We're about halfway through summer, so where is your writing life at today? What are you working on? How's it coming?

For our first Visual Writing Prompt, we have this intriguing photo from Felix Russell-Saw. So take a long look at it, and consider the possibilities of what in the world is happening in this photo. Let it guide you somewhere. To a story, to a character, to something.
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And if you feel like sharing with the community, post your little story from the prompt in the comments below. We will feature the best of the best and possibly publish an anthology of prompt responses some day. 

But enough about that, look. Stare. Gander. And let the creative juices flow. 

This month we introduce a new way to get creative and maybe even help with breaking writer's block. That's right, it's called a Musical Writing Prompt.

With these prompts we won't be providing you with a visual or words or themes, simply a song. One song to listen to and let your mind wonder, meditate. Let the music guide you to a story you might not have thought of otherwise, or build on one you already know.

If you do come up with something, please write it below in the comments and share with the rest of the community. Especially, because we will be featuring the best ones on the site and maybe even publish some of the really fantastic ones.

But for now, just click play and listen to John Carpenter's song Night from his "Lost Themes" album.

​Happy writing.

Your inner editor is that voice in your head that tells you when you’ve made a typo, or written an awkward sentence, etc. A strong inner editor is not a bad thing, most of the time.

When you’ve written your first draft you can let that strong inner editor loose on your work and hopefully avoid humiliation when you first hand your draft to another reader. If you have a weak inner editor you should get as much outside help as possible.
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​Balancing being a human and being a writer is quite a difficult task, especially when it isn’t one’s career or greatest source of income. For me, one of the hardest aspects of making time for writing is that I see it as a hobby; often, I feel pressured to take care of every necessary task before picking up my pen. And sometimes, unfortunately, when I get everything done that needs doing (just kidding—is this even possible?) or I put some things off to make time for writing, I find I can’t write. I can’t tell you how frustrating this is when I have as much passion for it as I do. Writer’s block is not something I’m proud to admit I face. Maybe because I think it’s weak? Or because it isn’t talked about as much in my circle of writing friends? Whatever the reason, I’ve accepted it as a real issue that needs to be dealt with.

Over the years that I’ve struggled with this phenomenon, I’ve developed some skills and techniques of working through it. They’re not bullet-proof, and I don’t use the same method every time, but it’s definitely helped me overcome it and get something on the page.

There is no right or wrong way to develop names for your characters. But sometimes it can be difficult to just magically come up with names that just work for your characters and perfectly fit them. 

We've put together a short list of some possibilities for developing names. Hopefully these are ideas you’ve not thought of yet, and you can find a new treasure trove of names you’ve not thought of by the end of reading this post. Be sure to share with us ways you find helpful in the comments we may not have thought of sharing. ​