Speak Your Mind

We want WitFit to be the best it can be! If you participated, please complete this quick survey.

WitFit challenges new and veteran writers alike by providing them with opportunities to practice their skills every day. Your feedback will help us to improve our program and plan for the future.

Please take a moment to complete the participant survey for the month’s WitFit. All questionnaires are submitted anonymously, so let us know what you think!

Thank you for participating. If you’d like to enroll for next month’s WitFit, please complete the registration form. We’re looking forward to writing with you!

February 2010 Prompts

The daily prompts for February 2010 are listed below. We’ll upload your prompt the day after it’s received; however, don’t forget to share it with your readers. Click on the link to view each prompt.

What is WitFit?

Welcome to WitFit, our wildly successful series of daily writing prompts for all genres!

“Write every day” is one of the most popular pieces of advice given to writers. No other practice challenges the mind, provokes the imagination, and does so much to encourage a writer to continue practicing their craft!

But what about time? The prospect of trying to write at the same time every day can be discouraging, but if you can find even twenty minutes to write—when waking up, on lunch break, or while dinner is cooking—you can develop your style, sharpen your ability to pair words and ideas, and stir your creative imagination.

Prepare to stretch your creative wings!

Registration

To register, complete this form.

Rules

• Registered users will receive links to all three categories on a daily basis. Read at your own discretion.
• You can write on any subject or topic, within the appropriate rating category—see the Ratings Guide. You must provide all appropriate ratings, warnings, and disclaimers to readers in each of your entries, and use the exact formatting provided by WitFit, all as specified in Process, below. Note: Though Fictionista Workshop is a free-speech, free-writing venue, we reserve the right to moderate with any writer to discuss submissions, ratings, or warnings prior to posting, particularly in cases where controversial material is submitted.
• There is no word minimum or maximum.
• You can send your formatted entries via email and we will post them on our website. See Process for details about formatting and submitting your entries. Note: If you cannot submit your entries by the deadline of midnight Central Standard Time on the prompt date, don’t worry—simply start over with a new prompt tomorrow! We post what you write, and any level of participation is better than none.
• You can post your work under your own profiles, blogs, websites—wherever you choose.

Prompts

There are seven basic prompt types in WitFit, all designed to get your creative muscles working at peak efficiency. Monday through Friday, you’ll receive two writing prompts: one a single-word prompt meant to spark ideas quickly and a second, varied prompt that will make you stretch a bit. Saturday, you’ll get a single Multimedia Share prompt you can customize in any way you choose. Sundays are reflection days, when we encourage you to review your progress for the week and to set goals for next week’s writing—and of course, to celebrate your success.

Word Prompt: A single word meant to inspire immediate thought. Write what your imagination dictates. Submissions are completely open to word count, point of view, characterization, and so on.
Plot Generators: You will be given a topic, concept, or a common phrase in one of the following areas. Use the prompt to jump-start your imagination and follow where it leads, writing as you go.

• Binding Blurb: In 500 words or fewer, write a blurb or a short entry on the given topic.
• Idea Completion: An idea or concept is presented. Follow where it leads you.
• Phrase Catch: A phrase is presented, one that could lead in various directions. Repeat the phrase to yourself five times, open a blank document or get out a fresh sheet of paper, and begin.

Audio-Visual Challenges: You will be given a video, music clip, or image as a prompt. Watch or view the provided files, and write what comes to you.

• Video Challenge: A YouTube video of a scene from a movie, television show, speech, news presentation, and so on.
• Musical Mastery: A YouTube video of a piece of music from a variety of genres. Listen to the sample, then write whatever comes to you first.
• Imagined Image: A photograph or image taken from the web, each one different and ambiguous—designed to stimulate your mind.

Dialogue Flex: Using the provided snippet of dialogue, explore what comes to mind, be it a scene, a thought, or something else.
Live Challenge: This challenge is geared toward inspiring your imagination and encouraging you to take action within the local community.
Scenario: Complete the scenario in any way, in any style, and for any word count. Open your mind and follow where it leads, writing as you go.
Multimedia Share: Search Google/YouTube for one of three given words, then select a search result at random and write about it.

Want to know more? Learn how the process works, sign up to receive the prompt emails, check out our FAQ, get tips about making the most of your WitFit writing experience, view past and current WitFit writing prompts, and come back at the end of each month you participate in WitFit to tell us about your experience.

We look forward to writing with you!

Send your comments, questions, or concerns to fictionista.witfit@gmail.com. Please allow 24 hours for a response.

Spread the word about WitFit! If you know struggling writers and readers, help them get back on track by telling them about this great series.

January 2010 Prompts

The daily prompts for January 2010 are listed below. We’ll upload your prompt the day after it’s received; however, don’t forget to share it with your readers. Click on the link to view each prompt.

Hints for WitFit Writers

WitFit prompts are designed to challenge your imagination from a multimedia perspective. You may write in the style of any rating; however, you must assign appropriate ratings and warnings to your work according to this ratings guide. There is no minimum or maximum word count.

Prompts are suggestions, not rules…

There are two methods for prompt writing:

1. Open a document and simply write what comes to you next and go from there, line by line. Some writers close their eyes and type, some jot down notes or the first few words that come to their mind, ruminate over them, and then formulate anything with that prompt. Where you end up in your writing may be completely different from your original source or intention, and that’s great, because you’re following your imagination and provoking your creativity.
2. Use the daily WitFit prompt as the central theme or idea for your piece of writing, without necessarily using the words of the prompt. Write around the ideas and images the prompt gives you!

Tips for WitFit writers

• Don’t edit while you write—Try to silence your inner editor; don’t think about if what you’re writing is making sense, or if it fits with your story. Just relax and let your creativity flow.
• Don’t overthink—WitFit is designed to challenge writers, to help you expand beyond their comfort zone, and to push your creative juices—to keep your wit fit. Some days you might not feel it, or like what you produce. However, Fictionista Workshop encourages you to submit what you have created every day, regardless of your level of satisfaction. This encouragement is given with this principle in mind: the overthinking writer is their own worst enemy. The purpose is to strengthen creative prowess, not the editing pen.
• Make it happen—Making writing part of your daily routine will help make the process less of a strange task and more of a day-to-day exploration. The goal of daily writing isn’t necessarily output; rather, it is about making writing second nature. Simply make it work for you and your lifestyle, and it will soon become so.

December 2009 Prompts

The daily prompts for December 2009 are listed below. We’ll upload your prompt the day after it’s received; however, don’t forget to share it with your readers. Click on the link to view each prompt.