Video:
Write Now! Persuasive Writing Prompts:
You Know More Than You Think You Do
Practice your copywriting skills with this prompt from The Professional Writers’ Alliance (PWA).
Learn something new today and share it with another writer with this Write Now! prompt.
Practice this writing exercise complements of copywriter, Christina Gillick, to make your story strong and unique. (Or read the transcript below.)
If you're not sure what to write, you might be hung up by thinking you have nothing to say. The truth is, you're full of interesting information and learning more all the time. Ever hear that phrase, "you learn something new every day?" I believe it's true. In fact, today, let's learn something and reteach it to someone else.
First, visit your favorite website, blog, or social media site. (Yes, Facebook is encouraged for this writing prompt, just don't get distracted.) Once there, look for an article or blog post with more than a few paragraphs.
Read the post and then – here’s where the writing comes in – explain, in your own words, what you read and learned. Feel free to add your own twists or examples to make your story unique.
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After listening to Christina's short video reminding us we have more to say than we think, the light bulb went on for me! I realized I too had something to say! Just hours earlier I had a dental procedure and had been so nervous and scared about it,I almost chickened out! But, managed to make myself go through with it! And, I was amazed at what used to be a traumatic experience is now made to seem simple and pain-free!I am very thankful of all the improvements technology has made in the medical and dental industry. It is the difference between giving us positive memories and experiences instead of fearful and negative memories!
Cyn –
I want to try what I read a few days ago and see how well it works. Basically,"the trick to writing is to start doing it and your cells in your brain will happily align and give you as much thoughts as you need to."
Wow, It comes to mind when I was learning to ride my bicycle. How scared I was to fall down. And just a few weeks later I was brave enough to say, take those extra wheels out. And now push me until I tell you to let me go. There I was riding on my own for the very first time.
Is it not the same with everything we start in life? How wonderful we've been created. Just start, keep putting,one foot after the other and soon we'll be running. Fears will be gone and great accomplishments will come.
Yes it works...just start!
Edward Rosabal –
I can also recall my experience when I was learning how to drive. I was so scared and frightened that my teacher had to reassure me that I had nothing to fear about. With the words of encouragement I received from him, I started the learning with boldness. Few days later, I was able to drive without any fear. The act of taking the very first step was what helped me to overcome the fear of driving. This is applicable to everything we do in life.
John Oni Oloka –
I'm a newbie wanting to learn how to write. I feel that it is something within that just has to be released. I'm in my 60's and just want to express my experience back in my "hitchhiking" days. There are many exciting journey's to explore. I definitely need help to get started.
Newbie Learning12 –
I have learned that a story is the best that is related to the salae of the produstto the client.
I am having trouble in coming up with the "Big Idea" and the "Story." Do I start to write first, then come up those two feature or must I marry the those two from the start? In other words how do I know how to write the story before I know the story!
Guest (Gene Shafer) –
I'm just reflecting back to my earlier years growing up as a only child of older parents my mother was 45 and my Dad was 55 when I was born they were both widows and had grown children they were imagrents from Finland I didn't learn English until the 1st grade it was a 1 room country School I had the same teacher all 8 years there was 9 kids in the school when I graduated I grew up on a dairy farm milking cows and doing farm chores then when I turned 15 I decided to go out and check out the world
Trucking Hobo –
I am grateful that AWAI crossed my path. This is an opportunity I believe, can help change my life (family) financially.
Elaine Miller –
Hello everyone,
I am barely starting my AWAI course. I need to completely change my life and lifestyle, and since I like to write (mostly journaling) I thought this would be aggod way to use my skills to make the change that I want.
formergeek –
I am communicating with a friend on Linkin and we were discussing a group I had applied to. When I asked why she thought the group was "fishy", she said they were an academic writing site of term papers. I did not notice that their language and grammar were poor, so they want people who can write "professional" work to help them pass their classes. I plan to keep checking them out some more.
Christine H –
Retirees never retire. We're like big corporations and manufacturers; we “rebrand” ourselves with a new look at our deferred writing dreams. Yes, we know more than we think we do. As writers, we expect to attain the prize of our dream; to write well and make money for a living. So, in 2017, I sought to secure an experienced and reputable writing-well coach to facilitate morphing my skills into an extremely well-paid, professional writer. That’s precisely how AWAI got my attention and I joined.
Cynthia in Detroit –
I blame my professors for waking the writer in me. I started back to college at age 60, never dreamed of writing beyond a book to get published. Since all my professors continued to prompt me to become a writer I did a little research that led me to AWAI. I have not landed my first writing assignment, but am reworking my website to accommodate my new passion. Thanks AWAI!
