by Sue Weems |
A little over ten years ago, I had almost a decade of English teaching experience, a couple years paid freelance writing work, several creative writing university courses under my belt, and a few small publications in poetry and nonfiction. A friend’s mom, Mae, had written a query letter for her second novel. She asked me to read it and give her some writing feedback. What could go wrong?
When Mae asked, I had not attempted to write an entire novel or a query letter. I had read thousands of novels and a few letters, but I had not studied the structure and requirements of each. I assumed writing was writing. Surely with a degree in English and a little experience, I was qualified to give good feedback?
Nope. Not even close.
by Sue Weems |
When you think of a love story, you probably think of the romance genre: a cover with a bodice-ripping hunk and a woman with hair streaming in the wind. But love stories show up in nearly every genre you can imagine, either as a main plot or as a subplot.
Why is that? What is a love story and why is this plot type so versatile? Let’s take a look.
by Sue Weems |
What images come to mind when you think of the first day of spring? Tulips unfurling? Easter egg hunts? Baseball season? Spring cleaning?
Whatever spring activities grace your calendar this month, I hope you’ll take some time to keep your writing habits going. In only 15 minutes a day, you can capture your creative writing ideas, practice new skills, or make progress on that book you’ve been dreaming of writing. Here are 40 new spring writing prompts to get you started!
by Sue Weems |
Horror wants to scare, to shock, to terrify, and sometimes even to repulse readers or audiences. It delves deep into the human psyche to look at what scares us and why, as well as to examine the limits of human depravity (Hannibal Lector, anyone?).
Try one of these prompts designed to terrify.
by Sue Weems |
A few months ago, I posted an article about avoiding clichés here on The Write Practice. The (bland) title I proposed was “How to Avoid Clichés.” The published title read: “How to Avoid Clichés (Like the Plague).” I grinned when I read it and said another thank you to a quiet hero of the publishing world: our editor.
She amped up the title with a clever twist that sounded just like me with my penchant for parentheses. Editors are invisible heroes in the publishing world, and knowing what they do can help you through every stage of your journey.
