The Write Practice: The Online Writing Workbook

How to Choose a Color for Your Book Cover Design

No matter how much the adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is trotted out, we all do it. It’s in our nature to make quick assumptions about things, especially when we have literally millions of books to choose from. It’s easy to make quick judgements based on book cover design.

Think about walking through your local bookstore or perusing your library’s shelves. You’re looking at spines, and only spines, most of the time. Then one book stands out. You pull it from the shelf and give the cover a read.

Why did you choose that book, in particular? Most likely, the color stood out to you.

Point of View Magic: How to Cast a Spell on Your Readers

by Joslyn Chase | 0 Comments

What does it take to immerse your readers in your story so deeply that they forget they’re reading? Maybe, for a few hours, they’ll even believe your imaginary world is real.

One of the strongest tools in your arsenal is point of view. Here’s how to capture its magic so your readers get lost in your books.

7 Day Creative Writing Challenge

by Joe Bunting | 0 Comments

How do you stay disciplined? You’re ready to commit and focus on your writing (or refocus). Where do you start?

That’s where our 7 Day Creative Writing Challenge comes in!

How to Write a Book: The Everest Method

by David Safford | 0 Comments

Your dream of writing a book is like climbing a mountain. Not just any mountain, either: Mount Everest, the tallest peak in the world. Not convinced? Let’s take a look at how to write a book using what I call the Everest Method.

How to Get Story Ideas From Unexpected Headlines

by Sue Weems | 0 Comments

A few years ago, I read a startling headline in a back section of the Sunday newspaper. It said “Man Likely Padlocked Himself in Bag Found in Bathtub.” I blinked twice, sure I had misread something.

Even after I read the article, I still couldn’t believe it. I was grieved for his family and friends, but I couldn’t help but see the possibilities for inspiring fiction. I wondered how it could even be done? As a claustrophobic, I wondered, why?

This situation and article were surely stranger than fiction, but it prompted so many questions. Turns out questions are at the heart of great fiction, and you can use headlines to develop ideas all day long. Here’s how to get story ideas from the strangest news headlines.

How to Leverage Point of View to Power Your Story

by Joslyn Chase | 0 Comments

Your point of view is one of the first and most important choices you’ll make in any story. Done well, your story’s point of view can draw your readers in to experience your story alongside your characters, and even make them forget they’re reading fiction.

How to Find Time to Write When You’re a Parent

by David Safford | 0 Comments

You want to write. Your newest idea or draft has been sitting there for days, accumulating dust and regret.

You have to write.

But you also have a family. The kids need picked up, dinner needs cooking, and that living room isn’t cleaning itself. Your spouse has an event tonight (that you forgot you agreed to go to), and don’t forget the children need help with their ever-increasing load of homework.

How can you ever hope to write a book and be a parent at the same time?

Is it hopeless? Or is there a way to pull it off?

How to Handle Rejection: 4 Things NOT to Do and 3 Things to Do After You’re Rejected by a Publisher

by Jeff Elkins | 0 Comments

Rejection may be one of the hardest parts of writing. After pouring our lives into our manuscripts, it feels personal when someone tells our work isn’t good enough. Even if we know in our minds how to handle rejection, our hurt and disappointment can make us want to lash out.

Additionally, when we are submitting something the size of a novel, we are offering up something that represents years of our lives. To have it dismissed with a form email may make you question if you’ve been wasting your time.

When we are feeling rejected, we may be tempted to lash out. But that’s not a healthy way to process rejection. Here’s what to do (and what not to do) instead.

Vote for the Winner of the Fall Writing Contest

by Joe Bunting | 0 Comments

Last week, hundreds of writers submitted their stories to the Fall Writing Contest. Right now, our panel of judges is reading through each story, looking for the ones that will make it to the winners’ circle. And while they’re hard at work, I have an invitation for you, too.

I’m inviting you to step over to the judges’ side of the submission table. I’m inviting you to try reading like an editor and decide which story you would choose as the winner of the Fall Writing Contest.

The Editor: The Invisible Hero You Need in the Publishing World

by Sue Weems | 0 Comments

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.

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