maps. Draw a map of the house you grew up in. As you label each room, you'll remember events that took place there. Jot down a word or phrase in the margin of your paper as you recall each memory. When the map is done, open up a notebook and start jotting down those memories. Move on to draw a map of the neighborhood where you grew up, and possibly the home of a best friend. How about your grandparents' home? How about the home you live in now? Take time to write a "resume" of the homes you've lived in; create maps and jot down notes for each of them.

Consider using a three-ring binder so that you can add pages for each of your memories, and tabs for each of your homes, as you go. Let family members know you are creating this "book." Someday you will want to pass it on as a family keepsake!

Sidebars are a quick way to add to your publishing credits. They're usually 200 to 500 words, and they're a great place to put that extra info that didn't fit into your article.

Look through your favorite magazine. Are there any sidebars? Are they bulleted lists, or mini-articles?

Pick up a newspaper and choose an article. After reading it, jot down a few questions that you feel the article didn't answer, and then attempt to find the answers yourself. Keep your info brief, and write it up as a sidebar. Now go back and re-read the article, then read your sidebar. Does it fit?

Try this with a few different articles. Before you know it, you'll be a whiz at including sidebars in your submissions!

The daughter of an Alzheimer's patient gives up her career in the theater to become a nurse and specialize in caring for Alzheimer's victims. Twin high school boys start an anti-violence group at their school. A former president helps to build houses for low-income families.

People with passions. Causes of those who care.

Although some people who participate in making life better for others are able to put pen to paper for their cause (like former President Jimmy Carter) not everyone has that talent. Organizations need members who can write eloquently to get the word out.

Where does your heart lie? Has a well-known cause touched your very core? Do your emotions come to life over a little-known injustice? How do you help? How can you help?

Write an article about it. Write a letter to the organization, commending them on their efforts. Tell them about your writing abilities, and find out what their needs are. Contact those who don't know about this group and educate them.

Spread the word. After all ... it's for a good cause!

Modern technology has certainly helped to make our lives easier. Or has it? With all the technological advances we have today, it seems that we're busier than ever. Our families and friends have instant access to us through cell phones, e-mail, and pagers. I've wanted to write an article about this for about seven months now, but I've never gotten past the idea stage. Ideas don't sell; articles do. Then I read two interesting articles in my local paper. One was about a novel written by a slave woman—possibly the earliest ever—and the other was about 40 industrialized nations around the world agreeing to cut back on carbon emissions.

Those two articles sound completely separate, so let me show you my train of thought. In the article on emissions, I read this quote: "With nations under pressure to cut pollution, new cars, household appliances, even the simple light bulb will have to be designed to save energy." There are so many new-fangled items on the market today, it's hard to imagine anything that could be better. But, I remember thinking the same thing as a child, when we got our first automatic dishwasher. I'm sure the author of the Bondswoman's Narrative thought life had advanced since the time of her childhood as well.

This week, I thought we'd take a cue from that long-ago author, and sprinkle in "modern technology." Break out your camera, and take some photos of things around your house that you find "high tech." Things like your computer, dishwasher, microwave oven, etc. Even your car could be considered a high tech item if it's new. How have these things changed your lifestyle since your youth?

Write a poem about the differences in your life, thanks to modern technology. How about a memoir for future descendants? They'd probably love to hear how we "managed" with our limited technological advances. A fictional account of traveling backward or forward in time would make a nice children's story. If your imagination allows, try writing a futuristic novel about life in 20 years, 100 years, even 500 years. What types of things will be new and improved in that time span?

Have you ever tried to rewrite a Christmas song, story or poem? That's your challenge this week. Try doing "The 12 Days of Christmas" from a writer's perspective. Or think about the Grinch and write, "How Writer's Block Stole My Christmas Letter." Or even, "Twas the Night Before Publication."

My version of a Rollodex is a 4" X 6" cardfile box. I seldom throw away any of the cards, even if I've lost touch with the addressee. Often, as I go through the box looking for an address, I pull out a card for someone I haven't contacted in years. Maybe it's a teacher, or a former college friend. Maybe it's a co-worker from three jobs ago, or an acquaintance I met while doing volunteer work.

