You, or a main character in a story, have the opportunity to do one day over...which day would you choose...why...what would change (everything or nothing)? Write a short piece...250 words or less. And share your stories with us.

"In a letter from (Herman) Melville to (Nathaniel) Hawthorne, he says "I am so pulled hither and thither by circumstances. The calm, the coolness, the silent grass-growing mood in which a man ought always to compose, - that I fear, … Continue reading →

"Don’t quit. It’s very easy to quit during the first 10 years. Nobody cares whether you write or not, and it’s very hard to write when nobody cares one way or the other. You can’t get fired if you don’t … Continue reading →

So true for writers...."What is needed in the end, simply this: solitude, great inner solitude." - Rainer Maria Rilke

Use the city or town where you live as the topic word and write an acrostic poem. An acrostic poem uses the letters in a topic word to begin each line of the poem. The poem does not have to … Continue reading →

I found this article about the importance and power of curiosity really interesting. Check out Nurturing Curiosity at www.presentationzen.com

Write daily, read daily. Both will make you a better writer.

Write a one page (or less) short story about a day at the beach...use only one syllable words.

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you will enjoy our new issue of Speak Up Online. There's some amazing writing included...so click over to Speak Up Online and tell us what you think. Did the holidays eat up writing … Continue reading →

We'll be back in January 2012 with the next edition of Speak Up Online and some great new writing by teens.