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.
Check out the latest articles below or find ones that match your interest in the sidebar.
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If you’ve ever been reading an intense scene or dramatic moment when a character comes in with some witty barb or action that makes you laugh? You’ve experienced comic relief in literature. What is comic relief and how does it work? Let’s take a look.
When I came across these quotes from Aristotle’s Poetics, I realized that they held more than inspiration–they held real wisdom for novelists. Can these 6 quotes by Aristotle make you a better novelist? Read on to find out.
Ever wonder why some stories feel so familiar? It’s because most of them follow a similar structure or plot pattern. Christopher Booker’s The Seven Basic Plots is an analysis of stories based on Jungian psychology. Can one of his 7 basic plots help you write your next book?
Six-word stories are a great way to practice your writing without actually having to write much.They can also be used to warm up before working on a novel or short story.
While you’re not going to be able to tell an entire life story in six words, you just might be able to catch a movement of conflict or a significant moment in a character’s life. Plus it’s fun. Let’s look at how to write a really short story.
An en dash is one of the punctuation marks that most people see all the time, but rarely think about how to use correctly. Take a look at how to create an en dash and when to use it.
Everyone loves a good underdog story. In some ways, we can all relate to the downtrodden character who rises against insurmountable odds. And the requisite feel-good ending is as sweet and satisfying as a warm cup of cocoa at the end of a cold and bitter day.
The underdog plot is a sure-fire recipe for a story readers can care about, invest in, and cheer on towards a rewarding conclusion. Plus, it can be a lot of fun to write. Read on to learn more about how to craft an underdog story that will ring your reader’s happy bell.
C.S. Lewis wrote over 30 books in a variety of genres. If we cornered C.S. Lewis on writing, what advice would he give? And would it still be relevant for us today?
You might have heard the writing advice, “Don’t write purple prose.” Or perhaps you’ve even been told your prose is purple, but you’re not quite sure what that means and if it’s really a bad thing.
What is purple prose? Is it really bad? And how can you fix it in your writing?
In The Hunger Games, berries play a prominent role. During the game, deadly berries eliminate at least one participant, and Katniss uses the berries to subvert the government’s purpose. But their presence goes beyond this. In fact, there are 56 references to berries of various kinds in the book.These references come at key moments in the plot.
What purpose do the berries serve to merit such a prominent place in the book? They are a motif.
“What’s a motif?” I hear you say. Let’s take a look.
Five act structure is a method of structuring a story that has existed for centuries. But does it work? And more importantly, will it work for your story?
In this article, we will learn the definition of the five act structure, explore its origins, look at popular examples, and talk about whether it’s actually useful as a story structure framework for readers and writers.
