Chicago

PRACTICE Write about Chicago. Write for fifteen minutes. When you're finished, post your practice in the comments section. And if you post, make sure to give some other Practitioners some feedback. This prompt is somewhat selfish, since I'm actually going to Chicago...

Stop Using the Word “Some”

If you’re using the word “some” in your creative writing, you’re not being specific enough. For example, here is a sentence with the word “some.” Tom liked to play guitar but didn't take it as seriously as some. Who is some? Why do they take it...

How to Use Motif to Enhance Your Writing

Repetition is an important principle in every artistic pursuit from music to painting to literature. It gives you another layer of meaning to work with and can add a level of symbolic value to your seemingly casual description, dialogue, or action. Today, I'd like to...

Why Are You Really Procrastinating?

I'm in the middle of a writing project with a tight deadline, but despite the looming due date, I've been struggling to work on it. I keep opening up the document, reading a few lines, and then shooting off to do Facebook for fifteen minutes. I feel ashamed with...

Is Head Hopping a Myth?

About a month ago, we talked about head hopping, POV, and how to manage third person limited point of view. After I posted the article on one of my social networks, one poor writer said something like, “I want to scream! First they tell us one thing and then...