The Write Practice: The Online Writing Workbook

The Truth About What Writers Do

Whenever someone asks me what I do, I always say the same thing: “I’m a writer.” It’s what we all say.

It’s a simple statement, the typical one-word description of who we are and what we do. But for me, the word “writer,” by itself, just doesn’t do it justice. The dictionary definition of a writer is “A person who writes books, stories, or articles as a job or regular occupation.” True? Yes. Basically, to the rest of the world, what we do? Yes.

But that definition still isn’t complete. The truth is, we’re much more than writers.

When Writing Is the Worst Thing in the World

by Guest Blogger | 77 Comments

When Joe Bunting invited me to contribute a guest blog post to The Write Practice, I was thrilled. After all, this is a thriving community of dedicated writers hungry for craft discussion. It’s a writing coach’s dream come true. What is not a dream, however, what is in fact a writer’s worst nightmare, is when your creativity fails to flow, when despite your best efforts the words fail to come.

When your tried-and-true writing process fails you.

What do we do when our writing practice unexpectedly goes off the rails? When writing feels like the worst thing in the world?

Writing Advice From Ray Bradbury

by Ruthanne Reid | 45 Comments

Sometimes, you can’t write. And I mean you REALLY can’t write. You know the feeling: the kind where it seems your soul is so parched and empty that your imagination has withered and gone. The kind where everything you managed to write before either looks incredibly stupid (and you made it public! The horror!) or, worse yet, was the product of some brief moment of genius which you shall ne’er taste again. Today, I’m going to walk you through what to do during those times via advice from Ray Bradbury.

Celebrating Our 5th Anniversary With a Huge Giveaway

by Joe Bunting | 8 Comments

Today is The Write Practice’s fifth anniversary!

That’s pretty crazy to think about. Five years ago, The Write Practice was just a budding site, one little writing blog trying to make a space for itself on the internet. Since then, we’ve grown into a thriving community full of amazing writers who come back day after day to share our writing practice and support each other.

The truth is, The Write Practice wouldn’t be what it is today without you. So to celebrate turning five, I want to say, THANK YOU.

And what better way to say “Thank you!” than with a giveaway?

How Spotify Can Make You a Better Writer

by Guest Blogger | 54 Comments

There’s a reason you listen to Metallica when you’re doing Crossfit. It’s the same reason you listen to raindrops when you’re doing yoga. It’s because music has a powerful influence on mood, so powerful it can actually elicit a physiological response.

But as a learning writer, I had always assumed that music would be a distraction, that it would deaden my ability to hear my character’s voice, or make it harder to find the right words to explain a setting. I couldn’t have been more wrong: listening music can actually make you a better writer.

How to Use a Photo Shoot for Character Development

by Pamela Fernuik | 27 Comments

When we imagine what a character looks like, we see only the basic, surface details, like height and hair color. But when we describe a character in a photograph, a person is more than their hair color, height, and gender. We can learn a lot about them from the way they pose for the photograph.

The photographer has arrived to photograph the characters for your story. They are setting up the lights and the backdrop as your characters get ready to have their photograph taken. Here’s how visualizing a photo shoot will help you improve your character development.

How to Write What You Know

by Jeff Elkins | 36 Comments

When I first started writing, I was advised to “write what you know.” While the advice was well intended, it left me sad because I don’t know much, and what I do know isn’t exciting enough to build fiction with.

Then, one day, it started to click for me. While I may not be a dragon-slaying knight or a criminal-catching detective, the emotions I experience on a daily basis can be used to bring those worlds to life.

Spring Contest Winner: Run

by Guest Blogger | 29 Comments

We’re very proud to publish this story by Maia Thomlinson, which won the grand prize of $300 in the 2016 Spring Writing Contest with wordhaus literary magazine.

Run. Run. Run.

As light bleeds into this endless plane, I run towards the rising sun.

I run from destruction, from my own pounding heart. Gun shots fire. Still, I run.

Pressed tight up against my chest, my baby brother whimpers. The tall grass grabs for his tiny, bare feet, and I clutch him tighter still. This precious cargo is all I have left; no more family, no village, no home.

Why Your Character’s Childhood Dreams Matter

by Ruthanne Reid | 46 Comments

We often struggle to create realistic characters; they don’t always seem believable. We can usually recognize characters that feel two-dimensional, but we don’t always know why. I’d like to submit that one of the primary reasons we have trouble with characterization is we rarely ask ourselves how our characters got where they are.

With very few exceptions, all characters had a childhood. What did your character want to be when they grew up? The success or failure of that dream is a crucial part of the journey that brought your characters to their place in your story.

The Secret to Winning a Writing Contest

by Joe Bunting | 35 Comments

In this post, I want to share a secret I’ve learned about how to win a writing contest. Plus, I published a new book yesterday all about how to get the most out of writing contests (and I want to give it to you for free).

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