Often in stories, the protagonist has a support system (unless your novel takes place on a deserted island and the protagonist is the lone survivor of a terrible plane crash, in which case a volleyball named Wilson will just have to do). These characters can take the form of friends, family, coworkers, roommates, or any other number of relationships, but often they fulfill the role of the sidekick.
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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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How to Write a Memorable Beginning and Ending
You know that well-worn, well-loved book that you’ve read many times? Simply turning to the first page and reading the opening line brings you into the story. And when you reach that final page and the very last sentence, the story melts away, leaving you content—or perhaps wanting just a bit more.
An intriguing beginning and a strong ending act as bookends to any good story. So how do you craft memorable first and last lines?
Don't Be a Resolution Writer
With a clear conscious, I can promise that desire had little to do with the conception of this post. If my desires dictated when this would be written, I would put it off a few more days.
Fortunately, my will, and not my feelings, determine my actions as a writer.
Wedding [writing prompt]
PRACTICE
I’m going to a wedding tomorrow, the first I’ve been to this spring, and I thought it would be fun to write about weddings.
Write about a wedding, a wedding in your work in progress, a wedding you’ve been to, or your own wedding.
Write for fifteen minutes. When you’re time is up, post your practice in the comments section. And if you post, be sure to give feedback on a few practices by other writers.
Have fun!
What Murakami’s 1Q84 Teaches Us
I recently finished reading Haruki Murakami’s trilogy 1Q84, and it left me with mixed feelings. If you’re to compare any of his previous novels to 1Q84, you’ll be quite surprised. It’s different from the familiar Murakami topics, and his tone and voice have changed in this work too.
Avoiding a description of the content and putting personal preferences aside, there is much to be learned from the Japanese master’s latest work (even though he lost the Nobel race). So here are the lessons I’ve pulled out:
5 Lessons I've Learned About Writing From My Special Needs Children
People often say becoming a parent teaches you a lot about yourself and about life. For me, it’s also taught me how to be a better writer.
These five lessons have stayed with me, and crossed over to my life as a writer…
How Fast Can You Write?
I wrote this in fifteen minutes.
How fast can you write? Most new writers slog over their writing. They spend minutes writing a single sentence. They stare at the screen, composing sentences in their heads. Yes, some pros do that too, but as a group, professional writers write fast (or at least faster than you).
When You Want to Quit Writing
I don’t want to be a writer anymore. Why should I bleed on paper just for some editor’s red pen to bleed all over it? My ideas aren’t that good and no one ever reads my work. No publisher’s ever going to like it. Besides, it’s giving me tendinitis. No, I’m done with writing. I’m going to find a career with a steady income and consistent job description.
What Are Plot Holes and Why Should You Avoid Them
Sometimes when you’re writing, you get so caught up in where your story is going that you’ve forgotten a few details that you previously established at the beginning of your book.
Sometimes those details are smaller, like having a character approach your protagonist from behind when you’ve established that the protagonist is on the top row of the stadium bleachers, and there is no way you can sneak up on them from behind. Sometimes those details are bigger, like a previously-unbeatable monster suddenly being dispatched with ease with a butter knife.
These inconsistencies are called plot holes.
Write About What Scares You
We all experience fear from time to time. But what about those things that truly terrify us, those situations that may not even ever happen? Our fear may not always be rational, but this deep-rooted emotion is a powerful tension to insert into our writing.
Because fear is not something we enjoy feeling, it is also often uncomfortable to write about—which is what makes the end result fascinating.
Here are some things to keep in mind when writing about fear:
