New Daily Writing Guides from The Write Practice

Are You a Prescriptivist or a Descriptivist When It Comes to Grammar?

by Liz Bureman | 36 Comments

Grammar is a funny thing. In the English language, there has been a great deal of evolution, both in words and in structure. Any Google search for “words we don’t use anymore” will come up with lists of vocabulary that no one has spoken since Matthew Crawley’s car wreck (spoiler alert).

As much as I may rage about using “proper” grammar, I also have to admit grammar itself undergoes major transformations, and there are two schools of thought about how to react to these changes: prescriptivism and descriptivism.

What If Literary Agents Don’t Want Your Novel?

by Emily Wenstrom | 56 Comments

I am finally on the verge of submitting my first manuscript to agents after three years of drafting and editing, it’s satisfying to finally reach this milestone.

It’s also terrifying. Because a question is starting to haunt me: What if I don’t get picked?

Leaving [writing prompt]

by Joe Bunting | 70 Comments

PRACTICE

Write about leaving (e.g. a young adult leaving for college, a wife leaving her abusive husband, a writer leaving for a great trip).

Write for fifteen minutes. When you’re finished, post your practice in the comments section. And if you post, please be sure to leave feedback for your fellow writers.

Theme of the Day: Pain

by Birgitte Rasine | 39 Comments

Some time ago, we did a speed writing session for one hour. Actually, compared to the usual 15-minute writing practices here, an hour might seem glacially slow. But we all know how fast an hour can speed by, especially when we’re wandering around aimlessly in the land of social media while our cursor blinks wistful and lonesome on our WIP in the background, buried multiple browser windows in.

Today, we’re going to do it again. But this time we have a theme. That theme is PAIN.

Before you click away from this page, worried that writing about pain will weigh down your bright and shiny day, think about it for a nanosecond. What is it that most great stories have? CONFLICT. TENSION. Antagonist (force) pushing the protagonist to evolve, grow, learn, progress, or erupt in gratuitous fill-in-the-blank.

Pain is part of conflict and part of life. Embrace it.

Why Grammar, Spelling, and Usage Matter

by Liz Bureman | 17 Comments

Anyone who has been following The Write Practice since day one knows how I feel about the semicolon, sentence structure, spelling, and other grammatical foibles. If a writer lacks any of these things in his or her work, it drives me crazy. I’ll start railing on about the destruction of the English language, the dumbing down of society, blah blah blah.

But why would any writer care about what I think?

Photo Writing Prompt

by Monica M. Clark | 77 Comments

Take fifteen minutes to write a paragraph or two based on this photo.

Let Me Be Your Muse

by Guest Blogger | 77 Comments

You’ve been working on your novel. You know you have strong characters and a great plot. You’re even excited to plan about your book promotion. The problem is, you still have dozens of chapters yet to write. Where are you going to find inspiration?

Your Next Creative Breakthrough Is Only a Breakdown Away

by Joe Bunting | 53 Comments

Years ago, when I imagined the lifestyle of a writer, I envisioned myself sauntering along the streets at dusk, sitting at cafés while stories unfolded magically in my imagination, the whole world seemingly at the tip of my pen.

Now that I’ve been writing for a while, I’ve realized that creative breakthroughs do happen, and when you experience them, they’re better even than how you imagined them to be. But they come at a terrible cost.

Bring Your Setting to Life

by The Magic Violinist | 46 Comments

I’m sure you’ve heard a thousand times before that not only must your characters live and breathe like real people, but your setting has to, as well. Your setting should have a personality just like your protagonist if you want your story world to leap off the page.

But how do you do that?

What to do with Criticism?

by Marianne Richmond | 35 Comments

If we’re writing for humans, we need to accept that some won’t like our writing, our style, our topic, our work. It’s a momentary sting to the soul for sure, but don’t let it de-rail you from your passion and prose.

Here to learn? You’re in the WRITE place!