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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Does it really matter what other people think of your art? When should you seek advice, critique, and opinion—and when should you trust your voice?
In this episode of Character Test, I talk with author and designer James Victore about what happens when you stop seeking the opinions of others and start making art you believe in.
Imagine The Shining taking place in a shopping mall. Or the movie Se7en set in sunny Florida. It just wouldn’t work. Setting plays a vital part in the success of these stories, and it should in your stories, as well.
I work with a lot of writers, and by far the most frustrated, disappointed, and confused writers I work with aren’t the ones chasing after the publication of their first book.
It’s the ones who have already published their first book.
How do you publish your book and sell your first 1,000 copies?
What is a part of speech? In this article, I define the grammatical term, part of speech, list the nine parts of speech, and describe each one using examples. Finally, I give a creative writing exercise to help you cement your knowledge of parts of speech immediately.
I was recently reading a story in development and found myself irritated with the main character. Why? I thought. They have a good plan, they care about their goal, and their dialogue is engaging. As I kept reading, I found myself wanting to shout, “Get on with it already!” Suddenly I recognized exactly what the problem was, and worse, I realized I do it too.
What does it actually take to make it as an artist? Especially if there’s no clear path to success? Whether your art is storytelling or magic, you’ll enjoy this wisdom from Nate Staniforth, a magician who’s spent his life figuring it out.
What does it take to write a happy ending? Better yet, what does it take to live a happy ending? A novel about the Great Depression might seem like a strange place to look for happy endings, but this historical fiction author has a few tricks up her sleeves to make sure her characters get the endings they deserve.
What does it take to be a writer? How do you go from working in an uninspiring job and not writing to building a thriving career as an author? That might sound impossible and out of reach—but it’s not. Bestselling author Joanna Penn shares the five steps she took to make the leap, and how you can too.
I had a writing friend ask me last week, “How do you write through the boring parts of a story?”
Here’s my short answer: Cut them.
Of course, that’s all predicated on recognizing boring writing in the first place. Not sure where to start? Here’s some help with finding those parts to cut!
Why do you write? What message do you want, even need, to share with the world? That core message is at the heart of your creativity—and it’s the way your writing will have the most impact on the world.
