Written by September 4th, 2014

Writing Prompt: Words from Another

For this prompt I want you to grab a book off your shelf, it should be a book that is written by someone who has a writing style that is very different than your natural style. It can be a book you have read or one you have not. It could be a book of fiction, non-fiction, or poetry.

Browse through the book till you find a page that appeals to you. Then pick up to ten words or phrases from that page. Phrases should contain no more than 3 words.

Write down all these words and phrases at the top of the page that you are working on. Now start to write. You can write a short story, flash fiction, or poem. Incorporate the words you wrote down into the piece in the order you wrote them down. This is one of my favorite prompts. You end up writing about different things then you normally do, when you are incorporating another person’s language into your own writing.

 

We Send You Publishers Seeking Submissions.

Sign up for our free e-magazine and we will send you reviews of publishers seeking short stories, poetry, essays, and books.

Subscribe now and we'll send you a free copy of our book Submit, Publish, Repeat

Notes from the Editor’s Desk: December 2025

Notes from the Editor’s Desk: December 2025

This monthly column is published on the fourth Thursday of every month, and is a space to share information that doesn’t fit anywhere else in our publication. This includes a wide range of opportunities for writers, news and information, and subscriber’s recent success stories. Opportunities: Tokyo Poetry Journal is open for submissions from now through…

30 Magazines Accepting Flash Fiction

30 Magazines Accepting Flash Fiction

These magazines publish a wide variety of flash fiction, up to 1,500 words. Many of them publish other genres as well, like nonfiction and poetry. They are a mix of literary and genre magazines. Many, but not all of them, are open for submissions now. A few of these magazines pay writers.Ink In ThirdsThey publish…

5 Paying Literary Magazines to Submit to in December 2025

5 Paying Literary Magazines to Submit to in December 2025

These magazines pay for fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. They’re a mix of literary and genre magazines. Not all are open through the month. The Ex-PuritanThis Canadian literary magazine publishes fiction, nonfiction, experimental/hybrid work, interviews, reviews, poetry, and poetry in translation. The deadline is 25 December, or until filled, for the next issue; they accept a…

Lamp Lit: Now Seeking Submissions

Lamp Lit: Now Seeking Submissions

A journal of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. They nominate writers for The Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net.