New Daily Writing Guides from The Write Practice

Write or Die: A Replacement for the Tool That Conquers Procrastination?

by J. D. Edwin and Joe Bunting | 0 Comments

Do you love writing but find it hard to be productive when working on your book? Have you tried the Write or Die app to help you stay focused?

Write or Die is a writing app that uses various tools to keep you focused and productive during timed writing sessions.

Not everyone loves restrictions when working on a book, but those who do often find the accountability factor a game changer to actually reaching their word count.

If this is you, but you haven’t found the perfect tool to help with your procrastination pitfalls, Write or Die might be the answer.

It was for me, which I’ll explain more in this post.

The 25 Most Common Themes in Literature and Why They Matter

by Sue Weems | 3 Comments

Literature’s first job is to entertain. But at the same time every novel has a kernel of truth in it, or perhaps several kernels, ideas about how life works or philosophies on the best way to live or some gesture to the broader meaning of life.

Taken together, these ideas may combine into a “theme.” Let’s look at the most common themes in literature and why they matter.

Foreshadowing Definition and 10 Techniques for Effective Plot Twists

by Joslyn Chase | 0 Comments

Do you love a good murder mystery or thriller? Do you dream of creating a captivating and suspenseful book that will pull readers to the end and leave them tingling? Then you need to master foreshadowing.

If you answered yes, you probably realize that such a thing is no easy task. More than most any other genre, mystery novels, thrillers, and suspense stories invite the reader to actively participate in plot developments, using certain cues to predict outcomes.

That can be tough to accomplish.

The path to a finished product is full of pitfalls, but you can learn techniques to help carry you safely over them and complete a thrilling story you can be proud of.

Writing Theme: The Simple Way to Weave a Thematic Message into Your Story

by J. D. Edwin | 1 Comment

Does the concept of “theme” confuse you? Do you have trouble writing a theme, or weaving a theme into your story?

If you said yes, you’re not alone. Lots of writers struggle to identify a theme in their book—and many don’t even know what thematic message the are communicating through their story until a second or later draft.

The good news is, there are writing tips you can use when weaving a thematic message (or two) into your story.

15 Haunted Halloween Writing Prompts

by Abigail Perry and Ruthanne Reid | 10 Comments

Writers write to get a reaction out of their readers. No matter the genre, you want your reader to feel something when they read your writing.

For horror writers, that feeling is fear. But it’s also so much more than that.

Great horror stories take the everyday creepy and turn it into something even more creepy (and often become a condemnation of injustices in society). And then, the great thing is, horror stories teach you that those creepy things can be beaten. That’s what keeps bringing the readers back.

And that’s why horror writers keep churning out the fear.

Maybe you love writing scary stories. Maybe you don’t, but this is something you’d like to take a whack at, just for practice (we’re fans about that around here!).

Just like reading outside your genre is valuable to mastering the writing craft, so is writing a scary story.

This story doesn’t have to be long, it could be a short story. Try for something you can write in one sitting, like 1,500 words.

To get you started, use one of the Halloween writing prompts suggested in this article. Then let loose, and have fun!

6 Surprising Ways to Write Better Interview Questions

by Joe Bunting | 24 Comments

Interviews are far more than a tool for a hiring process. For writers, interviews produce ideas, voice, and more. But in an interview, you want to have a conversation, not an interrogation. A good interviewer makes their interviewee comfortable.

What is Chiasmus? A Complete Guide to the Ancient Literary Device

by Robert Harrell | 1 Comment

What is chiasmus?
We generally think of chiasmus as occurring at the sentence level, and this is where the figure of speech (and rhetorical device) is most obvious. However, chiasmus can be achieved over the course of a paragraph.
Let’s look at a definition and some examples.

Can There Be Two Protagonists in Your Story?

by Abigail Perry | 101 Comments

We’ve seen movies and read books. We know the protagonist when we see her. However, as I mentor and edit authors, I’ve had more and more writers ask me the big question: “Can you have multiple main characters in a story?”

Yes, you can. But should you?

Scene Outline: How to Write Faster by Developing a List of Scenes

by J. D. Edwin | 2 Comments

Are you trying to write faster? Writing a scene outline might be exactly what you need. But what is a scene outline, and how you can create one that help direct your story while giving you creative freedom?

A scene outline can give your story plan focus and prevent burnout or confusion when actually writing your story.

In this article, you’ll learn how to create a scene list that gives your big story idea focus, which will help you not only write faster, but give you a higher chance of actually finishing your book—and having fun while you write it!

Can BookFunnel Help You Connect with Readers?

by Jamie Biggs | 2 Comments

Being an indie author comes with its pros and cons. For me, I enjoy having control over the process from start to finish. One of the disadvantages of self-publishing is you do not own your customer list when people buy your book from Amazon or another online retailer.

That means you and your book are at the mercy of the retailer to market to potential readers. The ‘zon is not going to hand over their customer list to you. You have to build your own list, and BookFunnel can help.

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