If you want to be more disciplined and more inspired in your writing, consider getting a copy of 14 Prompts, free for subscribers. Enter your email address to subscribe and get your copy now.
Join over 300,000 people who have said NO to procrastination and also receive a free copy of the eBook, 14 Prompts.
“14 Prompts does what most writing books don’t—gives you practical advice while also inspiring you to want to take it.” Andrea Cumbo, andilit.com
I have read The Memoir Project three times. I have taken notes and underlined my favorite sections. Marion Roach Smith has solid advice on how to write your own stories. Let me share nineteen tips on writing memoir from The Memoir Project.
Characters are one of the most important elements of any story. And character development can be challenging to get right.
Characters are critical for drawing readers into a story. They should also be the force that pushes your plot forward. A strong character can bring the story’s entire world to life. They can make your readers cry and even feel like a real friend. A weak one can deflate an entire book like a leaky air mattress.
Happy New Year!
It’s been the best year for our writerly community at The Write Practice yet. Here are a few highlights…
The end of the year can be strange for word-lovers. If you’re anything like me, your last “365” had great writing days and not-so-great ones. There were days when the muse sang and days when her only appearance was to say she didn’t exist. (And never had. Or never would again. You know how capricious the muse is.)
Well, screw that capricious muse. It’s time to take a stand. I’m calling all you word-lovers to take a step with me: it’s time to call yourself a writer.
We’re tackling one of the less obvious grammatical foibles today. Did you know that there is a difference between lay and lie? Because there is! Let’s explore.
Other than the definition of “to tell an untruth,” lay and lie are often used interchangeably. But lay is a transitive verb, meaning it requires a subject and one or more objects. Lie, on the other hand, is an intransitive verb, which means that it doesn’t need an object.
So if you wanted to say that you (the subject) lay on the floor (the object) in the fetal position all day yesterday, that’s correct. If you said that you lay in said position all day regularly, that would be wrong.
We use email every day. For work. For fun. For love letters.
It’s so easy. The standards are so low. Even at work—the standards are lower than other forms of communication.
But you’re a writer. And as a writer, you have the unique ability to make your emails stand out among the masses. You are capable of crafting the perfect email.
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! The Write Practice will be on hiatus from Thursday, December 24 through at least Sunday, December 29.
In the meantime, here’s a Christmas writing prompt to give you some creative inspiration over the holidays.
Today on the blog we’ve decided to have a little fun. We created a quiz that will determine which classic writer you are most like. These writers set the standards high for us, and we as a community aspire to reach those together. Figuring out which writer we are most like might help us improve and hone our skills a little more.
In a world where you can send a message in a few minutes with email, twitter, snapchat, or the latest popular way to contact a friend in another city, state, or continent, a letter posted though the mail carries a wonderful appeal.
Characters are the heart of any story. There are plenty of methods out there to help your character development. But when it’s time to give your characters shape and definition, don’t waste time on extensive questionnaires that get you weighed down in details.
