The Web Writer’s Toolkit: 365 prompts, collaborative exercises, games, and challenges for effective online content

The Web Writer’s Toolkit: 365 prompts, collaborative exercises, games, and challenges for effective online content

Released February 2013
Publisher(s): New Riders
ISBN: 9780133260618

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Book description

A recording of wind chimes. An item you cherish. Your childhood haunts. The pounding of a drum. Getting lost.
 
As author Lynda Felder reveals in A Web Writer’s Toolkit, almost anything can serve as a point of inspiration for successful Web writing. Follow along with her 365 exercises—in order or jump around to sections on travel, games, sounds, and much more—to learn how to transform your experiences and observations into ingenious Web content. Pretend you have a time machine and write about the time and place you would visit. Produce an audio story with sound effects. Tell a story about the time you spent living abroad. Make a recording from a common household object and incorporate it into your blog. Write the script of a voicemail message. Choose a poem and compose a melody to go with it.
 
By taking on these challenges, you will develop the confidence and skill you need to create successful content—while producing a significant body of work to present on the Web. Use this book on its own or with Lynda’s book Writing for the Web: Creating Compelling Web Content Using Words, Pictures, and Sound, and you’ll learn how to motivate yourself to generate great web content—and have fun doing it.

  • Includes 365 challenges that encourage you to observe, to think, and to try effective storytelling tasks

  • Focuses on words, pictures, and sound as story elements for your Web content, rather than the mechanics of using specific software apps and tools

  • Features a simple, straightforward format of numbered exercises, with suggested time to take for each one

For more tips, exercises, and suggestions for teachers, check out www.write4web.com.

