The Write Practice: The Online Writing Workbook

How to Track Your Writing Progress (And Why You Should)

I’m going to be honest. When I first started writing, I thought keeping track of my writing progress was ridiculous. How many words I wrote in a day or how frequently I wrote depended on my mood and whether that elusive muse showed up. Besides, wasting time tracking and analyzing how much I’d written during a week seemed like just another way to procrastinate and not get any writing done at all.

I don’t say this often, so listen up:

I was wrong.

Writers need to track their writing progress, period. It’s that simple. Read on for why and how to get tracking today.

50 Winter Writing Prompts (with 20 Just for Kids!)

by Sue Weems | 0 Comments

The winter season may evoke mixed emotions for you as a writer, depending on where you live and your experiences. But these winter writing prompts for adults AND for kids can help you explore this season and make the most of your winter months.

The Rebirth Plot: Transformation in the 7 Basic Plots

by Liz Bureman | 20 Comments

Here at the beginning of a new year, we’re surrounded by calls to set new goals, make resolutions, change something specific in our lives, so it seems a perfect time to revisit the rebirth plot which promises change.

Past vs. Present Tense: Choose the RIGHT Tense for Your Novel

by Joe Bunting | 75 Comments

One of the first decisions you have to make when you’re writing a novel or short story is which tense to use. There are only two viable options: past tense or present tense.*

Which tense should you choose for your novel?

How to Write a Scene: The Definitive Guide to Scene Structure

by Joe Bunting | 2 Comments

Once you have a great story idea, the next step is to write it. But do you want to take your brilliant idea and then write a book that bores readers and causes them to quit reading your book?

Of course not. That’s why you need to learn how to write great scenes.

Scenes are the basic building block of all storytelling. How do you actually write them, though? And even more, how do you write the kind of scenes that both can keep readers hooked while also building to the powerful climax you have planned for later in the story?

In this post, you’ll learn what a scene actually is. You’ll explore the six elements every scene needs for it to move the story forward. Then, you’ll learn how to do the work of actually putting a scene together, step-by-step. We’ll look at some of the main scene types you need for the various types of stories, and we’ll also look at some scene examples so you can better understand how scenes work. Finally, we’ll put it all together with a practice exercise.

New Year Journal Prompts: Get Your Year Started Right

by Sue Weems | 1 Comment

It’s a new year! Whether you love making New Year’s resolutions or resist it, reflection at the end of a season is often a great way to provide clarity and direction. Here’s a list of new year journal prompts to start your year in a positive way!

The Writing Goals Workshop: Your Step-by-Step Guide to Progress

by Joe Bunting | 112 Comments

If you’re reading this, I’m assuming you already have some goals: fitness goals, goals for your family, maybe even a goal of writing a book or to become a better writer.

But how do you write goals that actually work, that actually help you accomplish the things that you set out to do?

In this guide, I’ll share the step-by-step goal writing process that I’ve used to finish fifteen books, publish over 2,000 blog posts, hit the Wall Street Journal bestseller’s list, and reach over twenty million people with my writing over the last ten years.

No matter what your goals are, I believe this process will help you get clear on what you want to accomplish this year.

Christmas Writing Prompt: Write About This Elf on a Shelf Mystery!

by Sarah Gribble | 0 Comments

‘Tis the season to write! Today’s post is short but fun. I hope you enjoy this Christmas writing prompt:

The elf on the shelf moved—but you didn’t move it. Something fishy is going on here . . .

Denouement: Definition and Examples of the Literary Term

by Joe Bunting | 2 Comments

How do good stories end? In tragedy or triumph? With a wedding or a funeral?

That is the question of the denouement, a literary term that means more than just “the end.”

This article is all about denouement. In it, we will talk about the origin and definition of the literary term, give examples, and talk about where it fits in your writing.

Voyage and Return Plot: Is Your Character Going Places?

by Liz Bureman | 25 Comments

As we continue to look at Christopher Booker’s 7 basic plots, today we turn to the voyage and return. If you’re trying to tell a story with a journey into strange lands on a fantastic voyage, where normal rules might not apply, you may be working with a voyage and return plot.

Here to learn? You’re in the WRITE place!