How about you? You probably have an address or two that you haven't used in awhile. Break out your pen and jot a note to them. Sending just a card with your signature doesn't count! You must write a note—two paragraphs, minimum.

Did you set any goals last year? Did you accomplish them? I set a long-range goal of getting published in print last year. I hoped to accomplish that by setting short-range goals of sending out one query or article per month. While I didn't accomplish all of the short-range goals, I did accomplish my long-range goal!

How about you? Take a moment to think about last year and list your writing accomplishments. Did you meet the goals you set? If not, what can you do now to work towards completing them? Do you need to send off a query? Do it! Do you need to contact an editor, publisher or agent? Do it! Don't let another moment slip by until you've tried your best to complete last year's goals!

Now let's look at your goals for the next year. What do you want to accomplish by this time next year? What are the steps you can take to get there? Break them down into monthly goals:

We may be writers, but chances are good that we still have things to learn about the craft of writing. Writing magazines, web sites and newsletters all carry information about various classes for writers.

Imagine for a moment that you've been given access to all the money in the world. You decide to use some of the money to take a class, or classes, to improve your writing and marketing skills. Take a moment to write down what you'd like to learn more about. Is it poetry? Characterization? Point of view? Outlining and organizing magazine articles? Journaling? Writing for newspapers? Anything you'd like to learn about is available to you—you just need to write it down!

In one of her columns, Jacquelyn Mitchard wrote about a friend who remains silent on the first and third Mondays of each month. She went on to admit that this wouldn't be possible for her, but that she would "try for some hours." What a grand idea! Complete days of silence are not possible in my home either, but I, too, will try for some hours. I will also try to not speak as loudly during the day—if the children don't hear me, it's their loss. I will use my journal more, making note of how my 'quiet' days go. There could be some wonderful articles within this experiment. And, hopefully, when I am quiet I will write more.

How about you? Can you spend complete days in silence? What do you think you'll learn during your silent times? Do you think you'll get more writing done?

How many of you can tie your shoes? Make scrambled eggs? Change a lightbulb? Ride a bike? These are all fairly simple things to do—so simple, in fact, that we take them for granted much of the time when we do them. We just do it, without thinking of how we do it. But, have you ever tried to explain it, in writing, to someone?

Your prompt this week is to explain how to do something. It doesn't have to be what I mentioned above, it can be anything you wish to explain. But, it must be in clear, easy to understand language—if you have Microsoft Word, you can use your Spelling and Grammar checker to see what grade level your writing is at. Try to shoot for as low of a grade as possible—4th grade or lower would be good!

And don't forget anything! For instance, if you write about scrambling eggs, remember to explain HOW to crack an egg, don't just say "crack an egg into a bowl and beat it." If a fool read that, they would put the cracked shell into the bowl as well! Remember to cover all the bases; take nothing for granted—explain it!

Glancing through my local newspaper, I found an interesting article on Wisconsin's "Library Building Boom." Imagine for a moment that you've been asked to suggest books for a new library. What books would you suggest? What do you feel would be "must have" books for any library?

Think back to your childhood for a moment. Can you remember a specific time when you told a lie?

You're late! You grab your coat and rush out the door.

Now, tell us where you are going, and what you are late for. Why are you late? Is anyone with you? How about keeping this to under 500 words? For a real challenge, write it once for adults, and once for children.

What's in a name? The wrong name can make your characters weak and unbelievable. The right name can place an image in the reader's mind that is hard to forget. Once, for a short story I was writing, I pulled out my Polish dictionary and looked up the word "donkey." That became the last name of the antagonist! For the other characters, I took into consideration their heritage and tried to find names that fit.

Do you write about real people? Or do you create composite characters?

Think of three people you know well. Use the physical qualities of one person, the personality of the second, and the mannerisms of the third to create a new character. Create a new name for this character and place them in a situation that is not uncommon to you.

