New Daily Writing Guides from The Write Practice

5 Writers Quotes To Keep You Inspired Until Spring

For me, spring is an incredible time of unbounded energy and enthusiasm … and with it, an inevitable spurt of creativity. Sometimes it seems my pen can hardly keep up with them.

But winter? Oof. Winter’s dark cold days can make it harder to get out of bed, let alone muster up the will to write.

But whether Punxsutawney Phil foresees a swift end to the madness or another six weeks, don’t let the season hold you back. Here are some of my favorite writers’ quotes to warm your creative spirit and keep you going through this sometimes dreary season.

Edmund Stone on How to Use Horror to Improve Your Writing

by Sarah Gribble | 0 Comments

Fear is the base element of horror. Fear is also the base element of all other stories. Fear of failure, fear of being abandoned, fear of change, fear of giant spiders invading your basement . . . it’s all horror in the end.

Learning to be one with that fear and to use all five senses to describe it will help you uncover the deepest feelings of your characters, whether you’re writing a horror novel or a YA romance.

Writing Prompt: Sabotage a Resolution

by Sue Weems | 0 Comments

It’s that time of year again. The newness and hope of a fresh start has worn off and if you’re like me, old habits beckon like a warm blanket. Whether you are still holding firm on your resolutions, didn’t make any, or have already abandoned your “new year, new you,” the challenge of resolutions provide a host of ideas for writing.

How to Use Psychology to Create Compelling Characters

by Joslyn Chase | 0 Comments

How do you create characters that resonate with readers, stirring their emotions and rousing their empathy? That’s the goal we all share as writers, right? What if there were a way to combine psychology and writing to make your characters come alive on the page?

To build characters that strike a chord within readers, you need to craft someone who feels realistic, someone your readers can relate to because their motivations and behaviors are modeled on the way real people think and act.

Start Your New Year Right With These 5 Tips for Creativity

by The Magic Violinist | 0 Comments

The New Year is upon us, and if you’re like me, you have all kinds of ideas about what you want to conquer in 2019. Now that you’ve had some time to mull over the goals you’ve set for yourself, it’s time to consider how you’re going to accomplish them in the best way possible. I have a few tips for creativity to help you start the year off well.

Revolutionize Your Story’s Point of View With Free Indirect Style

by David Safford | 0 Comments

Point of view is the vehicle that drives a story. Get it right, and your novel hums along smoothly and your reader never notices.

Get it wrong, however, and your book becomes an unbearable clunker rife with confusion.

Shawn Coyne, author of The Story Grid, has read a lot of critically acclaimed and successful books, and noticed something about their point of view. All of these books used a specific style of narration, and you can use it too.

How to Beat All-or-Nothing Thinking and Get More Writing Done

by Sue Weems | 0 Comments

It’s a new year! New goals! New motivation!

But what happens when an ER visit derails me, a work project explodes and requires far more time than I planned, or I experience some other plan-busting interruption?

Too often, I have an all-or-nothing attitude toward change and progress. If I’ve eaten off the plan for one meal today, I’m far more likely to make unhealthy choices the rest of the day, week, and month. How can I short-circuit this negative thinking pattern and abandon all-or-nothing thinking to get more writing done this year?

How to Create Conflict by Discovering Your Character’s Objects of Desire

by David Safford | 0 Comments

Do you know what your character’s objects of desire are? What do they want, and what do they need? And how do you leverage those wants and needs to create conflict in your story?

Writing a great story is a very challenging task. But there are secrets, shortcuts, and techniques that will give you an advantage as you start writing so that every word is focused on the proper goal of your story.

Shawn Coyne’s Story Grid is an excellent place to turn. And in this third post in my series on writing great stories using Story Grid principles, you’ll learn why conflict is the lynchpin of powerful storytelling and how to use it to thrill your readers.

How to Set Your Writing Goals for the New Year

by The Magic Violinist | 0 Comments

If you’re feeling overwhelmed at the number of tasks you want to complete in 2019, never fear. I’ve definitely been there before. When everyone is posting on Facebook or their blogs about what they’re going to do come January 1, it can be easy to feel like you aren’t doing enough or that you don’t even know where to start.

Luckily, I have some prompts to help you decide what writing goals you want to focus on next year.

Make Your Writing Week Awesome With This One Writing Tip

by Joe Bunting | 0 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I struggle to write on Mondays. There are always so many details to catch up on, emails to respond to, meetings to attend.

But for me, last week was a pretty terrible week for my writing. I had way too many late nights cranking out words to make my word count goal. I procrastinated way too much. And I’m determined to have a better week this week. So I’m implementing one writing tip in my rhythm this week, and it might help you, too.

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