Are You Living the Writing Life?
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines lifestyle as “a particular way of living: the way a person lives or a group of people live.” Dictionary.com defines it as “the habits, attitudes, tastes, moral standards, economic level, etc., that together constitute the mode of living of an individual or group.” A lifestyle is something you build for yourself…Read More
Should Beginning Writers Imitate the Greats?
Learning often begins with imitation or copying. As babies, we learn facial expressions and gestures by mimicking adults. Children learn to write their letters by copying them from workbooks. And can you imagine a musician learning their craft without first leaning to play other musicians’ songs? But we rarely explore the question of whether writers…Read More
Ten Tips for Writing a Book
Writing a book is a big deal. It takes a lot of time and effort, especially if you want to do it right, which means creating something that people will find entertaining or useful and then polishing, marketing, and promoting it. It all begins with an idea — a concept. It might start with a…Read More
Journal Prompts for Giving Thanks
Journal writing is excellent for building skills and maintaining a regular writing practice, and journal prompts can help you use your journal creatively and beneficially. Journal prompts can be used to inspire creative ideas, to keep track of important things in our lives, and for personal growth. Today’s prompts are for the practice of gratitude….Read More
An Exercise from Story Drills: Theme
Today’s fiction writing exercise is an excerpt from my book, Story Drills: Fiction Writing Exercises. This one focuses on theme, the central message and deeper meaning of a story. Enjoy! Theme is often described as the message of a story, but this description doesn’t do it justice. Theme is also the central meaning of a…Read More
Fiction Writing: The Setting of a Story
Today’s post includes excerpts from What’s the Story? Building Blocks for Fiction Writing, chapter three: “Setting.” Enjoy! Setting may not seem as critical to a story as character or plot, yet it is a core element of storytelling and for good reason. The setting of a story helps us understand where and when it takes…Read More
Grammar Rules: Subject-Verb Agreement
The rule is simple: singular subjects take singular verbs and plural subjects take plural verbs. But sometimes it’s difficult to tell whether a subject is singular or plural. That’s why subject-verb agreement errors crop up in so many pieces of writing. Making matters worse is the fact that most people don’t know what subject-verb agreement…Read More
Keep Writing!
When life gets hectic, getting your creative writing done seems impossible. Inspiration might be knocking, but the house is so full, you’re not sure you can open the door and let it in. How can you keep writing? What if all you need is sixty seconds? We all have responsibilities to fulfill and obligations to…Read More
How to Prepare to Work with Beta Readers
Beta readers are people who read your manuscript before you polish it for publication or submission to a literary agent or publisher. Unlike editors, beta readers are unpaid volunteers who provide feedback that you can use to make improvements to your work. However, before you round up your beta readers, you should have a plan…Read More
Editing Tips for Writers
If you’re the token writer at your office, among your friends, or in your family, then you’re probably asked on a regular basis to edit, review, or proofread written documents. Academic essays, business letters, and resumes will land on your desk with the word “HELP!” scrawled across the top. Or maybe you’re ready to get…Read More
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