What do Aesop’s Fables, the Oxford English Dictionary, the Encyclopedia Britannica, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, a science textbook, and an instruction manual have in common?
They are all didactic literature. But what is didactic literature? And is it still relevant? Let’s take a look.
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At The Write Practice, we publish a new article each day designed to help writers tackle one part of their writing journey, from generating ideas to grammar to writing and publishing your first book. Each article has a short practice exercise at the end to help you immediately put your learning to use.
Check out the latest articles below or find ones that match your interest in the sidebar.
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31 December Writing Prompts
December is an opportunity to finish the year strong, to celebrate the year past, and set a new course for the coming year. Try a prompt each day this month and see what you discover!
Rising Action: Definition and Examples of This Dramatic Structure Element
If you’ve ever told a good story—one that has your friends or family on the floor laughing, or else on the edge of their seat asking, “What happened next?!”—then you know that you can’t get to the point of the story too quickly.
Instead, you draw out interest. You talk about all the things that went wrong. You make jokes and accentuate the best details. When you’re done, it’s not the punchline people remember; it’s everything leading up to it.
The same is true when you’re writing a story, particularly in novels, memoirs, and screenplays. It’s called the Rising Action, and it’s essential to get it right IF you want to write entertaining, informative, and deeply connecting stories.
In this article, I’m going to talk about the rising action: what it is, how it works in a story, how it’s been treated by scholars who study story structure throughout history, and finally how you can use it to write a great story.
The Best Black Friday Deals for Writers in 2024
Looking for a gift for a writer in your life? Or maybe a deal on the best tools and courses for writers? This Black Friday, we’ve rounded up dozens of deals from around the internet to help you find the perfect gift for your writer friend (or yourself!).
100 Best Gifts for Writers: Best Writing Books, Courses, Apparel, and More!
Finding the right gifts for writers in your life can be challenging. After all, what do you get people who spend so much time living in their own heads and imaginations.
It’s even worse if you’re the writer! What do you tell people to get you for Christmas gifts, birthday presents, and other holidays?
But don’t worry friends. We’ve got you covered with over 100 of the best gifts for writers ever. We’ve got writing software gifts, writing apparel gifts, writing book gifts, and even the best book writing planner money can buy.
Let’s get gifting, shall we?
Seven Basic Plots: Overcoming the Monster
Christopher Booker published The Seven Basic Plots in 2004, and he argues that all stories told in any medium can be categorized into one of seven archetypes. Today, we’re covering the first plot: Overcoming the Monster. Read on to see if this archetype can help you write a better story.
Thanksgiving Writing Prompts: 20 Creative Prompts to Practice Gratitude
It’s Thanksgiving week! During this holiday, are you hoping to find some extra practice time for writing? Or maybe you’re looking for some great Thanksgiving writing prompts that can help you express your gratitude?
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of the year for you to take a breath and slow down. You have a lot to do, I’m sure! However, sometimes taking a few minutes—even just fifteen minutes—in your day to show your gratitude can rejuvenate your holiday spirit.
In this article, you can have some quick and quiet writing time to reflect on what you’re thankful for—by using one fo these twenty-five Thanksgiving writing prompts and exercises.
Inciting Incident: Definition, Examples, Types, and How to Start a Story Right
If you are planning on writing a story, there is something you need to consider besides basic plot structure. You need to determine your Inciting Incident.
What incident will compel your protagonist to act, prompting them to move through a meaningful story?
Let’s take a look at what an inciting incident is and how to write one.
Comic Relief in Literature: More Than Just Jokes?
If you’ve ever been reading an intense scene or dramatic moment when a character comes in with some witty barb or action that makes you laugh? You’ve experienced comic relief in literature. What is comic relief and how does it work? Let’s take a look.
6 Quotes by Aristotle That Will Make You a Better Novelist
When I came across these quotes from Aristotle’s Poetics, I realized that they held more than inspiration–they held real wisdom for novelists. Can these 6 quotes by Aristotle make you a better novelist? Read on to find out.