New Daily Writing Guides from The Write Practice

5 Steps to Write Characters that Change

by Jeff Elkins | 34 Comments

We know our characters must change. From the first word to the last, if our main character isn’t different, then we haven’t written a story people will connect with.

But writing believable character change can be hard. Change doesn’t just happen. It’s not enough to simply flip a switch and make our protagonists different from one scene to the next. Our characters need to evolve slowly.

In today’s post, I’m sharing a system of thinking that helps me build characters that experience believable and realistic change.

No Writing Is Wasted

by Ruthanne Reid | 56 Comments

Have you ever seen an expert do something so brilliantly that they made it look easy? Writing is like that.

Here’s the thing: when our favorite authors write, they sit down and they write and they make it look easy. We see (or imagine) their facile skill with words and phrases, and we think, I want to do that. For a while, we even feel like we can do that. But when we put words down . . . well, they just don’t come out like that.

The truth is, though, no writing is wasted—not even your worst words, the pages that will never see the light of day.

Announcing Write a Book in 100 Days

by Joe Bunting | 4 Comments

In the last few weeks, we asked you to tell us about what you’re writing. Many of you are in the middle of writing a book, and many more would like to start one. Writing a book is an awesome goal, and we want to support you in every way we can.

That’s why we’re so excited to announce our brand-new program: Write a Book in 100 Days.

This program is unlike anything you’ve seen before. Let me explain how it will virtually guarantee that you finish your book in 100 days.

Fewer vs. Less: 10 Items or ____

by Liz Bureman | 22 Comments

Let’s say you’re living the dream and writing a chapter of word problems for a grade school math textbook. You’ve got a girl named Mandy who has sixteen apples. You’ve got a guy named Frank who has four fewer apples than Mandy.

Wait. Is it four fewer or four less?

Let’s discuss, shall we?

Writing Prompt: Stories of the Olympics

by Monica M. Clark | 46 Comments

I have a theory why the Olympics are so exciting (despite all the Zika gloom and doom leading up to them). It’s the stories!

So much is at stake every day of the Olympics. The veteran Olympian hoping to clinch his last medal, the refugee who went from swimming for her life to swimming for gold, the gymnast finally getting her shot on the world stage.

Since the Olympics provide such great material for story writing, they obviously provide great material for writing prompts.

10 Tricks to Get Your Writing Flowing

by Guest Blogger | 17 Comments

For writers, as well as athletes, there’s nothing like being in the zone. Distractions fall away, time disappears, and your work seems to write itself. Unfortunately for most writers, being in the zone is rare—instead of inspiration, we feel dread; instead of knowing, we feel lost; and instead of excitement, we feel anxiety.

But it doesn’t have to be like this. In fact, according to the research of Susan Perry, Ph.D., there are several concrete writing techniques and practices that can actually make finding inspiration and “getting into the zone” an everyday occurrence.

These Cats Share Why Writers Are Readers

by Pamela Fernuik | 28 Comments

Don’t you just hate being told what to do? I hate it. Absolutely hate it. However, I am going to tell you if you want to be a writer, you need to be a reader too.

I know. I know. Who has time to read, right? We are busy with life, writing all day, getting caught up on our favorite television shows, cleaning seven litter boxes every morning, and washing our socks. Who has time to read?

But if you are a writer, you need to read.

How to Build Memorable Monsters

by Jeff Elkins | 43 Comments

They lurk in dark corners of our houses when everyone else is asleep. We see their shadows at the other end of that abandoned alley where the street lamps are broken. They watch us in the woods, close enough to feel but still hidden by the gloom.

I’m talking about monsters. The kind that go bump in the night and leave a chill running up our spines.

When we build terrifying monsters into our stories, they will ingrain themselves in our readers’ minds, making our stories unforgettable.

7 Easy Ways to Connect with Readers

by Guest Blogger | 68 Comments

Why do readers suddenly have the attention spans of gnats?

It’s easy to blame writers and suggest their quality of work has declined, but I contend there’s a growing evil sucking attention away from the page. This villain takes many forms.

I hold responsible the brilliant innovators, creators and storytellers of our generation for producing the most competitive market place for readers’ attention that the world’s ever seen. Fewer and fewer people can make it through an entire page before departing and plugging back into their easy-to-consume content outlets.

This new reality means you must write smarter than ever to seize attention and audience engagement. You must be calculated in how you connect with readers.

Common Writer Fears (A.K.A.,You’re Not Crazy)

by Ruthanne Reid | 75 Comments

Writing is a tricky business. We throw ourselves into it, gripped by passionate ideas and the need to speak them. We persevere when haters tell us to stop, push through when our own limitations creep up like fences to be hurdled, and devour articles offering tips on how to write better, faster, and smarter.

In the middle of all that, is it any wonder that sometimes we feel like we’re crazy?

Today, we’re not going to work on the fiction side of writing. Today, we’re going to work on ourselves. Think of this as a writer’s personal-training workout.

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