Home : Writing prompts

Well-built writing prompts
Consider process as well as product

Writing assignments that require a constructed written response are called prompts. They have nothing to do with timely performance, as I'm sure you are aware from excuses you've heard for late assignments.

Rather, they give opportunities, reminders, or suggestions for writing, as in "You might want to write this essay if you don't want to stay home from the basketball game Friday night."

Such assignments are a normal part of life in both the workplace and in academic settings.

In work situations, the assignment-giver is interested only in the final product.

In school, however, the writing process is as important as the product it delivers.

Below is an overview all the pages on the subject of of student writing prompts currently available on this site. The information is equally applicable to middle school, high school, and college writing assignments.

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Comment of You-Can-Teach-Writing visitor

Son hates writing

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Well-built writing prompts Consider process as well as product

Pages about what prompts are and what they do

Pages about formal prompts

Pages on this thread about informal prompts