New Daily Writing Guides from The Write Practice

Word Count: How Many Words In a Novel?

by Joe Bunting | 115 Comments

If you want to get published, you need to be aware that major New York publishers are looking for a specific word count, depending on your genre. Your fantasy novel word count needs to be different than your YA Fiction book, which has a different word count from other books.

How many words are in a novel? Or at least one in which publishers might be interested? In this post, we’re going to explain word count and how it affects your chances of publishing success.

Ready to write your novel? Check out our definitive guide, How To Write Write a Novel: The Complete Guide, here.

How long is the average book? And how long should your book be? Here’s a quick summary:

3 Inspiring Quotes to Get You Writing

by The Magic Violinist | 27 Comments

I love quotes. I love short one or two sentence snippets that give me that itch to sit down and type something great. Going through Pinterest boards full of creative pictures paired with that quote can give me the boost I need to get on with my day and make something. But there are three in particular I always go back to when I’m feeling stuck.

Colon the Shots: How to use Colons in Grammar

by Liz Bureman and Elizabeth Nettleton | 19 Comments

While colons can be intimidating at first, they’re lovely, distinguished punctuation marks that are quite easy to use once you get the hang of them. Let’s dig a little deeper into how to use colons correctly.

How to Stay Popular in a Writers Group

by Joe Bunting | 20 Comments

Writers groups can be an incredibly rich experience. In fact, you can learn more about the craft of writing from a good writers group or creative writing club than you can learn from a thousand blog posts on writing.

However, at the same time, a bad writers group can be a waste of time, and if particularly dysfunctional, can even be incredibly damaging to your confidence and your writing.

If you’re part of a writers group, how do you take it to the next level? And if you’re looking for a writers group, how do you make sure you choose the right one?

Writing Prompt: A Show, Don’t Tell Game

by Pamela Fernuik | 95 Comments

In grade school, your teacher had Show and Tell. You brought your stuffed Teddy Bear to class to show your class the bear, and you told them how your Teddy Bear came alive at night and fought the monsters under your bed.

If you wrote a story about the Teddy Bear fighting the monsters under your bed, you could say, “I was scared,” or you could show your fear. Today, we will play a Show, Don’t Tell Game to practice showing and not telling.

Roxane Gay MasterClass Review: Will This Class Help You Write for Social Change?

by Elizabeth Nettleton | 0 Comments

Critically acclaimed and bestselling author Roxane Gay teaches a MasterClass on writing for social change. But will this course really help you with your essay or fiction writing? Today, I’m sharing my honest thoughts in this Roxane Gay MasterClass Review, and whether I think this class will benefit writers who wish to write about social change.

What Genre Is My Story? Why the Answer Matters

by Sue Weems | 38 Comments

The first time I wrote a novel, I didn’t think about genre until the first draft was done, and I began trying to untangle my mess in revision. After two painful years (mostly comprised of avoidance, procrastination, and general despair), I hired a developmental editor who began our first phone call by asking, “What kind of book is this?” and “Who is your ideal reader?”

“It’s for everyone,” I said. I could hear the rise and fall of my breathing in the silence.

“No, it isn’t,” she said in a kind, but firm voice. Within minutes, I realized I had skipped a clarifying question that would guide every step of the book process from the plot and characters to cover design and marketing.

How Long Does it Take to Write a Book?

by Sarah Gribble | 2 Comments

How long does it take to write a book? Writing the first draft of a book is a grueling, intimidating process. But it doesn’t have to be a slow process.

Ask one hundred writers how long it takes them to write their first drafts and you’ll get one hundred different answers. There is no perfect length of time to spend on a first draft.

You will find, though, that the writers whose answer is closer to a couple of months than to a couple of years are most likely more successful.

What Is a Narrative Device: 9 Types with Examples

by Joe Bunting | 3 Comments

How do you tell a story? Not how do you construct a story, or how do you structure and plot a story? How do you tell a story?

When I think about storytelling at its most basic, I think about our earliest ancestors, sitting around a campfire, sharing stories about their lives, the adventures they’ve been part of, and the history of their people.

This is what narrative devices are about, how you tell the story, and if you’re a writer, the method and perspective of your storytelling is something you must consider.

In this article, we’re going to talk about narrative devices, what they are, the different types found in the best books, plays, films, and serials, and how to use them to tell a powerful story.

20 Fantasy Short Story Ideas

by Ruthanne Reid | 85 Comments

Fantasy as a genre includes a wide range of characters, quests, mythical creatures, and fantasy worlds. I love to escape everyday life in fantasy stories where there’s powerful magic coupled with compelling storytelling.
Here are twenty fantasy short story ideas to help you create your own!

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