Improbable Press Blog

I have a secret. I'll tell it to you because it's a good one, and the secret is this: each time you post a tiny, perfect jewel of a story, each time you use these writing prompts to create something eerie or hopeful, dark or delightful, every damned time, it's like I'm unwrapping a Christmas present. The best part is never knowing what to expect. Some of you go grim with these prompts, others write slice-of-life, many are a bit of both. I try and help with weird words and at least one slightly veering image. This week I wonder—what...

by Tessa Barding Write about anything you’d care to write about, I was told. Sure, I said. Love to, I replied. Then went and sat before an empty document, watching the cursor gently blink. Thing is, I’ve been unable to write for months. Why is that, you ask. And I say: I have no bloody idea. 2019 has seen one of my dreams come true: I wrote a novel. Which got published, publishing house and all. Pretty good, eh? I also survived my employer being swallowed by another company, kept my job and my paycheck. Not bad either, eh. Going...

Five little words. Maybe? For nearly a month it seemed that's all I'd written, five. little. words. Then I posted last week's writing prompt, black water, and I looked at it side-eye and thought, "I want to think about this thing." So I did. For a few seconds. Then I just…wrote some stuff. What turned out to be a dark ode kind of thing. And put it down in the comments of the prompt. And that was more than I had written in a month and I guess what I'm trying to say is writing prompts work. So here's yours...

By Atlin Merrick Do pitch again. Sometimes an editor or publisher rejects your story or book but says "we really like your style, but we're looking something with more B, less A." For the love of all that's holy they just gave you a leg up in getting your book further along the process, please take it. All right, sure, maybe you don't want to put a lot more B into your book and that's fine. In that case pitch them another book, this one more B-centric. Do follow the yellow brick road. As an editor, when I turn down...

Every single week. We'll be here. With a prompt. If you need it. Even if you don't, we'll be publishing writing prompts each week to inspire something for someone. Most weeks a voice raises itself and we're delighted by wee stories, delicious tiny tales prompted from that week's prompts. From last week's Start over… "'Do you mind?!' The merman snapped……freckles, dusted across the merman’s nose and cheeks like blue and green stars" * "Sherlock, a stone’s throw away and sitting contently on a garden bench, watched his little family. Who knew his life could be so full of love?" *...