Gary Canada –
I'm looking forward to diving into this project! It's a double win because I get to learn about something new, too! I'm a newby here so this will be my first real interaction with AWAI.
angrysaliva –
I'm a newbie to AWAI and am looking forward to beginning a successful career. I know it is a process, but if everything I've read is factual, I will deploy the resources provided to change my life.
docktorb –
I am new to awai and welcome all helpful hints and tips to help accelerate my writing skills.
Davidb –
The prompt really tells you to get your foot of the brakes and step out. It motivates you to move away from the curse of perfection (read the fear of rejection), and get doing(writing)...
...and, as you do that, you are able to clearly observe on paper the activity called your mind...
...a sure cure for writer's block which is nothing more than a lack of clarity.
teejay –
Hi Christina.
When I wrote my explanation to this writing prompt for Dream Home Based Work, I was writing more easily and confidently that will also improve my writing ability as a Scout for Slice The Pie where I provide my explanations paid daily to music tracks plus other categories. To the website I used as a test strategy provided another business opportunity for potential clients. The writing exercise enhances my Mental Emotional Health which is why I love writing because it makes me happy
Internal Intelligence 1 –
Hello Christina, Thanks for the nudge as it were. I am inspired by this community and I will find a way. "Just keep showing up". I talk to myself a lot? Is that ok? Take Care.
Peter Corraini –
I want to make a difference. I have thousands of life stories to share. I know I can access them to help me do something to help someone else. Words can be very powerful and swing both ways,for bad or good. I would like my words to always do good. Yep, I want to make a difference.
Guest (Linda Musick) –
Hello to all, I am looking forward to the day when the fog lift. I am facing some challenges, but working through them. My focus is getting better. I find that I can not cram a lot in my tired brain like I did when I was younger. What I find, is to study some, absorb and give the brain a rest. I'm using my best time of day, which is early, to study, read, and write. Taking a rest day help. It is working for me. I was proud to get a good review on my restaurant letter.
Guest (Learlean Rockingham) –
Hi Christina, My accountability is to write a comment after finishing an assignment - my first writing prompt since joining last week. The goal is to build up to two a day within the week. Thank you!
AprilB –
Hi Christina Thank you very much for this prompt. It helped me to take a second look at some of the 75 categories, and to decide to take on the Accelerated Program. However things go, I think this is going to be a great learning journey for me. Thanks to all the people at AWAI!
lisa25 –
Each morning I start with a cup of coffee, a step outside to visit the breeze and say hello to all of God's creation before me. Lillie Mae, my cat, whimpers for a few strokes of the brush, which I am more than willing to give her.
I make my way to my favorite chair and see what God has to say to me today, what's important and what can wait (or go away altogether). I read, listen and converse. I learn that patience is the door to opportunities and impatience the walls of limitations. A new day!
Cynde Jackson –
I have journals full with what I would call freedom writing. I love to write. I never imagined I can make a great income writing, so I am very excited about starting my freelance writing. I believe this will help me find my voice and boldly share my writing with the world.
Zabdy Rios –
When I started reading through the comments, little did I know that they are current, and I could also add my mind as a writing. I think my joining AWAI will make me a better writer and with the hope that it will make my life better financially. My challenge now is I don’t know where to start. Looks like I am overwhelmed by the many materials that are thrown my way each day. But all the same your encouragements are appreciated. We will need them more.
Kofi Williams –
WOW...just wow! I have been very interested in writing for a long time - have been terrified to make the leap.
Purchased a module, getting ready to dive in...am reading everything...feel I have the support I need to move ahead.
Fingers crossed and ready to ROCK!!!!!!!
Annette D –
This is me starting right now!!
That took me a while. I've been looking into the freelance writing career and its really peaked my interest, but lately I have been feeling discouraged to even start because I didn't know how.
I started to believe there was some type of trick to it, or you have to learn something before you want to comfortably get into it.
I'm happy I came across this site and this article. I do write in my free time but never did it as an occupation, Thank you for your help.
Guest (Eli) –
Hello and thanks for the challenge!
I did the exercise and it lead into a curated content article. Getting ready to start a blog and needed some content to start posting and was able to get my first piece of content for the blog. Love the tips!
Noelle100 –
My first creative writing assignment was in 5th grade. The teacher said, "Write a poem." I had no idea where to start. I copied two words from my friend's paper: pollution and solution. I wrote my poem based on those two words. The small county newspaper had a "Poet's Corner." I sent my poem in and they printed it. Wow! Suddenly I liked writing! Since then I've written hundreds of poems and songs (very few have been published.) Now I'm learning new forms of writing to earn a living!
Fredwriter –
Pretty helpful nuggets from these contributors. I will try to apply the insights they provide.
Guest (Oliver Iwuchukwu) –
I learned from an article about the health benefits of turmeric the it has been identified as the most effective nutritional supplement in existence. It contains bio-active compounds with important medicinal and weight loss benefits. The problem with using turmeric as a dietary supplement is that it does not absorb well enough to be effective. Through research efforts, it has been discovered that when matched with black pepper, the absorption rate of turmeric is greatly increased.
