New Daily Writing Guides from The Write Practice

Pantser, Plotter, and Plantser: The 3 Dominant Types of Writers

Have you heard the term pantser before? When it comes to plot structure are you one?

There are all types of writers, but most writers fall into one of the three categories: pantser, plotter, or planster (a combination of the two).

While there’s no (necessarily) right or wrong way to approaching structure, writers who fall into their certain category do so with pride.

Today, let’s talk about what kind of writer a pantser is. Maybe you’ll even discover the kind of writer you are—possibly someone who writes by the seat of your pants, or someone who takes a general idea and writers pages of background and structure before moving forward.

Let’s find out!

How to Write a Novel (Without Fail): The Ultimate 20-Step Guide

by Joe Bunting | 2 Comments

What if you could begin your novel without the fear of failing? What if you had a process so foolproof, you knew you would finish no matter what? The zombie apocalypse could finally strike and you’d still finish writing your novel.

The good news is you’ve found the write place (sorry, bad habit).

Top 150 Short Story Ideas

by Joe Bunting | 138 Comments

Do you want to write but just need a great story idea? Good news! Below are 150 short story ideas for all your favorite genres. You can use them as writing prompts for writing contests, for stories to publish in literary magazines, or just for fun!

Get started writing with one of these short story ideas today.

How to Sell Books for Free: The Thrifty Author’s Guide

by David Safford | 0 Comments

It’s your dream to publish and sell a book. Thankfully, there’s never been a better time to do it, as all the tools you could possibly require are at your fingertips. And the best news is that many of them don’t cost a penny, allowing you to publish, market, and sell your book for free! All you have to do is figure out how to sell books.

Of course, what you don’t pay in cash you will be paying in gumption. As with any publishing route, there are pros and cons to using mostly free resources, and I’ll illustrate those as we go so hopefully you can avoid some of the mistakes I made in my own free publishing journey.

Subplot: Literary Definition, Examples, and Writing Tips

by Joe Bunting | 3 Comments

Stories are complicated, twisty, multi-faceted things. At some point, in many of the best stories, it feels like everything is in complete chaos, and then, seemingly all at once, it’s as if the chaos has come to a head in a way that makes everything line up perfectly.

And one of the best tools in a writer’s tool belt is the subplot.

But what is a subplot? How can you spot it in the books and stories you love most? And if you’re a writer, how do you use it to tell better stories?

In this article, I’m sharing everything you need to know about subplots. I’ll start with the definition of the literary term, then show you how it fits into a story structure, examples of some of my favorite subplots, and even tips from my own experience on writing novels with subplots.

World Building Tip: Craft Your Story Setting

by Ruthanne Reid | 33 Comments

Your story’s setting includes everything that affects your characters. It is the environment in which they live, breathe, and find meaning. It is where they fail and learn to succeed. All this to say, your story’s environment matters.

How to Write a Blog Post: The 3 Best Blog Post Templates

by Joe Bunting | 48 Comments

We recently talked about how long your blog posts should be. Today, let’s talk about how to write a blog post that helps you accomplish your writing goals, and the three blog post templates that can help you accomplish this.

25 YA Writing Prompts to Spark Terrific Stories for Teens

by Sue Weems | 2 Comments

Some of the books that make the biggest impact on us as readers are the books we read as children and teens. If you want to write for teens, today we have some young adult YA writing prompts to get your creative juices flowing. Use one of these story ideas to write your own YA story!

How to Write a YA Novel

by The Magic Violinist | 2 Comments

Young adult novels have never been more popular. It started with the rise of Harry Potter and continued with hits like The Fault in Our Stars, The Hunger Games, and Divergent. Have you ever wondered how to write a YA novel?

Learning how to write fiction is one thing, but writing for teens is a whole different ball game. As a teen and an avid YA reader myself, I have a few tips for you.

How to Use Either, Neither, Or, and Nor Correctly

by Liz Bureman | 295 Comments

My mother seems to appreciate having a grammar lover in the family. For Christmas one year, she bought me the book I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar. (By the way, it is equally correct to say “bad grammar.”) Last week, my mother emailed to ask if she was using the word “nor” correctly, which brings me to today’s post: the use of either, neither, and the connecting words that go with them.

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