New Daily Writing Guides from The Write Practice

How to Use Big Words Without Making a Fool of Yourself

Have you ever used a word for years — like, maybe during your thesis defense or in a high-profile report for work — then realized one day that you had it totally wrong? That big word you thought was making you look so erudite was, in fact, working against you. Turns out, coif is not the same as coiffure, and you never even realized it.

No one is immune from this, neither journalists nor poets, essayists nor novelists. The problem often stems from our natural inclination as writers to grab hold of an exciting new word and just run with it. Not only do we end up using words just plain wrong, our enthusiasm leads to overuse as well.

By slowing down just a little bit, recognizing common pitfalls, and inserting some deliberate practice into your vocabulary usage, you can turn this trend around.

Character Voice: 5 Insightful Questions to Discover Your Character’s Unique Voice

by The Magic Violinist | 20 Comments

One of the key signs of a well-written character is when the reader is able to identify them with a single line of dialogue. It’s that feeling of I’d know that character anywhere. How are authors able to perfect this art? By finding their voice.

Show Don’t Tell: How to “Tell” When You Can’t “Show”

by Monica M. Clark | 12 Comments

The standard rule is this: “show, don’t tell.” Instead of telling your reader that Jane is “sad,” show the reader by describing Jane’s demeanor, her tears, etc. You’re supposed to allow the reader to experience Jane’s sadness with her.

But in a 80,000 word manuscript, chances are you’ll do at least some telling. The temptation to “tell” usually arises when you need to share background information, summarize events, or provide context for what’s happening.

Premade Book Covers: The Secret to Amazing Covers

by Guest Blogger | 64 Comments

When self-publishing a book, every author is faced with the dilemma of creating a book cover that is worthy of their writing.

But most of us don’t have the money to hire a top-notch book design professional, or the tools and skills to create one ourselves. However, there is another way that many authors are finding is much cheaper and will guarantee your satisfaction: Premade book covers.

3 Keys to Avoid the Rejection Pile

by Pamela Fernuik | 22 Comments

After spending years of your life writing a story, you don’t want it to be rejected in the first sixty seconds by an editor. Using pink paper for your novel manuscript submission or dressing like a chicken for your audition on America’s Got Talent both might get you attention, but it is not the attention you want.

How do you avoid the rejection pile and get published?

How to Be a Successful Writer: Why You’ll Never Arrive and What to Do Instead

by Sue Weems | 41 Comments

There are three words that can kill any dream before it leaves the ground: “As soon as …” As soon as I finish this course … as soon as I get noticed … as soon as I revise … as soon as I get a marketing plan in place … as soon as the kids are in school … as soon as I ride the glitter pony of creativity … and on and on.

Yes, it is helpful to have action steps that inform your forward motion, but for too many of us who want to do creative work, we’re waiting on something that isn’t really keeping us from our writing. Our real barriers are beliefs that tell us we have to wait for the right conditions, along with the false assumption that one day we’ll “arrive” at our goal of being a successful writer and the need to create will feel satiated.

Newsflash: those “right” conditions and that “perfect” moment are not coming.

There’s Hope For You, Struggling Writers (And Here’s Proof)

by Ruthanne Reid | 12 Comments

Let me tell you, sometimes there is drama in the world of publishing. This week, that drama was not only jaw-dropping, but it proved this powerful truth for all of us struggling writers: if you keep reading and keep writing, there is hope for you as a writer. Read on...

How to Empower Your Writing With a Brilliant Epigraph

by Guest Blogger | 22 Comments

The epigraph is simply a well-chosen quotation, set at the beginning of a text. Epigraphs can open essays, books, chapters of a book, or even each story in a book—any writing, really, which suggests its theme.

They can, however, do so much more.

After a short primer, just to get us on the same page with a working understanding of the epigraph, and a little confessional angst, you will have a couple of practice challenges to engage your new friends.

Book Editing: How to Survive the Second Draft of Your Book

by Kellie McGann | 40 Comments

The next few months I’ve dedicated to finishing the book I’ve been working on for nearly two years. Inspired by Joe’s latest post, I’ve made the commitment to revise the second draft of my book.

I believe, though, the second draft is the hardest. Actually, it’s the worst. All the content of your book is sitting right in front of you like a huge slab of marble mined from your imagination, and you’re expected to take the formless hunk and turn it into Michelangelo’s David.

In finishing the second draft of three books and as I’m embarking on finishing this next one this fall, I’ve compiled these tips for the both of us. Here’s all I know about book editing and surviving the second draft.

Giveaway: Win Freewrite, the World’s First Smart Typewriter!

by Joe Bunting | 24 Comments

How often do you find yourself writing . . . when suddenly, a rogue distraction interrupts you? You get a text. Or an email pops up in your inbox. You need to do some quick research to get this scene just right. Or you just have to check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, just for a moment. And forty-five minutes later, you come back to your story to realize you’ve barely written a paragraph.

That’s where Freewrite, the world’s first smart typewriter, comes in. Enter to win Freewrite today!

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