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.

How to Build and Manage a Book Launch Team

by Sarah Gribble | 2 Comments

Whew. Yesterday, I launched my novel, Surviving Death. The launch went well, and it couldn’t have done so without my book launch team. They were awesome helping me spread the word about my book!

How do you build a book launch team? I’m going to share some strategies that I did with this launch and offer some ideas for other things you could do.

Should I Be a Writer? 7 Lies You Probably Believe

by Joe Bunting | 38 Comments

The profession of writing has been around for thousands of years. You would think we would have figured out how to become one by now, right? However, the more you read, the more you realize no one seems to agree on how to become a writer.

Depending on who you listen to, becoming a writer is either the easiest thing in the world (“Just write!”) or a proposition so impossibly difficult that only a combination of talent approaching genius, luck, and years of expensive training (i.e. “Get an MFA!”) can turn your writerly dream into reality.

Summer Writing Prompts: 100 Ideas to Write All Summer Long

by Sue Weems | 0 Comments

Give these summer-themed writing prompts a try and see if you don’t find yourself enjoying these warm summer days even more!

Which prompt brings back summer memories for you?

Contractions in Writing: When To Use and When To Avoid These Conversational Words

by Joe Bunting | 55 Comments

I had a conversation with a fellow writer recently about contractions, when they’re appropriate to use and when they should be avoided.

But first, what are contractions? Is there a contractions list?

The Ultimate Guide to Beta Readers: Definition, Why They Matter, and How to Find Them

by Sarah Gribble | 0 Comments

If you’ve looked into the process of publishing a book, you might have heard the term “beta readers.” But what are beta readers? Do you really need them? And when do they come into the writing process?

A couple hints: yes, if you’re going to publish a book, you need beta readers. And no, they’re not a replacement for hiring a professional editor.

Even if beta readers aren’t technically a part of the editing process, since they’re not editors, they are essential to impacting positive revisions.

Beta readers can—and will—do wonders for your book. If you know where to find good ones, and how they can positively contribute to your stories.

This is how I found knockout beta readers. Ones that made a big difference in making my story it’s best draft.

What is Stream of Consciousness? Definition and Examples

by Guest Blogger | 132 Comments

“Stream-of-Consciousness” is a literary technique that focuses on sensory details, what we see and hear and feel and think in the moment. It’s usually written in incomplete sentences that jump around as they please. It’s the type of writing that tells you to completely forget everything else you’ve learned about writing and give in to the flow of ideas.

How to Write a Brilliant Twist Ending

by David Safford | 2 Comments

Don’t you love a great twist?

Often appearing in the middle or at the end of a story, a twist can completely transform the reading experience into a wild ride where anything can happen. But executing a twist isn’t easy, and if done improperly, can leave your reader feeling deeply disappointed.

And that’s just what many writers unsuspectingly do.

The Hero’s Journey: 12 Steps That Make Up the Universal Structure of Great Stories

by David Safford | 0 Comments

At one point in your writer’s life, you’ve probably come across the term Hero’s Journey. Maybe you’ve even studied this guide for storytelling and applied it to your own books—and yet, something about your own application felt off. You wanted to learn more, but didn’t know where to start.

You needed a resource that would simplify the hero’s journey steps and all the other major details instead of complicate them.

You needed this post.

The Hero’s Journey is as old as humanity itself. And over the history of humanity, this single story form has emerged over and over again. People from all cultures have seemed to favor its structure, and its familiar types of characters, symbols, relationships, and steps.

If you want to build or strengthen your writing career and win a following of many happy readers, you want this particular tool in your writer’s toolbox.

Let’s dive in.

25 Hero’s Journey Story Ideas to Start an Epic Adventure

by Sue Weems | 0 Comments

If you’ve watched any one of George Lucas’s Star Wars films, read or watched any of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings books or films then you’ve experienced the hero’s journey. I’ve walked my creative writing classes through these stories numerous times, helping them identify and emulate the story principles.

Part of what makes these stories so compelling is that they follow a character from their ordinary life into an adventure they couldn’t have imagined, leading to personal transformation.
Try one of our 25 hero’s journey story ideas to write your own adventure!

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