New Daily Writing Guides from The Write Practice

3 Types of Editing Every Writer Needs

by Sue Weems | 1 Comment

A few months ago, I posted an article about avoiding clichés here on The Write Practice. The (bland) title I proposed was “How to Avoid Clichés.” The published title read: “How to Avoid Clichés (Like the Plague).” I grinned when I read it and said another thank you to a quiet hero of the publishing world: our editor.

She amped up the title with a clever twist that sounded just like me with my penchant for parentheses. Editors are invisible heroes in the publishing world, and knowing what they do can help you through every stage of your journey.

Main Idea of a Story: How to Find It and Why it Matters

by Guest Blogger | 0 Comments

So you’ve been handed a passage and have to find the main idea of a story. But you have no idea where to begin and it’s starting to look like one large block of text. Never fear! Today we’ll look at how to find the main idea of a story and why it matters for learning and writing.

What Is Plot? The 6 Elements of Plot and How to Use Them

by Joe Bunting and Ruthanne Reid | 66 Comments

Plot has a specific structure. It follows a format that sucks readers in; introduces characters and character development at a pace guaranteed to create fans; and compels readers to keep reading in order to satisfy conflict and answer questions.

Do you want readers to love your story? (Who doesn’t, am I right?) Then you need to understand plot.

40 Coming of Age Story Ideas

by Sue Weems | 0 Comments

Growing up is a universal experience with a myriad of variations. Some cultures and families have rituals that young people follow or rebel against to find their way to adulthood or self-actualization. Others are left to stumble through their entire life trying to figure out how to experience happiness.

We often think of coming of age or initiation stories as a journey from adolescence to adulthood, but some adults reach legal age without becoming a mature person. They can undergo a coming of age story much later.
Let’s look at some prompts to write coming of age stories.

How to Write a Coming of Age Story: A Complete Guide

by Joe Bunting | 1 Comment

So you want to know how to write a coming of age story?

Coming of age is one of the central themes in all of literature, but it’s also a specific type of story in its own right, one of the nine types of stories that we talk about in The Write Structure plot framework.

It’s also one of the few ways we describe all change in a character, one of the two internal plot types! Which means if a character is growing and maturing in your story, no matter what age they are, you might be telling a coming of age story.

Connotation vs. Denotation: Definitions, Examples, and the Difference

by Liz Bureman | 34 Comments

“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” —Mark Twain

One of the best parts about writing is the fact that you get to pick your words. And we have so many words to choose from! Literally tens of thousands of beautiful words flitting through space, just waiting for you to pinpoint exactly which one to use to describe your protagonist, setting, or climactic scene. However, despite the fact that you have seemingly unlimited options when it comes to word choice, the meaning that you’re trying to express may narrow your selection significantly.

How to Revise a Novel: A Revision List to Edit With Confidence

by J. D. Edwin | 5 Comments

Finishing a first draft is a huge deal. If you just accomplished this, be proud of yourself! At the same time, you might be wondering how to revise a novel after that first draft is done. There’s a lot of advice out there. Which do you listen to?

The revision process doesn’t have to be complicated. However, you might feel—especially if this is your first completed draft ever—intimidated to edit your book. There’s a lot of words and scenes to review. Where do you begin?

In this article, I’d like to share how I took a daunting editing process and created a simplified, concise, and clear strategy to revising your first draft. I do this with what I call a Revision List—a table with five columns that can help you simplify big ideas.

If you’re like me, you won’t ever want to edit a first draft without it!

Freytag’s Pyramid: Examples of the 5 Elements for this Classic Narrative Structure

by Joe Bunting | 0 Comments

Most great stories, whether they are a Pixar film or a novel by your favorite author, follow a certain dramatic structure.

When you’re getting started with writing, understanding how the structure works is difficult. Even if you go back and analyze your favorite books and films, it can still be hard to structure your own stories. That’s where Freytag’s Pyramid can help.

Adventure Book Ideas: 20 Prompts for Survival and Adventure Stories

by Sue Weems | 0 Comments

Adventure stories are built around the life versus death value, meaning that the main conflict and most of the scenes turn on survival. The adventure genre can be set in real life or include an exciting adventure in a fantasy world or other far-flung places most readers will never visit.
Today let’s look at more than 20 adventure story idea prompts to get your own story on its way!

How to Write an Adventure Story

by David Safford | 0 Comments

In this story type, the hero and their comrades are attempting to thwart death in the face of an overwhelming physical obstacle, usually in the form of a figure of nature.

This isn’t to say that an adventure story can’t have a villain. However, the primary threats will always come in physical form, forcing the characters to dig deep and find the strength and resolve to endure.

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