Jennifer G –
No one plans to end up being broke and no one plans to remain poor. Yet, by the time people hit 65 most of them are exactly that.. or worse, outright dead.
So why this happens?
You see while planning itself is great and necessary its only a part of the puzzle. What really determines whether you end up rich or poor are your habits. To put it simply – poor people have poor habits!
Now, take a look at the mirror and ask yourself what are your habits? If you want to be a writer then how are you spending your time? Do you write every day or is it Netflix and “Ill write tomorrow..” Do you schedule your next day in advance to maximize the time you have or is it more “Ill see how the day goes...” I can go on, but I think you get what I'm tr...
Guest (Kendrick ) –
When you want to record a conference, you may think that you will have the perfect video recording, or maybe not. Why is that? When you’re recording at certain FPS (frames per second), the chosen value probably won’t be compatible with the electrical frequency of the lights in the room, and create an effect on your video called flicker . This happens, because the quantity of images taken by second, aren’t enough to get all the movement of the light, getting pulses given by the electricity in the lights. To avoid it, you should consult which FPS value is recommended according to the electrical frequency of your country, or fix it during the edition time.
Barbara Vazquez –
Lithium Ion battery technology has revolutionized the way we live and work. The battery can easily be packaged so that it can hold more punch per cell than other bulkier battery cells.
As I cranked up my new battery lawn mower this weekend, I found out that these batteries also have electrical circuits - similar to your computer - that are integrated in the battery casing. These circuits help control output energy from the battery to the tool and conserve the battery power when needed. The circuits also help in ensuring the batteries in the casing do not overheat while the mower is working or being recharged.
Lithium batteries are now powering all electrical vehicles in the market today, from the compact hybrid Prius to the luxury Tesla.
Dodi –
A pretty traumatic event changed my life and the way I have to live these days.
I remember being a young not so good student in school writing stories instead of assignments. One English teacher Mr Schmore, I had read one and said he thought it was good and saw potential. I really didn't think much on it then as I was in the eighth grade. Mr Schmore encouraged me to write a storey a week because he couldn't get any other work from. Today I am not able to work in my chose profession, Found AWAI. thanks
JWS4 –
DAY 3 challenge: Persuasive Writing Prompts:
You Know More Than You Think You Do.
In this post on her on her hugely successful blog ('The Middle Finger Project'), Ash Ambirge talks about daring to be original and not having to follow the exact blueprint of others - which I Really like! She encourages you to be bold and do what works for you - not what necessarily worked (or didn't) for others.
Above all, she says START - or you'll be left behind, in exactly the same spot!
Guest (Fidel) –
Adapting exercise to the infradian rhythm, the monthly cycle of our hormones, can provide maximum reward, at minimal physiological cost. As hormone levels change, so do energy levels, mood, & appetite.
During phase 1, the menstrual phase, beginning day 1 of the period and lasting 3-6 days, hormone & energy levels are at their lowest, and exercise should be low intensity.
In phase 2, follicular, estrogen & energy start to rise and interval training is best until reaching the third phase, ovulatory, when estrogen peaks and high intensity exercise is good.
During the final luteal phase, as hormone & energy levels drop and metabolism rises, aerobic efforts are best.
Cycle syncing food & exercise helps support health & hormone function.
Sara Scribes –
The article I read is by Mark Manson. He wrote about the “do something” principle. The whole idea behind this principle is not to wait for motivation but to create it by doing something. Basically, he states that sometimes it’s best to just do a minor part of your assignment, and pretty soon you will end up completing a sizeable chunk of it.
The example he uses is making a website. Instead of focusing on making the entire website, just focus on making a header. Taking a small step towards completing a project might lead to you getting more of it done. Something else he talks about is not waiting for motivation. Your small action could inspire motivation. It’s best to get moving instead of waiting to be moved.
The Stoic Copywriter –
The theme of the book of Exodus in the Bible is about deliverance. Deliverance by God and by Moses. But there is one more demonstration of deliverance that is often missed by readers of the Bible. In the beginning chapters of Exodus it is a group of women who rescue in their own way. When the king of Egypt instructs the midwives to kill all the male babies being born to Hebrew women, the women disobey. When Jochebed gives birth to a son, she hides him and eventually sets him afloat among the reeds in the Nile to save him. Pharaoh’s daughter finds and saves the child, whom she names Moses. The theme of this book illustrates that there are many levels at which someone can be rescued.
