*simplyprose is a project that aims to:

combat writer's block.
offer dA writers a place to feature their work without a selection process.
offer critique and resources to writers who want to improve their prose.

However, we don't feature just anything. We will only feature work inspired by, and written specifically for *simplyprose.

Please remember that we accept prose only (the clue is in our name). This can be any type of prose - fiction, non-fiction, drama etc. - but never poetry.

This is not a competition. If a *simplyprose prompt is competitive, a contest will be announced, with a full news article giving the details. If there is no mention of a contest in the prompt (which will almost always be the case), you are not writing to compete and all submissions will receive the same treatment.


On the first day of every month, a new set of prompts will appear in our journal. There will be:
a scenario prompt.
a character prompt.
a word association prompt.
a miscellaneous prompt.

You can take whatever inspiration you like from the prompts. You can write on any of them individually, or any combination, any number of times. When you are happy with your piece, upload it as a deviation or scrap and note a link to the *simplyprose account, specifying which prompt you are writing for. There is no word limit - you are the best judge of how long or short your piece needs to be.

For more information on what to expect, who is behind all of this and what to do if you are unhappy, click here.

There is no joining process. If you want to get involved, all you have to do is watch the project and note us with your submissions.


Daily Deviations

If a piece you have written for *simplyprose is selected for a Daily Deviation feature, please alert *ThornyEnglishRose. The piece will then be featured on our shoutboard the next time it is updated.

Monthly News Feature

Every month, our news feature coordinator will submit a news article featuring all of that month's submissions. We would be grateful if you could take a moment to fave each monthly feature, if you watch the project. It allows us more exposure, and also helps to acknowledge the hard work that goes into these features.

Deleting Submissions

One of the most irritating things people have done to us is to send us a submission, and then delete it, leaving us with a broken link until somebody noticed it. We would like to avoid this in the future. Please either:

1. Do not submit anything to us if you are not totally happy with it. If there is any chance you may remove your deviation, don't send it.

2. If you do send us a submission, and then decide to remove the deviation, let us know! Please send a note with the title of your piece, and which prompt you wrote it for.

Thank you for respecting this request.

Non-Acceptance/Non-Appearance of Submissions

It is very rare for us not to accept submissions, but it has been known. We have, for example, received pieces that we consider to be poetry, or some people have simply failed to understand what it is that we feature and sent us all manner of things. Of course, if you have read this journal carefully, you will know what it is we want and you will only send in prose inspired by our prompts.

If for any reason we cannot accept your submission, we will reply to your note with a full explanation. If we do accept your submission (which we almost always do), you will not receive a reply to your note, but you should see your piece featured in our journal within a few days at the most. If after sending in your submission you do not see it featured, or you have not received a note saying that we cannot accept it, then this is merely an oversight. Again, this is rare, but if it ever happens to you then please do let us know in another note.

If we disagree on what constitutes prose, and we send you a note saying that we do not consider your piece to be prose, please don't argue. We will have considered it, and tried to work out your reasoning, before coming to the conclusion that we cannot accept the piece. It is up to you to decide whether or not you consider your piece to be prose, of course, just as it is up to us to decide what we are and are not prepared to feature. On this matter, our word is final.

And Finally...

If you want to read even more about the project's history, aims and promises, click on All New Simplyprose!

We are not taking suggestions for prompts at this time. Please do not suggest prompts or ask us about suggesting prompts.

Thanks as always for your support!



*ThornyEnglishRose (that's me) is in talks with, barring mishap or a sudden change of heart, our new critique and commenter. All being well, you will be introduced to this person in December. In the meantime, the old advert is staying simply so that I can remember easily which prompt responses are to be commented on by our new staff member.

For those of you that may have been disappointed this time, there may be another staff opportunity coming up in the near future. I am not promising anything, but do keep your eyes peeled.

---

Once again, we are in need of a new staff member. As *Friedemann is leaving us at the end of the month, we need someone to comment on and the critique the scenario and word assocation prompt responses from December onwards. If you are interested, please send a note to *ThornyEnglishRose.

And after you've done that, why not get in some practice by reading and commenting on a few submissions?


Well, it's that time again. NaNoWriMo! We at *simplyprose love NaNoWriMo, especially as it didn't seem to damage our submission intake last year.

A lot of you may have exams and such keeping you too busy even to attempt NaNoWriMo, in which case, we'd be very happy if you found a couple of hours in which to write us a short story, or maybe a piece of non-fiction prose. After all, it doesn't take a whole month to write something for *simplyprose. Not to discourage those of you who are taking part in NaNoWriMo, of course. On the contrary, we wish you the very best of luck with it.


Scenario Prompt:

Someone is late for Thanksgiving dinner.

Character Prompt:

As our administrator likes to honour Guy Fawkes Night, she asks you this month to write about a character who is strongly opposed to the leader(s) of his or her society, and has extremist revolutionary ideas.

Word Association Prompt:

Novel, cranberries, gunpowder.

Remember that all three words must appear in the body of your piece. Pieces that do not contain all three words will not be accepted.

Miscellaneous Prompt:

Here, at last, is a November non-specific prompt. We would like you to write about somebody's relationship with his or her body. But please don't think we're asking you to be trite and original! This person may love his or her body, or they may hate it, or neither. Perhaps they have some kind of illness or ailment. Or not. Maybe you can surprise us with something we never would have thought of - we'd like that!


Scenario Prompt:

by *nikkynikki

by ~Leonca

Character Prompt:

by ~Leonca

by ~itsaki

by ~Radical-Minds

Word Association Prompt:

by ~WitheredLilies

by ~LustandFound

by ~NamelessShe

by ~razorkissed-wrists

Miscellaneous Prompt:

by ~WitheredLilies

by ~vampirexXxwitch

by ~Nicktroptopolis

Combinations:

by ~SourPopsi (character and word association prompts)

You are encouraged to read and comment on these submissions.



If it's poetry you want, check out our sister project, *simplypoetry!

~Writers-Slam: the audio-literary experience! Contact them if you want to give a reading, or you can simply listen to their weekly shows - live, or by catching the podcast at any time.

~WordCount is a project manned by a team of dedicated staff, who sniff out great pieces of prose on dA and bring you a new feature every month. If you're looking for quality prose on this site, this is the place to start.

*ProsePlease is an all-round prose club that brings you all the latest news and features, as well as contests and activities all their own.

=Prose-R-Us is a community where prose writers on dA can share and develop their ideas in a supportive and fun environment.

*The-Novelist-Club features chapters of works in progress by budding novelists on dA.

*writersunknown is a club that offers everything a dA writer could want: help and resources, monthly themes to inspire you and mutual support and encouragement.

~Crystal-Ink is a club that offers support, inspiration and exposure, much like the rest of us. What makes them different? Their primary goal is to help you improve your writing.

~Wordspill aim to inspire you with their very unique writing prompts and exercises. If you participate, there is always a feature in it for you.