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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Have you ever sat down to write, full to the brim of creative energy, but found that you can’t think of a single idea? In my opinion, it’s one of the most frustrating feelings. Luckily there are ways to get around this. Instead of trying to come up with something totally original, why don’t you use stories that have already been written to your advantage? If you’re ever lacking in inspiration, consider using one of these three tips to easily “steal” an idea.
Words. As writers, we pound them out by the minute, fuss over every adjective, and worry over every comma. In fact we go through so many of them that they sometimes begin to feel meaningless. But if there was ever a person to remind us of how incredibly powerful words can be, Martin Luther King, Jr., is it.
Confession time. How much exercise have you done today? How about yesterday? Over the course of the past week?
And why am I talking about exercise on a website for writers?
Because getting your body up and moving is good for your plotlines.
You know what has momentum? A train. Those things don't stop easily, not even when someone applies the brakes. It's my pleasure to tell you writing is much the same way. Have you ever seen a train start rolling from a complete standstill? (Just in case you haven't,...
Oh, relative pronouns. You crazy, crazy kids. You can cause so much frustration with your misplaced thats, whos, and whichs. Let’s have a chat and sort you all out, shall we?
Let’s say you’re telling a story about Weston, a neurologist with a bionic elbow. When do you use which relative pronoun?
In honor of this writer’s birthday (and birthday obsession), here are three birthday-inspired writing prompts.
Looking for a way to achieve an edge that will raise your writing to the top of an agent’s or editor’s inbox? Dreaming that your pitches, cover letters, query letters, and actual prose will stand out and be noticed? Just want to be taken more seriously as a writer?
It’s a lot easier than you think.
I have read The Memoir Project three times. I have taken notes and underlined my favorite sections. Marion Roach Smith has solid advice on how to write your own stories. Let me share nineteen tips on writing memoir from The Memoir Project.
Characters are one of the most important elements of any story. And character development can be challenging to get right.
Characters are critical for drawing readers into a story. They should also be the force that pushes your plot forward. A strong character can bring the story’s entire world to life. They can make your readers cry and even feel like a real friend. A weak one can deflate an entire book like a leaky air mattress.
The end of the year can be strange for word-lovers. If you’re anything like me, your last “365” had great writing days and not-so-great ones. There were days when the muse sang and days when her only appearance was to say she didn’t exist. (And never had. Or never would again. You know how capricious the muse is.)
Well, screw that capricious muse. It’s time to take a stand. I’m calling all you word-lovers to take a step with me: it’s time to call yourself a writer.
