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.
And make sure to subscribe to get a weekly digest of our latest posts, along with our free guide, 10 Steps to Become a Writer.
I recently read an article in the Guardian that was so wild, so novelesque, that I thought it would make the perfect writing prompt. Here’s the gist: When a first-time author is “cyberbullied” on Goodreads by a book reviewer with a reputation for hurting authors’ reputations, she becomes obsessed with finding out the reviewers true identity.
Do you ever feel like your own worst enemy when it comes to writing? Are there times when you are bursting with inspiration, bursting with ideas to write about, but struggle to get started or bring them fully to form?
When this happens, your creativity is not in the drivers seat. Instead, the inner critic is. Luckily, you can overcome your inner critic by transforming them into an inner cheerleader.
Red herrings are staples of the mystery and suspense genres, but they also can pop up in myriad other works and genres. But what is a red herring? Find out…
Images inspire me. They get me from Point A to Point B. They allow me to see the story before the story every touches paper. And image can be the perfect impetus for a deadlocked storyline.
Today I want you to be inspired. Let’s use imagery to push our writing further. Let’s dig deep and find the meaning behind the image.
I read Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl way back in January after hearing that A. it was amazing, and B. it would be getting a theatrical release in October 2014. I loved the book, and as soon as I started seeing trailers for the movie, I got it into my head that I MUST SEE THIS FILM. The moody teaser, the dark score accompanying the scenes of a marriage unraveling, the mystery of whose story is the truth: the whole thing dragged me in. I saw the movie on Sunday, and it definitely did not disappoint, at least as far as I’m concerned. There’s a lot of debate around the plot, which I won’t go into here because pretty much anything I say would be a huge spoiler.
This weekend I saw the movie Gone Girl and there was this cat. The cat was everywhere, witness to all the dysfunctional behavior happening in the house—and he obviously didn’t care.
I thought, wouldn’t it be cool to write a story from the perspective of a cat?
Last night, I came to the realization that I don’t want to do what I’m doing anymore. I don’t want to be a writer anymore. I don’t want to write books. I don’t want to write this blog. I want to quit.
How do you dramatize non fiction? Isn’t real life already wild and crazy enough? And isn’t that why we have fiction in the first place, so that we can be superheroes and E.S.C.A.P.E. our dull routine realities?
Yes, and yes, BUT. The role of literature, in my and many other authors’ humble yet strong opinion, is to reflect social trends and preserve cultural ideals. To inform, inspire, and innovate. The stories we write and read shape our culture and society, our minds and our lives. This is why I insist with the ferocity of a Category 5 hurricane on quality, beauty, and impact.
The reason I write is to open minds—including my own. For me, the most potent way to do that is by mixing up fiction and real life. So let me tell you about The Visionary.
Weird Al came out with a new album fairly recently, and my boyfriend sent me a link to his video for “Word Crimes” because, let’s face it, it’s me we’re talking about. For reference, in case any of you aren’t as aware of Weird Al’s affinity for grammar, he’s a self-described grammar nazi, and this song is a clear indication of that fact.
When writing a series (or even just a really long novel), at some point, the characters become known, their dynamics set, and readers can almost guess how characters will feel about a given plot twist before it happens. Fans go beyond love for characters and form deep connections … and expectations.
Some readers love to simply love their characters and enjoy their next adventure. But don’t discount the fun of killing your darlings to shake things up.