The Museum Piece Remembers
Write an essay from the perspective of a historical artifact housed in a museum. Detail its journey from creation to its current residence, including the hands it might have passed through and the events it may have witnessed.
Suggested length: An essay or article: 800 to 2,500 words
Start the clock
Pick a sprint, press start and keep going until it stops. Momentum beats polish on a first draft.
Make it yours
Three ways to take this prompt somewhere nobody else will.
- Write for a curious friend, not an expert.
- End with something the reader can do or think about today.
- State your main point in one sentence before you start.
Writing reference books
Look it up, find it fast, trust the answer.
Reference books are made to be consulted, not read cover to cover: dictionaries, style guides, field guides and manuals. Accuracy and organization are everything.
What readers expect
- Accurate, authoritative content
- Easy navigation
- Consistent entries
- A great index
A tip before you start
Design for skimming: clear headings, consistent entries and an index that anticipates how people search.
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- Back to School as an AdultDraft a proposal for a new educational program aimed at adult learners returning to education after a long hiatus. Describe the curriculum, teaching…
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