#15: Everyone's An Expert

Hi, writers! My name is Ashley Strosnider, and I'm a writer, a developmental editor, and a copy editor. And this week, I'm taking over Reedsy Prompts!

One of my favorite things about editing is the breadth of material I get to read and collaborate on. I’ve edited books about Cyrus the Great, high-school basketball, an art heist, personal finance, psychics who run bakeries, tiny houses, bed and breakfasts inherited from long-forgotten relatives, and the people who train Hollywood’s animal movie stars — all things the authors knew way more about than I did! Visit my Reedsy profile here to learn more about me and my work.

My theme for this week is “Everyone’s an Expert.” I’m fascinated by all the different lives fiction writers get to embody when figuring out what drives characters toward their goals and what really challenges or stumps them. Sometimes, a whole story can turn on something a character knows — whether or not they know they know it — and other times, it’s a lack of experience, a gap in knowledge, or a misunderstanding that stirs up the most interesting conflict.

Hopefully, these prompts can challenge you to consider the ways in which what a character knows (or doesn’t know) can shape their pain points, their victories, and their ultimate motivation to achieve their goal. It’s your story, and you’re the expert!