Guest (Lori) –
I grew up with a house on the boundaries of a national forest. Being in nature and the outdoors is just part of my life, and I read about environmental issues. I learned today that climate change regarding warming is harming human health, and at times it is deadly. Research now shows a link between the intense heatwaves, wildfires, droughts, and flooding to fatalities from heat, heart disease, and complications during pregnancy.
astraiasky –
I have just started on the journey, with "10 weeks to Pro" and came across these comments above, all of which are thought provoking, and making me think Wow writers block! but then, from an oblique corner of my memory came thoughts of when i was a kid, and how i used to spend all my free time exploring the mudflats near my home, which taught me lessons never forgotten, about the tides, how the fish move in across the mudflats to feed, where the eels used to hide, and the relationship of all these marine creatures with the mangroves and it brings me a smile... And so here it is, my first submission to AWAI, the block has gone and i feel so many things i want to write about.....
Muzz –
From the classic novel 1989 by George Orwell comes a new story by author Maddison Miller, writing from the perspective of Julia. The novel-self titled Julia-reimagines the classic story inside a dystopian state from a feminist perspective. Julias character is one of complexity and left many readers with unanswered questions. “What does Julia see in Winston and how does she navigate her way through the party hierarchy?” Are two questions wondered by Bill Hamilton, the literary executor of the Orwell estate. 70 years since its first publication, one thing is certain, there will be many new things we learn by stepping into Julias world. The new novel is slated to be released next June.
NickkLuna –
I thank God, I am back to writing afternoon giving myself unexpected holiday. I joined the program only late last year. It is the second month of 2022. I applied for membership last year, and within a very short time, I had to put aside pen, and paper for something else,something quite different to writing. Now I am back with full force to climb up to level of writing I wish for myself. I have found out that, I did a mistake the first day I bought membership. The mistake I made was trying to absorb information quickly. I have corrected that mistake by focusing to doing one thing at a time. This will help me gain mastery of material as I progress to the next level. I have also vowed to practice writing daily to improve.
Kosiyae Yussuf –
While watching a 60 Minutes Australia docuseries on FaceBook, I learned about a family in Turkey, which had 18 children, 6 of whom were quadrupeds - humans walking on all fours (hands and feet). Anthropological and medical examinations were carried out to investigate the discovery of these children who never developed the mobility to stand upright.
Cared for by their ageing parents and upright-walking siblings, by the end of the clip, five of the quadrupeds were able to experience a sense of human normalcy by learning to walk upright using a $30 walker.
Raised by two anthropologists, I was curious about this phenomenon. I also learned a new word: quadruped.
Smiley Sil –
Scared and excited at the same time. I want to share something that I realized late in my life. Believe in yourself no matter what. Because this world can sometimes be cruel. I have so much to share in hopes it helps in some kind of way.
Pink The Color Of Love –
I read an article on translating vs transcribing. It taught me the value of recording a conversation when interviewing a client. Many of us, instead of listening and not drawing conclusions before the prospect finishes will fall into the trap of translating by noting what we think they meant which can obviously lead to bad business relationships.
Robert Ontko –
The article I read informs of a method for charging electric cars that is less carbon intensive than setting up a regular charging station near the side of the street. Instead of the commonly seen charging stations, charging ports can be installing in existing lampposts. This eliminates the carbon emissions that are produced from manufacturing, transporting and installing new charging stations. I really like this idea but I hope the appearance of nice lampposts is maintained.
Derci –
I discovered a blog about a woman and her husband moving to Tokyo from Jakarta. For foreigners, I found a lot of specialised knowledge to help a person find an apartment that would suit their needs. Her blog post was long. I used my fledgling copywriting skills to create a new, shorter piece as a new post somewhere else for information. I learned about 'key money' - an extra payment at the beginning of a rental, and '2 LDK' meaning an apartment with two rooms plus living, dining and kitchen.
John M –
Being the oldest rookie in AWAI (I think) I found some history I have taught that seems very current:
Effective Process goals are managed via oversight strategies and their decisions of IT governance needs to be embedded in the organization's enterprise while assisting operations effectively
Guest (Dkegler) –
Now, for the million-dollar-question: does their voice correspond with their brand? Does the artic padded puffer coat whisper in the same alluring tone like it did in my dreams? Well, actually, yes! As I hoped they’re “not here to mess about” and “only do things properly” to be “truly original”. Exactly the ballsy touch that can be traced back in all of their puffer-jackets, blend sweaters and knitwear. Thank you ‘Bound Clothing’: you did not disappoint me once again! No returns as always ;)
Mink –
I felt prompted to check out my inbox after hearing what Sarah had said in her video, fortunately for me, Gary's newsletter had sent me and absolute gem of an email. the thing was massive (over 3000 words easily), And I took my time meticulously studying everything he had depicted in the letter. Just imagine how shocking it was for me to realize that most of the key points and tactics he had been mentioning, were already acquired knowledge that I would use everyday when writing and sending emails! He discussed everything from personalization, the a and b pile, even how he would adress people in the first class mail he would send out! I was truly amazed and reassured of my ability
Guest (Caleb) –