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

by Lynda Felder
Released February 2013
Publisher(s): New Riders
ISBN: None

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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): Lynda Felder
    • Release date: February 2013
    • Publisher(s): New Riders
    • ISBN: None