What is Poetry?
Prose Bewitched “Poetry is prose bewitched, a music made of visual thoughts, the sound of an idea.” – Mina Loy When I read Mina Loy’s description of poetry as “prose bewitched,” I felt like someone had captured the true essence of poetry for the first time. We often struggle to define abstract or obtuse concepts….Read More
Punctuation Marks: The Comma
For such a little punctuation mark, the comma causes an awful lot of confusion. Some writers are too liberal with commas, sprinkling them about like nuts on an ice cream sundae. Other writers hoard their commas and avoid using them whenever possible. Why are these punctuation marks so widely misused? Why are we, collectively, so…Read More
Get Inspired with Observational Writing
Today’s post is an excerpt from Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing. This is from a chapter titled “Observation,” which explores drawing writing inspiration from the things you observe in daily life. Observational Writing When we open ourselves up to our surroundings and take in the details, we will find inspiration in the most unlikely…Read More
The Ultimate Guide to Writing Better
As I travel around the internet reading blogs, watching interviews, and listening to podcasts on writing, I’ve noticed that much of the focus is not on writing at all. There’s a lot of talk about writing fast, e-books versus paper books, and the fate of brick-and-mortar bookstores. But most of the chatter is focused on…Read More
Health Tips for Writers
Lots of jobs pose health hazards, and writing is no exception. Whether you write professionally or as a hobby, spending hours hunched over your keyboard or notebook can have detrimental effects on your health if you don’t take the proper precautions. From muscle cramps and eye strain to getting bogged down in the mental clutter…Read More
Excerpts from 1200 Creative Writing Prompts
Today I’d like to share a few excerpts from 1200 Creative Writing Prompts, which is packed with fiction, poetry, and nonfiction writing prompts. 1200 Creative Writing Prompts is from the Adventures in Writing series. It’s a lean book with a short introduction and three lists of prompts separated into fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. There…Read More
Props, a Storytelling Exercise
This exercise comes from my book Story Drills: Fiction Writing Exercises. This exercise asks you to consider an element of story that’s often overlooked in lessons and conversations about fiction writing. It’s called “Props.” Enjoy! Props Often when we talk about setting, we forget an important element: props. These are the items that appear in the narrative…Read More
20 Fun and Inspiring Character Writing Ideas
Creating a realistic character is one of the most difficult challenges in writing a piece of fiction. We’ve all read stories in which the characters were dull or hollow; they come across like clones of the same characters we’ve met in dozens of stories before. Readers want characters who are as unique and complex as…Read More
What is a Homophone?
Homophones are those annoying words that sound exactly alike but have different meanings and are often spelled differently. They give English teachers nightmares, cause headaches for students, and drive editors crazy. We writers need to be diligent about homophones because spell-check won’t catch them, and many readers cite misspelled homophones as pet peeves. And we…Read More
Self-Expression in Creative Writing
A lot of people first come to creative writing because they want to express themselves. Emotions are running high, ideas are flying, and opinions are in full supply. What better way to get it all off your chest than writing it down? Self-expression is the act of giving form to our thoughts, ideas, experiences, and…Read More
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