Nearly every day, I hear from writers who are struggling to finish their stories. They tell me they have great ideas, have already finished a few chapters of their book, but they just can’t summon the motivation to finish.
Here to learn? You’re in the WRITE place!
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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Why You Should Write What You DON’T Know
“Write what you know.” We hear it all the time as writers, just as often as we hear “kill the adverbs,” “don’t disregard the first draft,” and all of the other common tips about writing. But while writing what you know is definitely useful in one sense, writing what you don’t know can be just as rewarding. Here’s why.
What Have You Learned So Far About Writing?
Today we want to hear YOUR advice. What have you learned so far about writing or publishing?
Your #1 Responsibility as a Writer
A writer friend I know adores her hero and heroine so much that she’s afraid of hurting them. She realizes her story reads flat, but can’t seem to put any real obstacles in their paths, despite the depth it would add to their journeys and the improved experience for her readers. Another writer recently told me he dislikes dark books, characters, plots, anything. He feels that life has enough suffering and not enough happiness.
I agree there’s too much pain in this world, but I also believe there’s a bigger discussion that needs to take place here at The Write Practice.
In my opinion, your #1 responsibility as a writer is…
The Biggest Secret To Becoming a Writer
There is one piece of advice that you must know. I am convinced this is the most important thing you need to know if you’re going to make it as a writer.
5 Writing Rules That Work No Matter What You’re Writing
Short stories. Marketing. News reporting. Poetry. Business proposals. Literary fiction. Technical writing. Blogs.
There are a ton of different kinds of writing out there, each strikingly different from others, and each different kind requires different writing rules.
Show, Don’t Tell: How to Write the Stages of Grief
How do you make your readers cry?
I promise this post won’t be a downer. What it will be (hopefully) is really useful advice on how to portray the stages grief—and in the process, maybe encourage you to continue creating even during your own personal sorrow.
The 3 Most Important Times to Keep Writing
I’m drawn to the dark side of creativity, the fears and phobias we let shut us down. I wasted too many years allowing the blank page to conquer me, doubting each word of every story, and worse, waiting for permission from others to call myself a writer. Now, I’m almost on a mission to save others from those painful mistakes because they’re both unnecessary and abusive.
There are just three times when fear will try to stop you from writing…
How to Finally Finish Your Writings
All writers seem to have this problem. We all have those half-finished projects: books, blogs, wooden chairs.
On my computer I actually have a folder of “Unfinished Blogs.” If you’re like me, finishing projects is always a struggle, especially books, which are the hardest projects to finish. Recently I’ve buckled down to finish several major projects, including my first book, and I’ve learned a few things about finishing your writing along the way.
Let’s Play a Story Game to Break Writer’s Block
Have you ever felt desperate? Not desperate to find disposable diapers at midnight when you realized you just used the last one and your baby has diarrhea? And not desperate to find your car keys. I mean desperate to find a way for your hero to escape the wooden box sinking in the middle of the ocean desperate.
As your character sinks to the bottom of the ocean, and as the air supply at the top of the wooden box gets smaller you grab your head in your hands and pace the floor frantic to save your hero’s life before his air supply runs out.
You try jumping jacks to stimulate oxygen to your brain. You do a google search for ideas to break writer’s block and then do you everything they suggest.