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. Start Here
    1. Why You Should Read This Book
    2. How to Read This Book
    3. The Challenges
    4. Set a Time and Place
    5. Establish Rituals
    6. More Information
  6. 1. Growing Up
    1. 1. First Memory
    2. 2. Imaginary Friend
    3. 3. Best Friend
    4. 4. Teddy Bear
    5. 5. Favorite Toy
    6. 6. Climbing Trees
    7. 7. Candy
    8. 8. Childhood Haunts
    9. 9. Snowperson
    10. 10. Best Kids’ Movies
    11. 11. First New Technology
    12. 12. Childhood Bedroom
    13. 13. Picky Eater
    14. 14. Summer Vacations
    15. 15. Learning to Float
    16. 16. Fairies and Gremlins
    17. 17. Parent’s Bedroom
    18. 18. First Day of School
    19. 19. School Project
    20. 20. Favorite Teacher
    21. 21. Playhouse
    22. 22. First Bicycle
    23. 23. Favorite Children’s Book
    24. 24. Naughty or Nice
    25. 25. The Good Guys
    26. 26. The Bad Guys
    27. 27. Bad Hair Day
    28. 28. First Job
    29. 29. When I Was Little...
    30. 30. First Shave/Lipstick
    31. 31. Dancing Fools
    32. 32. A Memorable Time
  7. 2. Games We Play
    1. 33. Childhood Games
    2. 34. Favorite Game
    3. 35. Why Play Games?
    4. 36. Card Games
    5. 37. Cut the Deck
    6. 38. Video Games Change Us
    7. 39. Best Video Game
    8. 40. Addicted
    9. 41. Favorite Sport
    10. 42. Football
    11. 43. Benefits of Games
    12. 44. Skateboards
    13. 45. Surf’s Up
    14. 46. Wild Ride
    15. 47. Games as Movies
    16. 48. Writing Game
    17. 49. Favorite Ball Game
    18. 50. Game Scene
  8. 3. Journeys and Sojourns
    1. 51. Road Less Traveled
    2. 52. Lost!
    3. 53. Camping
    4. 54. Time Travel
    5. 55. Beam Me Up, Scotty
    6. 56. Dream Vacation
    7. 57. Packing for Travel
    8. 58. Day Pack
    9. 59. Most Beautiful Beach
    10. 60. Feels Like Home
    11. 61. Sad to Be All Alone
    12. 62. Safari
    13. 63. At the Airport
    14. 64. Trains
    15. 65. Train Experience
    16. 66. Travel Routine
    17. 67. Missed Connection
    18. 68. Bienvenido!
    19. 69. Travel Emergency
    20. 70. Exotic Meal
    21. 71. Surprise Purchase
    22. 72. Language Barrier
    23. 73. Cultural Adventure
    24. 74. Study Abroad
    25. 75. Compare Two Cities
    26. 76. Pilgrimage
    27. 77. Following Rules
    28. 78. Couldn’t Resist
    29. 79. Fun Facts
    30. 80. Driving
    31. 81. Shopping
    32. 82. One Day
    33. 83. Road Trip
    34. 84. Scary Adventure
    35. 85. Highest Point
    36. 86. Favorite Travel Story
    37. 87. Expat
    38. 88. Homesick
    39. 89. Travel Photo Story
  9. 4. The Animal Kingdom
    1. 90. Good Friends
    2. 91. Favorite Animal
    3. 92. Creepy Crawly
    4. 93. Dogs or Cats?
    5. 94. Birds
    6. 95. Creature’s Point of View
    7. 96. Childhood Pets
    8. 97. Bad Behavior
    9. 98. Sea Creatures
    10. 99. Animal Sounds
    11. 100. The Big Five
    12. 101. No Animals Were Harmed
    13. 102. Ugliest Animal
    14. 103. Mythical Beast
  10. 5. Possessions That Own You
    1. 104. Under Lock and Key
    2. 105. Buyer’s Remorse
    3. 106. My Shoes
    4. 107. I Feel Naked Without It
    5. 108. My Car
    6. 109. Five Cars
    7. 110. My Collection
    8. 111. Gadgets
    9. 112. Hindrance
    10. 113. Potlatch
    11. 114. Good Will
    12. 115. Most Valuable
    13. 116. Most Expensive
    14. 117. Most Cherished
    15. 118. Broken
    16. 119. Paper Dresses
    17. 120. Ode on a Grecian Urn
    18. 121. Regifting
    19. 122. Frustrating
    20. 123. Want it!
    21. 124. Write an Ad
  11. 6. What Foods These Morsels Be
    1. 125. Chocolate
    2. 126. Comfort Food
    3. 127. Fruits and Vegetables
    4. 128. Adventurous Eating
    5. 129. A Cherry on Top
    6. 130. Yuck!
    7. 131. Typical Breakfast
    8. 132. Family Dinners
    9. 133. Cupcakes
    10. 134. On a Diet
    11. 135. Favorite Drinks
    12. 136. Favorite Fruit
    13. 137. Hot Chiles
    14. 138. Dessert
    15. 139. Like to Cook?
    16. 140. Standard American Diet
    17. 141. Favorite Restaurant
    18. 142. Your Menu
    19. 143. Coke or Pepsi?
    20. 144. Eggplant Epithalamion
    21. 145. Table Manners
    22. 146. Grocery Shopping
    23. 147. Recipe
  12. 7. Sound Off
    1. 148. My Song
    2. 149. Music I Make
    3. 150. Percussion
    4. 151. A Song That Hits Home
    5. 152. Whistles
    6. 153. Foley Art
    7. 154. Listen
    8. 155. Audio Story
    9. 156. Empty Vessel
    10. 157. Voice Message
    11. 158. Two Songs
    12. 159. Parody a Song
    13. 160. Critique a Podcast
    14. 161. Moist
    15. 162. Music Genre
    16. 163. Christmas at Sea
  13. 8. Wordplay
    1. 164. Pattern Poetry
    2. 165. Too Much Blah
    3. 166. Favorite Book
    4. 167. A Diary
    5. 168. Charlotte’s Web
    6. 169. Six-word Story
    7. 170. Swear Words
    8. 171. Write the Book
    9. 172. Cool! Awesome!
    10. 173. Favorite Neologisms
    11. 174. Private Neologisms
    12. 175. Spoonerisms
    13. 176. Haiku
    14. 177. Pantoums
    15. 178. Villanelles
    16. 179. Eulogies
    17. 180. Roast and Toast
    18. 181. Clichés
    19. 182. Idioms
    20. 183. My Style
    21. 184. A Rule I Break
    22. 185. Netiquette
    23. 186. Shakespearean Sonnets
    24. 187. Ballads
    25. 188. It Annoys Me
    26. 189. Synesthesia
  14. 9. Big and Small Problems
    1. 190. Solution