You've probably faced a frightening situation in your life. Tornados, car accidents, illnesses ... all those things that "only happen to other people" and seem so surreal when they actually happen to you. After the height of the crisis was over, did you get any notes or letters from friends or relatives? When my father was killed in a vehicular accident, the focus was on his widow and his parents. Even I was more concerned about them than myself. A few days after the funeral a letter arrived in my mail. It was from a friend who had never met my dad. It really made a difference to know someone was thinking of me. I know that sounds selfish, but it's a basic human desire: to be nurtured.

Think about your family, friends and neighbors. Are any of them experiencing a crisis in their life right now? Sit down and write them a short note, just to let them know you are thinking of them and that you care about them. Then, mark your calendar for three or four weeks from now, and on that day, write again. This second note is just as important as the first—it will let the recipient know that they haven't been forgotten.

Have you ever written something—something that was truthful—and wish you hadn't? Yesterday there was an article in the paper about new e-mail software that allows you to control your messages after they leave your computer. Apparently, messages cannot be copied or saved, and it can even be set up so that the messages are unreadable after a certain number of views. An Internet law expert is noted as saying that e-mail users are better off watching what they say "rather than coming up with gimmicks to avoid having records."

If you've written something that you wish you hadn't, were you able to straighten the situation out without losing friends? Or, were you able to retrieve the fateful note before it could do its damage?

If this situation is still unresolved, try writing a note now—to remedy any problems that arose from your truthfulness. How about using this situation in a fictional story?

I thought some of you might be interested in a political writing prompt. Pick a candidate (for any position) and write a short (about 250-words) "ad" for him/her. Why should others vote for him/her? Be persuasive and factual.

This week's topic is CELEBRATING. How do you celebrate after completing a big project? Does knowing that you will be celebrating help to get the project done sooner?

Think about a game you enjoyed as a child. We used to play Ball Tag outdoors, and Spoons indoors. Do you remember the rules for all the various games you used to play? Take a moment today to reflect on those carefree childhood days and write the rules for that game, as you remember them.

Here's a scene—you come up with questions and possible articles ideas or fictional storylines.

While traveling a few years ago, we stopped at a wayside. As I waited for my family to come back to the van, I noticed the other travelers and started taking notes. There was one car, packed to the roof in the backseat with suitcases and 'stuff.' It was a small, sporty car. The driver was a young woman, probably in her late 20's or early 30's. She had a young boy with her, about 9. They had a huge dog—a black Shepherd or something similar. The woman seemed in a hurry, but not anxious. She was smiling most of the time, talking with the boy.

What if ... ??? You fill in the blank. It could be a destination, a situation, a how-to or some other topic.

This week's prompt is two-fold. Below I have typed up the first three paragraphs of three literary works—classic stories, if you will. Can anyone identify them? The second challenge is to take one of the first paragraphs and write a new story from it.

Looking back to all that has occurred to me since that eventful day, I am scarcely able to believe in the reality of my adventures. They were truly so wonderful that even now I am bewildered when I think of them.

My uncle was a German, having married my mother's sister, an Englishwoman. Being very much attached to his fatherless nephew, he invited me to study under him in his home in the fatherland. This home was in a large town, and my uncle a professor of philosophy, chemistry, geology, mineralogy, and many other ologies.

One day, after passing some hours in the laboratory—my uncle being absent at the time—I suddenly felt the necessity of renovating the tissues-i.e., I was hungry, and was about to rouse up our old French cook, when my uncle Professor Von Hardwigg, suddenly opened the street door, and came rushing upstairs.

I went back to the Devon School not long ago, and found it looking oddly newer than when I was a student there fifteen years before. It seemed more sedate than I remembered it, more perpendicular and strait-laced, with narrower windows and shinier woodwork, as though a coat of varnish had been put over everything for better preservation. But, of course, fifteen years before there had been a war going on. Perhaps the school wasn't as well kept up in those days; perhaps varnish, along with everything else, had gone to war.

I didn't entirely like this glossy new surface, because it made the school look like a museum, and that's exactly what it was to me, and what I did not want it to be. In the deep, tacit way in which feeling becomes stronger than thought, I had always felt that the Devon School came into existence the day I entered it, was vibrantly real while I was a student there, and then blinked out like a candle the day I left.

