• Writer’s Block: A Leap Off the Lion’s Head

    Writer’s Block: A Leap Off the Lion’s Head

    Many writers, especially young ones, will claim to have writer’s block; I was one of them.  I no longer believe in writer’s block. In graduate school when I met with playwright Romulus Linney for the first time to discuss ideas for my first full-length play, I handed him my four page free-write about how I…

  • Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling

    Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling

    I want to print these as posters and hang them around my office. Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling (with movie stills)! – ScreenCraft.

  • Prompt the Second

    Prompt the Second

    Here is the next writing prompt. And it is a good one! “Visit a neighborhood you’ve never been to. Pick a random house. What’s the story behind that house and the people who live in it?” If you can do a prompt the same day that is great, if not, no worries commit to doing…

  • “Composure” Makes fiftywordstories.com Lead Valentine Day Story

    “Composure” Makes fiftywordstories.com Lead Valentine Day Story

    Check it out. “Composure,” is the lead story on the Fiftywordstories.com site today! I did not have my site yet when I sent it, so it is not in my bio! I included no social media in my bio! Lesson: Always include some type of social media contact in you bio. CYNTHIA FRANKS: Composure |…

  • Speed Racer and My Superpower

    Speed Racer and My Superpower

    We moved to the new house in 1970, so I must have fell head-over-heels for Speed in 1973-74 when I was seven and in the third grade. That year our local TV station WJBK Channel 50 UHF Detroit began running the cartoon at 3 pm about the time school got out for the summer. I…

  • Start a Non-fiction Blog: The First Step in My Grand Plan

    Start a Non-fiction Blog: The First Step in My Grand Plan

    My Grand Plan began three years ago when I moved back to my hometown in Michigan and was born of necessity. The job market in my little corner of Michigan is deplorable. The only full-time jobs are in fast food or at Walmart and the only work for an educated person is teaching, unless your…

  • Where do Ideas Come From?

    Where do Ideas Come From?

    Where do ideas come from? It is a question all writers are asked and very few answer. I am going to answer it, sort of. I mean, I do not want to get kicked out of the union do I? The reason most writers give a vague answer to this question is there is no…

  • In Training 2 Write: Prompt the First

    In Training 2 Write: Prompt the First

    As a runner trains for a marathon, so a writer needs to train. Last year, I created a blog on tumblr for the purpose of practicing writing and it was incredibly helpful. Crafting a 750 word story based on a Writer’s Digest Your Story prompt was a blast. The result of it had a big…