    2. 191. Disturbed
    3. 192. A Lie
    4. 193. Foot in Mouth
    5. 194. Blackout
    6. 195. In Case of Fire
    7. 196. Down the Drain
    8. 197. Late
    9. 198. Barbie and Ken Break Up
    10. 199. Different
    11. 200. Knots
    12. 201. Big Baby
    13. 202. Precious Jewel
    14. 203. Too Much
    15. 204. Cure the Common Cold
    16. 205. Danger
    17. 206. Tough Sale
    18. 207. Troubles Song
    19. 208. Over and Over
    20. 209. Lessons Learned
    21. 210. Survival Tips
    22. 211. Protest!
    23. 212. Mountain out of a Molehill
    24. 213. Wrong Place, Wrong Time
  15. 10. Rituals, Traditions, and Celebrations
    1. 214. Inspiration
    2. 215. I Won!
    3. 216. Let’s Celebrate!
    4. 217. Wedding
    5. 218. Exciting Package
    6. 219. Best Gift
    7. 220. A Holiday Tradition
    8. 221. Staying on Top
    9. 222. Acceptance Speech
    10. 223. Costume
    11. 224. Rite of Passage
    12. 225. Invent a Tradition
  16. 11. Truth and Beauty
    1. 226. Flower
    2. 227. Angels
    3. 228. Lotus
    4. 229. Adage
    5. 230. Tall Tale
    6. 231. Clouds
    7. 232. Style Statement
    8. 233. Sunrise
    9. 234. Sunset
    10. 235. Beautiful Eyes
    11. 236. I Have a Dream
    12. 237. Surprise Invite
    13. 238. Your Muse
    14. 239. Observe
    15. 240. Worst Liar
    16. 241. White Lies
    17. 242. Romantic Evening
  17. 12. The Power of Story
    1. 243. Open Book
    2. 244. Story Starter
    3. 245. Nonfiction Photo Story
    4. 246. Everyone Has a Story
    5. 247. Fiction Photo Story
    6. 248. Action Figure
    7. 249. 15 Minutes of Fame
    8. 250. Photo Script
    9. 251. Writing Game
    10. 252. Magic Box
    11. 253. Fractured Fairy Tale
    12. 254. Q and A
    13. 255. Meeting on the Pier
    14. 256. Wild Party
    15. 257. Time Stood Still
    16. 258. Alternate Ending
    17. 259. Storyboard Your Weekend
    18. 260. Spooky Story
    19. 261. Daring
    20. 262. Magic Tree House
    21. 263. April Fools
    22. 264. Character Profile: Hero
    23. 265. Hero’s Journey
    24. 266. Worst Web Story
    25. 267. Stories from Random Words
    26. 268. Cradle to Grave
    27. 269. Eavesdrop
    28. 270. Write a Hook
    29. 271. Short Story
    30. 272. Game Scene: Hero
    31. 273. Ending a Story
  18. 13. Choices and Chance
    1. 274. Taking Risks
    2. 275. Fortune Smiles
    3. 276. Won the Lottery!
    4. 277. For Two Cents
    5. 278. A Silver Lining
    6. 279. Flip a Coin
    7. 280. All Over Again
    8. 281. Glowing and Glowering
    9. 282. Would You Rather
    10. 283. Retreat
    11. 284. One Door Shuts
  19. 14. Living with Your Tribe
    1. 285. Roots
    2. 286. Family Rules
    3. 287. 1000 Cranes or Mitzvahs
    4. 288. Aunt Jessica’s Apple Pie
    5. 289. Family Story
    6. 290. Family Fights
    7. 291. Mom’s Favorite Flower
    8. 292. My Generation
    9. 293. Comparing My Generation
    10. 294. Never Discussed
    11. 295. Do Not Touch
    12. 296. Helmets
    13. 297. Sibling Rivalry
    14. 298. Amusing Sign
    15. 399. Clubs and Associations
    16. 300. Family Vacations
    17. 301. Birth Order
    18. 302. Awkward Family Portrait
    19. 303. Grandparents
    20. 304. Write a Letter to Granny
    21. 305. Text a Buddy
    22. 306. My Father Taught Me
    23. 307. My Mother Taught Me
    24. 308. Code of Conduct
    25. 309. Meet Your Ancestor
    26. 310. You’re Fired!
    27. 311. Family Photo Story
    28. 313. Q & A Story
    29. 312. Interview
    30. 314. Unofficial Places
  20. 15. Me, Myself, and I
    1. 315. My Marvelous Profile
    2. 316. A Mask
    3. 317. Focus
    4. 318. Team Player or Soloist?
    5. 319. Magic Pebble
    6. 320. In a Perfect World
    7. 321. Body Art
    8. 322. What’s on Your Mind?
    9. 323. Artist’s Statement
    10. 324. Priorities
    11. 325. Motivation
    12. 326. Ducks in a Row
    13. 327. Empty Cup
    14. 328. I Have Three Passions
    15. 329. Happiness
    16. 330. Creed
    17. 331. Talent
    18. 332. Your City
    19. 333. Today
    20. 334. In a Year
    21. 335. Career Metaphor
    22. 336. Unusual Job
    23. 337. Your CV in 20 Years
    24. 338. Baseball Card
    25. 339. My Invention
    26. 340. Green Thumb
    27. 341. Learning Style
    28. 342. Nobody Loves Me
    29. 343. Recognition
    30. 344. Bravest Action
    31. 345. Blackout Poem
    32. 346. Tweet Your Bio
  21. 16. Odds and Endings
    1. 347. User Guides
    2. 348. Least Organized
    3. 349. Like the Back of My Hand
    4. 350. About Me, Briefly
    5. 351. LOVE
    6. 352. Penny for Your Thoughts
    7. 353. World Peace
    8. 354. Knees Knocked
    9. 355. Recurring Dream
    10. 356. Obituary
    11. 357. Epitaph
    12. 358. Bucket List
    13. 359. Three Days of Twitter
    14. 360. Write a Process
    15. 361. Hair
    16. 362. Secret
    17. 363. Blog
    18. 364. Happy Talk
    19. 365. Before I Die
  22. Closing Thoughts
  23. Notes
    1. 1
    2. 2
    3. 3
    4. 4
    5. 5
    6. 6
    7. 7
    8. 8
    9. 9
    10. 10
    11. 11
    12. 12
    13. 13
    14. 14
    15. 15
    16. 16
  24. Resources

Product information

  • Title: The Web Writer’s Toolkit: 365 prompts, collaborative exercises, games, and challenges for effective online content
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: February 2013
  • Publisher(s): New Riders
  • ISBN: 9780133260618