The Low-Maintenance Garden
Write an instructional guide on creating a sustainable, low-maintenance home garden. Include tips on selecting the right plants, using environmentally friendly materials, and techniques to conserve water and encourage wildlife.
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.
- State your main point in one sentence before you start.
- Include a counterargument and answer it fairly.
- Cut every sentence that only repeats the one before it.
Writing essays
A mind at work, one subject at a time.
An essay collection gathers short nonfiction pieces: personal, critical, funny or all three. What ties them together is the writer's voice and way of seeing.
What readers expect
- A distinctive voice
- Personal stakes
- Surprising connections
- Pieces that stand alone
A tip before you start
Follow a question, not a thesis. The pleasure of an essay is watching someone think.
More Home and Garden prompts
- My First GardenWrite a reflective piece on your earliest memory of gardening, perhaps alongside a family member or friend. Explore how those moments shaped your…
- The Garden's Greatest LessonWrite a personal essay reflecting on the most important lesson you've learned from gardening. Describe the moment or experience that brought this…
- The Room MakeoverDocument a complete makeover of a room in your house, from planning stages to the final touches. Include your inspirations, challenges you faced…
- A Room Through the YearsDiscuss the evolution of a particular room in your house, from what it originally looked like when you moved in, through various changes, to what it…
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