New Daily Writing Guides from The Write Practice

How to Create a Monster That Terrifies Your Readers

Halloween is right around the corner and I know a lot of you will be writing some spine-chilling stories to celebrate. What’s the best part of a creepy story? A monster.

When writing monsters, you could rely on the tried-and-true vampires, zombies, and giant, man-killing spiders. There’s nothing wrong with adding to the monster canon, but it does get a little boring after a while. It’s often better to make up your own monster. But how?

Decades have been spent honing the standard wants and abilities of vampires and zombies. How can you make a monster just as good in a much shorter time frame?

How to Write a Query Letter: 3 Paragraphs That Hook a Literary Agent

by Abigail Perry | 1 Comment

If you’re interested in getting your book traditionally published, it’s crucial that you sign with a literary agent who loves your story and has a vision for your career. To do this means you need to write the single most important page you’ll ever write outside of your book: a query letter.

No pressure, right?

If the thought of writing a query letter freaks you out or confuses you, hit the pause button and breathe for a second. You are not alone.

Here’s the good news: there is a method that will help you get an agent to say, “Sounds great! Send me more.” I call this the three-paragraph method. It’s all about the hook-book-cook!

31 October Writing Prompts

by Sue Weems | 0 Comments

Fall is in full swing here in the United States. If you are looking for some inspiration to take you through the month, check out our new list of October writing prompts!

How to Write Revenge Stories That Thrill and Satisfy Your Readers

by Joslyn Chase | 1 Comment

A heinous murder. A jilted lover. An angry hero determined to get justice. Revenge stories are a vital part of the human experience. Let’s take a look at how to write one of your own.

60+ Wicked Good Examples of Oxymoron

by Robert Harrell | 0 Comments

Do you know any wise fools? Have you ever seen a jumbo shrimp? Experienced a deafening silence? Tasted bittersweet chocolate? Found a picture pretty ugly? Declared something awful good?

If so, you’ve experienced or used an oxymoron. What, then is an oxymoron? Let’s take a look.

9 Key Elements of a Short Story: What They Are and How to Apply Them

by Sarah Gribble | 4 Comments

If you’re new to short story writing, it can be intimidating to think of fitting everything you need in a story into a small word count. Do you need to apply certain elements of a short story in order for it to be great?

Writers like you struggle with this all the time.

You might want to develop deep character backgrounds with a huge cast of characters, amazing settings, and have at least two subplots. And that’s great. But that wouldn’t be writing a short story.

You might try to cut some of these things, and then all the sudden you don’t have a character arc or a climax or an ending.

Every story has basic elements; a short story’s basic elements are just more focused than a novel’s. But all those elements must be there, and yes, they need to fit into a short word count.

In this article, you’ll learn what you need to make sure your short story is a complete story—with three famous short story examples. These story elements are what you should focus on when writing a short piece of fiction.

5 Reasons to Use Pictures as Writing Prompts

by Sarah Gribble | 0 Comments

If you follow any kind of writing blog or social page, you’ve probably seen picture writing prompts before. People love them and there’s no end to sites that provide them. Not to mention the millions of pictures that are out there that aren’t “official” writing prompts. You’ve probably got a ton on your phone that could spark an idea.

If you haven’t taken the plunge and tried writing from picture writing prompts before, here are five reasons why you should.

How to Get Better at Writing Essays: 10 Steps

by Joe Bunting | 64 Comments

Lots of students, young and old, dread essay writing. It’s a daunting assignment, one that takes research, time, and concentration. It’s also a piece of writing that you can break up into simple steps that make writing an essay manageable and, yes, even enjoyable.

These ten essay tips completely changed my writing process—and I hope that they can do the same for you.

10 Ways to Master Pacing in Writing and Keep Your Readers Riveted

by Joslyn Chase | 1 Comment

If you’ve ever run a marathon, or a 10K, or even a 5K race, you know that pacing is important. If you pour it on at full speed right off the starting line and keep that up without variation, you’ll run out of steam and be unable to finish.

You do the same thing to your reader if you don’t vary the pace. Fast or slow, if you don’t provide some variety for your reader, they won’t finish either. So let’s take a closer look at pacing and how it can help you create a better experience for your readers.

Book Club: The Write Way to Analyze a Book

by Sue Weems and Guest Blogger | 0 Comments

If you’re a writer, you’ve likely heard advice that one of the best ways to improve your craft is to read. It’s true! But the way you read matters. How can you read and discuss books with a writer’s eye, so you get more out of the experience?

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