Now here it was after all, preserved by some considerate hand with varnish and wax. Preserved along with it, like stale air in an unopened room, was the well known fear which had surrounded and filled those days, so much of it that I hadn't even known it was there. Because, unfamiliar with the absence of fear and what that was like, I had not been able to identify its presence.

"Camelot—Camelot," said I to myself. "I don't seem to remember hearing of it before. Name of the asylum, likely."

It was a soft, reposeful summer landscape, as lovely as a dream, and as lonesome as Sunday. The air was full of the smell of flowers, and the buzzing of insects, and the twittering of birds, and there were no people, no wagons, there was no stir of life, nothing going on. The road was mainly a winding path with hoofprints in it, and now and then a faint trace of wheels on either side in the grass—wheels that apparently had a tire as broad as one's hand.

Presently a fair slip of a girl, about ten years old, with a cataract of golden hair streaming down over her shoulders, came along. Around her head she wore a hoop of flame-red poppies. It was as sweet an outfit as ever I saw, what there was of it. She walked indolently along, with a mind at rest, its peace reflected in her innocent face. The circus man paid no attention to her; didn't even seem to see her. And she—she was no more startled at his fantastic makeup than if she was used to his like every day of her life. She was going by as indifferently as she might have gone by a couple of cows; but when she happened to notice me, then there was a change! Up went her hands, and she was turned to stone; her mouth dropped open, her eyes stared wide and timorously, she was the picture of astonished curiosity touched with fear. And there she stood gazing, in a sort of stupefied fascination, till we turned a corner of the wood and were lost to her view. That she should be startled at me instead of at the other man, was too many for me; I couldn't make head or tail of it. And that she should seem to consider me a spectacle, and totally overlook her own merits in that respect, was another puzzling thing, and a display of magnanimity, too, that was surprising in one so young. There was food for thought here. I moved along as one in a dream.

Have you ever written anything based on a dream you had? Our dreams are basically stories that our minds make up as we are sleeping—great fodder for fictional writing! Do any of you keep journals by your bed so that you can capture your dreams the moment you wake up? I've done this a few times, and know it's not easy—dreams slip away so fast once you wake up. Usually I have only fleeting ideas of what happened, yet the strong emotions of the dream remain for hours.

Do you find yourself writing about different things in the summer and winter? Does the warmer weather prompt you to write about nature, sports and other outdoor things? Does the cooler weather cause you to write about intangible things like issues, emotions and memories?

What would you do if one day, as you're surfing the Web, you come across one of your articles, or a portion of one of your articles, and your name isn't on it?

Craft a letter to an unknown Webmaster, informing him/her of their illegal use of your copyrighted material. Will you request that it be taken down, or just that your byline is appended to it?

Or, how would react to having your work forwarded in an email-go-round without your byline. Would you reply to the person who sent it to you informing them of your authorship and ask them to forward the info to everyone that they forwarded the original mailing to? Do you enlighten them on the copyright laws as well? Or, would you just let it slide, and be glad that your words are being shared and enjoyed by many?

How do you know when to stop?

Do you have a piece in your files that you've written, and rewritten, numerous times? Do you hold back on submitting it somewhere because you just don't feel it's ready?

Pull out that piece right now. Check it for spelling and grammar - read it out loud—and then find someplace to submit it! Get it into the mail within a week. Sure, it may get rejected, but it may get accepted, too—and you'll never find out if you don't submit it.

How important is "place" in your writing? Do you describe it in detail, or do you focus more on characters?

Think back to when you were a child, when you visited your grandparents, or another relative or friend. Take a few minutes to write about their home, both indoor and out.

Try using a common brainstorming method: write the name of the homeowner in the middle of a sheet of paper and circle it. Now, as you think of other things, write them in circles around the main word. As you think of things related to this set of words, write the new words around them as well. Keep going as far as you can. Your pager will eventually look similar to a spider web with all the circles and connecting lines.

Use these words and phrases to write a personal essay about this place. Or, work the description of the place into a fictional story. How can you use these memories in nonfiction?

Who influenced your desire to write? Have you ever told them of their influence? Have you ever shared successes or dreams with them? Consider writing a letter to that person. Or, write up an essay about the way they changed your life. How about a fictional story of how your life may be different if you had never met that person or been influenced by them?

