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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.

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Best Book Writing Software: Word vs. Scrivener

Best Book Writing Software: Word vs. Scrivener

When you’re writing a book, you might come to this point where exasperation turns to desperation and you think: “There has to be a better way. There has to be a better piece of book writing software than Microsoft Word.”

Microsoft Word is the default word processor, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only option. And especially when you’re writing something as complicated as book, you might want a piece of writing software geared specifically toward writing a book.

In this post, we’re going to look closely the most popular alternative to Microsoft Word: Scrivener, and talk about where each word processor shines and where each falls short.

Nerve Wracking vs Nerve-Wracking: The Correct Spelling

Nerve Wracking vs Nerve-Wracking: The Correct Spelling

You are writing your story, and the words are flowing. You're in the groove. Wait. Or is that "your"? Now you've stopped writing and started pondering. It seems you do this a lot. Or alot. Or allot. AGH! English spelling is so nerve-racking. Or is that nerve-wracking?...

Essential Elements of the Best Book Covers

Essential Elements of the Best Book Covers

When selling a book, you literally have a few seconds to catch your potential reader’s eye. There is no better way to do it than with a striking cover. As an indie author, you have the creative freedom to design it how you love. But what should the cover look like to be the best marketing tool?

How to Write a Screenplay: The 5 Step Process

How to Write a Screenplay: The 5 Step Process

Have you ever fantasized about writing a Hollywood movie? Or maybe, with a bit of luck, create the next Lost.

In a visual age, with the decline of traditional publishing, some look to writing screenplays as a way to create the “literature of the future.”

But what is the process to write a screenplay? How do you even begin? And how is it different or similar to writing a novel? In this post we’re going to look at the five step process professional screenwriters use.

20 Dialogue Writing Prompts to Level Up Your Story

20 Dialogue Writing Prompts to Level Up Your Story

Dialogue is an essential component for most stories, whether it’s for a narrative essay, memoir, or fiction. Even if you’re writing nonfiction, you’ll likely use stories to illustrate your point, and those stories will include dialogue. Today we have some dialogue writing prompts to help you write better dialogue while you develop some story ideas.  

Dialogue Tags: What Are They and How To Use Them

Dialogue Tags: What Are They and How To Use Them

Writers encounter dialogue every day, but too often recently I’ve seen great stories ruined by choppy, incoherent, and straight up weird dialogue.

Let’s break down the essentials of dialogue tags so we can all write clearer conversations.

Why Is Dialogue Important? 7 Roles Dialogue Plays in a Story

Why Is Dialogue Important? 7 Roles Dialogue Plays in a Story

If you’re looking for a surefire way to improve your story, you’ll be happy to know there’s a fast-acting method at your disposal. According to writing expert James Scott Bell, it’s “the fastest way to improve any manuscript.”

I’m talking about dialogue.

But here’s the thing—dialogue is more than just the words you put in your characters’ mouths. On screen and stage, it’s the actor’s job to take his lines and infuse them with meaning, expression, emotion, and so on. On the page, that’s your job.

7 Keys to Write the Perfect First Line of a Novel

7 Keys to Write the Perfect First Line of a Novel

Earlier this week, I read “Poppies,” a short story by Ulrica Hume, one of our authors on Story Cartel. Initially, I had only planned on skimming a few pages, but the first line hooked me. Before long, I was finishing the last page.

Great first lines have that power, the power to entice your reader enough that it would be unthinkable to set the book down. How, then, do you write the perfect first line?

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