Writing Prompt - August 2026
- Creative Mischief
- Aug 1
- 2 min read
Years ago, a coworker and I would annoy each other with our strong opinions on grammar and punctuation. Neither of us could proofread a document without tweaking something or making broader suggestions - many of which were ignored. I found it frustrating in the moment because I viewed the end product as a reflection of my knowledge and effort. We (my coworker and I) were being too rigid in our approach: trying to teach both the author and the audience, when that was neither required nor wanted.
Editing is a tricky balance of conveying accurately and effectively to an audience, while maintaining the author's unique voice. Some editors may be exacting in their revisions; some authors may be inflexible regarding proposed changes. There needs to be a bit of give on either side for an effective work relationship - but, if you're not listening to each other, it's okay to move on from the arrangement. As an editor, nothing irritates me more than when I make suggestions to improve clarity, only for the author to insist I'm destroying their tone. And as an author, I become furious when an editor demands grammatical and punctuation changes that I feel are imperative to style.
In the end, everything is akin to deciding whether or not to put down the car windows on a given day: Would your audience prefer something perfectly styled, or windswept? Which is more representative of you?
Holidays (offbeat, writing, and otherwise) to embrace this month:
August 02 - National Coloring Book Day
August 07 - National Lighthouse Day | National Sea Serpent Day
August 08 - International Infinity Day | International Cat Day
August 09 - National Book Lovers Day
August 12 - World Calligraphy Day | Annual Perseid Meteor Shower Peak Night [peak date varies] | Total Solar Eclipse [path of totality & times vary]
August 18 - Bad Poetry Day
August 19 - World Photography Day
August 21 - Poet's Day
August 24 - International Strange Music Day | Pluto Demoted Day
August 27 - World Rock Paper Scissors Day
August 28 - International Read Comics in Public Day [birthday of Jack Kirby]
August 29 - International Cosplay Day [last Saturday] | International Bat Night [last weekend]
August 30 - Frankenstein Day
Writer's block? Try this month's prompt!
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