A few years ago I read a couple books by the Bronte sisters. These are very "literary" works. Are you a literary writer, or a mainstream writer? Or maybe you're a poet, or a nonfiction writer?

Have any of you tried to step out of your comfort zone and write in a different genre? That's your challenge this week: rewrite a scene from a literary work and make it more mainstream, or take a scene from a mainstream work and make it more literary.

Is there a particular newspaper columnist that you enjoy reading? Find a recent column written by that person in the paper—if they had written it as a private letter to you, what comment would you write back?

Take a moment this week to write a note to a columnist. Tell them why you enjoy reading their work, and include any comments you have about their latest column.

Show, don't tell—that's your exercise for this week. Here's the scenario: Your four-year-old child has just broken her arm. Yes, you know it's broke; it has a really gross bend where it shouldn't. Show, don't tell, how you react upon finding this situation. Show, don't tell, how your child is reacting. Show, don't tell, about the room/area you are in when it happens, and the reactions of anyone else you come into contact with.

Marketing is part of the writing life. How do you promote yourself as a writer? Do you have some sort of marketing plan (business cards, brochures) that lets others know you are a writer? Write down your ideas!

Last week we discussed marketing ourselves as writers. This week let's talk about marketing books. If you've already written a book, what did you do to market it? If you haven't yet been published, what types of things do you plan to do to help market your book? Take a moment this week to write out a marketing plan.

Has your passion for the written word cost you anything? I'm not talking about money you may have spent to research a manuscript. What about your social life? You job? Your family relationships? How has life changed for you since you've started writing? Take a moment to list these costs. Then write down what you've gained (non-monetary) from your writing.

This week's writing prompt is a genre challenge. Think about your favorite type of food or specific ingredient. Write a scene from a fictional story that involves that food/ingredient. Write a review of a restaurant in your town that specializes in that food/ingredient. Write about it from a child's point of view, as they experience that food/ingredient for the first time.

See how many different ways you can write about the same food/ingredient. Challenge yourself to expand your writing—step out of your normal comfort zone!

What distracts you? How do you get around those distractions and keep writing? Of the various things you've tried, what works and what doesn't? Take time to write down your distractions/ solutions and see if there is a pattern. Maybe you prefer to write in the morning, but have more time in the evening; maybe your hobby/pets/family would make a good topic to write about—especially if your mind is already on the topic anyway.

How are your goals for this year coming along? If your goal was to finish a novel, have you? If your goal was to improve your skills, have you taken any classes (online or in person) to do so? If you set publishing goals, have they been reached?

Take time today to consider, and list, the things you hope to accomplish this year. If you are taking steps to reach those goals, write down what they are. If you haven't started working on some of your goals, write down the steps you will take to reach them. Don't wait until December!

Dig through your previous work, or a journal from a few years ago. Pick one article/story/scene and rework it into a short story or article. Try changing the point of view, or the slant. Find a writing contest and polish your work, then send it in!

Do you have a book in you? I came across an article at Independent Publisher.com that really made me think. Although I write, I do not feel I have a book in me - not yet. Maybe it's there and I just don't know it? But, I do know I have a style of writing articles that people enjoy reading. That's enough for me, right now. How about you?

Your writing prompt this week is to start writing that book! Maybe, like me, you don't have a book in you. Maybe you just have lots of ideas for articles, essays or poems. If that's the case, start writing them! See how much you can get done this week.

Your neighbors have a story. You may not know it yet, but they hold a wealth of writing ideas for you! This week, think of your neighbors to the west of you ... some of you may have to look farther west than others, depending on your neighborhood. Consider what you know about this neighbor. Do they have any hobbies, what kind of job do they have, how many children, etc.? If you don't know your neighbors well, try brainstorming and using your imagination to create article ideas, or story lines, based on what you do know about them.

For instance, if you know their family emigrated here from Poland, you could use that info as a backdrop for a character in a fictional story. Or how about an article on immigration in the 21st century—how have things changed over the years?

