Welcome to 2015!
For me (and I imagine many of you, too), a new year means a new writing goal among my list of resolutions. One of the most common resolutions for writers is to simply get more words on the page.
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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The 5 Steps to Become A Full-Time Writer
In mid-2014, I quit my job as an accountant and became a full-time writer. Sounds like a dream right?
Green Sneakers (Writing Prompt)
Green sneakers stood out to a high school student recounting his story of being shot. The imagery of his writing inspired today’s writing prompt.
Why You Should Do a Year-End Review for Your Writing
If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a restful and joy-filled time with the people you love most. If you don’t, then my warmest holiday wishes to you.
The year is nearly over (can you believe it?), and I’d like us all to take these last few days of the year to breathe in what we’ve accomplished in our writing over the last year. This is usually a time of release. We’ve finished the manic shopping before Christmas. We’ve eaten more than we should but we’re putting off our workout/dieting until January 1. We are relaxed, satiated now, and so this is the perfect time for a year-end review of our writing.
How the Grinch Stole Writing
Every Writer in Wordville liked stories a lot.
But the Grinch who lived North of Wordville did not!
The Grinch hated writing—the whole creative way.
Now, please don’t ask why. No one knows what to say.
Always Save the Cat in a Story
You must always save the cat in a screenplay. Never, never, never kill the cat when you are writing a screenplay. Actually, please have your main character save the cat when you write a story of any kind.
You see I am a cat. And I would never watch your movie or read your book if you were mean to a cat.
5 Ways to Keep Writing Over the Holidays
Ahhhh the holidays. A wonderful time when we burn the rest of our vacation time and, suddenly, our schedules are wide open. Oh the writing we will do!
Except, oh yeah—the inevitable family visits, holiday parties, and travel time. Not to mention all those holiday TV specials you can’t seem to peel yourself away from (hey, no judgment here, I’m the queen of TV holiday specials).
Next thing you know, you’re shaking the New Year’s confetti off your dazed head and wondering where the heck all that “writing time” went.
Why You Should Start Your Story with the End
This guest post is by Elisabeth Sharp McKetta. Elisabeth teaches writing for Harvard Extension School, is the founder of Poetry for Strangers, and the author of two books, The Creative Year: 52 Workshops for Writers and The Fairy Tales Mammals Tell. You can find her...
10 Essential Quotes on Becoming a Writer (plus one of my own)
I first wanted to become a writer because I read those great books (you know the ones: Great Expectations and Harry Potter and Les Miserables and On the Road) and thought, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to do this all day, to spend your afternoons having conversations with interesting characters and dealing with the deep challenges of the soul?”
4 Ways I Deal With Nasty Critiques on My Writing
No matter how thick our skin is, it’s always tough to hear something negative about our work. We’ve worked so hard on it for so long, made so many edits, and now there’s even more to change. How does our manuscript even remotely resemble the original idea?
Luckily, there are a few things you can do to handle critiques in a more positive way. Here are four of my tips.
