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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You may not know it, but if you’re a writer trying to build a readership, you’re building a brand—and every piece of work you put out there is marketing. I know marketing can make writers cringe, but don’t write me off quite yet. With the right mindset, you can learn to love—and give your reader some love at the same time. Consider these four marketing tips:
How do you become a better writer? Most people choose one of two paths: studying in school or writing whatever they feel like. This leaves out one important step…
Are you intentionally using complex, that is, ‘refined’ vocabulary in your writing? Is it because you feel it sounds better, sophisticated, cultured?
For quite some time now, my observations of the style of proclaimed authors indicate they use simple vocabulary. Yet, even though their choice of words is rather simple, the thoughts they are expressing and the way of expression they use is what makes their writing special.
Ahhh, the love triangle. Stephenie Meyer’s favorite plot device. When you’re writing a love triangle from a first person or third person limited perspective, it’s hard to write a lot of multi-directional triangles. However, writing from a third-person omniscient perspective gives you the freedom to explore the other two prongs of the love triangle.
Looking to master “the hook”? Check out these seven tips from an author who has published over 40 books.
Are you having a hard time building your writing platform, your precious brand? Does every day seem like an uphill battle? You work hard but never seem to make any headway, your books aren’t selling. Three stumbles back instead of one step forward.
As a writer, no two months are ever the same. Sales up one and then down the next. Frustrating, right?
Let’s play would you rather! The writing life is all about choices. Ponder a couple questions today that might enlighten you about what you’d do — if you could choose.
Sunday was one of those rare days in Denver where it rained all day long, which completely justified my decision to lay on the couch, order takeout, and watch Netflix all day. My roommate and I finished the evening with a viewing of I Love You, Man, which I had never seen and am so glad I watched. Paul Rudd and Jason Segel are America’s boyfriends.
The main three relationships of the movie are a twist on a classic rom-com trope called the love triangle, with Paul Rudd trying to become friends with Jason Segel while planning his wedding to Rashida Jones. It’s highly entertaining, but it made me think about other plays on the classic three-character relationship models.
Maleficent. Elphaba. Regina. There’s a reason these new spins on classic stories are so popular. These stories make for an intriguing new look at something old and familiar—one that forces us to reconsider the villain. We can all take a lesson from this villain-as-hero trend.
How do you create rich, compelling villainous character? The answer is easy: Empathy.
Sentence structure matters, no matter who you are.
You might be a student trying to get a passing grade on an essay, a guy trying to write a text to a smart girl without humiliating yourself, an employee writing a company-wide memo, or a writer working on your next book. When sentence structure gets out of whack, there can be consequences (no passing grade, no first date, no raise, no publishing contract).