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Today’s prompt is going to require you to put on your academic hat. We are going to dive into the world of non-fiction. I want you to choose an animal. It can be your favorite animal, a weird one, a scary one, any animal you want. Once you’ve picked your animal, you’re going to research […]

I was recently watching the original Jumanji and it gave me the idea for today’s prompt. Instead of the imaginary world spilling into ours, I want you to imagine you’ve been sucked into your favorite movie or book. What do you do first? Do you help the protagonist or do you team up with the […]

For today’s writing prompt, I want you to create a school, but not just any school. You’re going to create a unique setting where a novel can take place. It can be a school of magic, a school for superheroes or creatures or something entirely different. The choice is yours. Be creative. What classes will […]

For today’s writing prompt, I want you to think about sensory details and how we use them in writing. For this prompt, I want you to make or simply think about your favorite food or meal. Write a list and answer the following questions: What do you see? Note colors and textures. Is there steam? […]

Bree Bender is a freelance writer and writing instructor living outside of Portland, Oregon. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. When she’s not writing, she can be found chasing her three kids on the beaches of the Oregon Coast or curled up with a […]

You only live once. This phrase has been swirling around in my brain for the last year and a half. The pandemic has caused all of us to look and think about life differently. I’ve reevaluated my priorities and have given a lot of thought to how I’m living my life. Let’s just say, work […]

When I first started posting writing prompts and resources, it was at the beginning of the pandemic. Oregon had decided to close schools for the foreseeable future and we didn’t know when that would end. Last week, it was announced that Oregon schools will be closed for the remainder of the school year. Students have […]

I’ve been deep in the middle of revisions to my middle grade novel and there is one character that I haven’t quite figured out. Then I realized that I don’t know that character very well. For each of my characters, including my secondary characters, I do what is called a character sketch. I write out […]

Instead of doing a writing prompt today, I wanted to post a list of some writing craft books that have been helpful to me. You can purchase these at any local indie bookstore or check them out from your library. Given that many libraries are closed right now, you can take a look and see […]

In addition to writing exercises and prompts, I also wanted to put together a list of online learning resources that students can utilize during this time. Below is a list of links for outside learning opportunities to help with a student’s overall academic work. Some of these resources are free and some may require a […]