THERE'S MORE THAN ONE WAY TO WRITE A BOOK .My advice? Never start your writing career with a novel.Begin with short stories (the more, the better). They're easier to finish than 70,000-word novels. You'll figure out your strengths, weaknesses, and "writer's voice" along the way. Do enough good stories and you can submit them to magazines, contests, or self-publish short story anthologies.The best part? Aside from honing your skills, you'll also create characters, concepts, and scenarios that you might later put into a novel or screenplay.Of course, there's just one problem: what do you write about?This thin book has 200 writing prompts--mostly geared toward crime, action, horror, or sci-fi.

Skim through these simple steps and you can start writing your first short story within the hour.As for you seasoned writers, think of this book as a time-saving tool. Crack it open and give it a peek. You'll understand.