Maybe you'd like to do a human interest article because you know about a specific struggle this neighbor has faced. Take time to visit your neighbor, get more info, let them know about your article. If you need ideas on how to write human interest articles, there are two writers in the Milwaukee area who do an excellent job: Jim Stingl and Bill Janz. These men can turn just about anything or anyone into a story!

Pick a person ... any person ... as long as you don't know them personally. It could be someone you see at the grocery store, or the guy in the car next to you as you wait at a stop light. It could even be someone in a movie who is just a "walk-on" (the people who are 'acting' in the background, making the movie seem like real life.) If possible, write down a physical description of that person: hair and eye color, age, build, clothing style worn, etc. Now, give that person a background and a personality. What types of experiences do you think this person has had, and how have they shaped their personality? What about a name for this person? Are they married? Do they have kids? What type of job do they have?

This exercise may spark a story idea, and you may want to use this character right away. Or, you may want to start a Character File, if you haven't already, to file this person away for future use.

When you were young you probably had a cousin who was one of your best friends. Now that time has gone by, you've both grown up and moved on in your lives. If you are still close friends, that's wonderful! But, maybe you are not as close as you once were. Maybe circumstances have caused you to drift apart. Maybe a particular situation has torn you apart.

Take time this week to craft a letter to this relative. If you are still close, express your appreciation for him/her. If time has separated you, write a long "catch-up" letter. If a conflict has pushed you apart, maybe it's time to lay it to rest and move on, either with your relative or without them.

The holiday season is filled with traditions: hunting, visiting relatives, cooking, etc. This week, take a moment to write up all the various traditions that your family currently has. Use these notes to write a nonfiction article about holiday traditions. Or, use your traditions in a fictional story, either for adults, or children.

The discussion topic this week is to recommend three writing books, or even just one writing book. Think about the books you would recommend ... what tips and suggestions within those books did you find most helpful? Take a moment to write down just those tips and suggestions. Now, with your list in hand, look over it and see which of those tips you practice regularly in your own writing. You may want to create a check list from those tips and suggestions and post it near your computer, so you can refer to it during every writing project.

If you don't have access to a local, in-person writing group, craft a letter to your local librarian. Requesting the use of one of their rooms one night/day per month so that you can host a writing group. If your library is too small, why not contact a local bookstore?

Don't feel pressured to "run" this new group. Put up ads at the library or store bulletin board, and place a free ad in a community newspaper, inviting people to attend an "organizational meeting." At the first meeting, discuss what everyone would like to see in a writing group, set up future meeting dates, and write up group guidelines. Don't worry about refreshments, or charging dues until the group gets going.

We tend to be "material oriented" in our society: gadgets to make our lives easier, gizmos to do things faster, etc. What types of "toys" do you own that are nice, but not necessary? Take time to write up a list of gadgets and gizmos, and then evaluate their usefulness in your life. If you use it often, and it truly saves you time, then it's probably worth saving. But, if you use it once a year or less—like that 2-slice toaster that still works, but is sitting in the basement because you bought a 4-slice model—consider donating it to charity. Free up some space in your home! Don't forget to keep a list of what you donate as well, for tax purposes.

How often have you read something in a magazine or newspaper and thought, "this person has no idea what they're talking about!"? And, if this person is a regular contributor, and you feel it is reflecting poorly on the paper or magazine, have you taken the time to contact the editor to voice your opinion?

Your writing challenge is to contact that editor. Let them know that you don't agree with what's been printed, and state why. Be factual—show the editor that you are considering the magazine/paper and not just your own feelings. Obviously, your own preferences will come into play, but your goal is to be diplomatic enough to show the editor why others probably feel the same.

I recently read an article in the paper about a young couple that got married: he was "West Point" and she was "Annapolis." Two rival branches of the Service joined together. Perfect conflict! Your writing prompt this week is to write about someone who is entering into a relationship with someone who holds an opposite view on something. Write a scene where they go to the home of one person's family—how does the "opposite" person hold their own in this crowd? Your "opposite" category can be anything ... sports, politics, religious, personalities, etc.

We've previously discussed doing character sketches. Now let's take a moment to do a physical description. You may want to do a number of these:

Remember to note basics, like hair color/length, as well as unique features, like a strategically placed freckle, or a missing finger.