Archetypal Characters in Storytelling
The hero, the mentor, the sidekick. We’re all familiar with archetypal characters in storytelling. We’ve seen them before. We know the roles they play. Archetypal characters shouldn’t be confused with stock characters or stereotypical characters. Although we’ve seen all these characters before and will surely see them again, stock and stereotypical characters are based on…Read More
What Makes a Good Poem?
In the world of art and entertainment, everything is subjective. Millions of fans loved that blockbuster film that dominated theaters a couple of years ago, but maybe you found it lacking in substance. Maybe some of the great works of literature you were forced to read in school left you wondering why they were considered…Read More
Homophones: Two, Too, and To
One of our readers wrote in to ask about the homophones too and to: “I was trying to find something on how and when to use ‘to and too’ I am having trouble in that area. I have trouble with that a lot and I tend to mess up with that. Can you help and…Read More
Creativity Tools for Writers
Today’s post is an excerpt from my book Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing, which takes you on a tour through the world of creative writing, from the various types of writing that you can explore to practical tips for producing the best writing possible. This is from a chapter titled “Tools for…Read More
How to Practice Writing to Build Your Skills and Become a Pro
If you want to play sports on an athletic team, you must attend practice. If you want to perform in a theater production, you must attend rehearsals. If you want to become an artist, you produce many paintings before you hang one in a gallery. We broadly accept that to do anything at a professional…Read More
Writing Tips: Know Your Audience
It’s an old adage for writers: know your audience. But what does that mean? How well must we know the audience? And does knowing the audience increase our chances of getting published or selling our books? Some writers insist that the best way to write is to just write for yourself. Sit down and let…Read More
A Few Favorite Journal Writing Tools and Resources
This post contains affiliate links that earn commissions. We usually understand a journal to be a place for writing about ourselves, but journals can be used for plenty of other purposes, many of which are useful to writers. I’ve had my share of adventures in journal writing. As a teen, I kept a diary. Later,…Read More
Story Starters: Ten Fiction Writing Prompts
Fiction writing prompts are a fun and inspiring way to stimulate creativity when you’re in the mood to do a little writing but need some fresh story ideas. Prompts and other creative writing exercises can activate your imagination. Sometimes, prompts and exercises help you come up with new ideas for projects you’re already working on,…Read More
From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Everyone Has an Opinion
Today’s creative writing exercise comes from my book, 101 Creative Writing Exercises, which takes you on a adventure through various forms of creative writing: fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. This exercise is called “Everyone Has an Opinion,” and it’s from “Chapter 9: Philosophy, Critical Thinking, and Problem Solving.” Enjoy! Everyone Has an Opinion All good…Read More
Story is Conflict
If a story were a bus, conflict would be the driver. Conflict steers a story, moves it forward, reverses it, stops it in its tracks, and slows or accelerates the pacing. More importantly, conflict keeps readers glued to the page. Readers want to see how the characters will deal with conflict. Will they find solutions…Read More
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