How to Write Better Stories
This post contains affiliate links. You know that feeling you get when you read a novel and become completely lost in it? You can’t put it down, so you lose track of time. When you finally finish, you wish it would just keep going. Isn’t that the kind of story you want to write? Over…Read More
How to Start Writing Poetry
I occasionally receive an email or comment from someone who asks how to start writing poetry. These aspiring writers might have read some poetry, maybe even dabbled in writing it, but they feel disconnected from it. They want to write poems, but they’re not sure how to begin. Some are interested in producing publishable works;…Read More
Punctuation Marks: How to Use a Semicolon
Lots of people aren’t sure how to use a semicolon. The semicolon might be the most misunderstood punctuation mark in the English language. This dot-comma combination is often used where a period, colon, or even a plain old comma belongs. Underused and often abused, the semicolon is useful in a number of writing situations. Although…Read More
Writing Memoirs
Today’s post is from Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing. It’s from a chapter that is simply titled “Memoirs,” which explores and explains the craft of memoir writing. Enjoy! What is a Memoir? Memoirs are personal accounts—true stories—based on narrow themes and specific topics. They are usually the length of novels or novellas; shorter…Read More
Do You Need a Place to Write?
Today’s post is an excerpt from 10 Core Practices for Better Writing. This comes from “Chapter Eight: Tools and Resources,” and it examines a writer’s need for a place to write. A Place to Write “You want to be a writer, don’t know how or when? Find a quiet place, use a humble pen.” —…Read More
36 Tips for Writing Just About Anything
There’s a lot more to writing than typing words. Writing well takes years of study, practice, and experience. It requires diligence, attention to detail, and dedication to the craft. Each project has a unique set of requirements and different types of writing have different rules. For example, when we’re writing fiction, we have one set…Read More
A Handy Book for Poets – Poetry: Tools & Techniques: A Practical Guide to Writing Engaging Poetry
This post contains affiliate links that earn commissions. I have found it quite challenging to find good books on the craft of poetry writing. My favorite resource, which is also the most comprehensive, is Perrine’s Sound and Sense. But that’s a costly book because it’s used in college-level poetry courses. For years, I’ve kept up…Read More
Creative Writing Prompts for the Young at Heart
Today’s post includes a selection of prompts from my book 1200 Creative Writing Prompts. Enjoy! Stories and poems for children are among the most magical and delightful written works in the literary canon. Children’s literature has a universal appeal; the phenomenal international popularity of the Harry Potter books and movies is a testament to the…Read More
From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Cut-and-Paste Poetry
Today’s poetry writing exercise comes from my book 101 Creative Writing Exercises. The exercises in this book encourage you to experiment with different forms and genres while providing inspiration for publishable projects and imparting useful writing techniques that make your writing more robust. This exercise is from “Chapter 8: Free Verse.” It’s titled “Cut-and-Paste Poetry.”…Read More
Stock and Cloned Characters in Storytelling
I was recently reading a novel, and a few chapters in, I realized I had mixed up two of the main characters. In fact, I had been reading them as if they were a single character. I’m a pretty sharp reader, and this has never happened before, so I tried to determine why I’d made…Read More
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