by Sue Weems |
September marks the beginning of a new school year for many students around the U.S. New supplies, new goals, and a new opportunity to kick-start your writing habits! Here are 30 September writing prompts to get you started!
by Sarah Gribble |
Knowing how to write a short story seems like it’s a no-brainer. They’re short; how hard could it be? However, once you start writing a short story you’ll probably realize that you don’t know how to write a short story. You’d like to some short story tips.
A novel has hundreds of pages to get you involved in the characters’ lives and to transform you to another world, all to leave you with a great ending that you’re thinking about weeks—maybe even years—later.
In a short story, you have to do all that in a few pages. It’s no wonder most of the “new” writers I know would rather write novels. Short stories may be small, but they are mighty. (Not to mention they are a great way to keep up a writing habit.)
Chances are your favorite author started their writing career by writing short stories. Big names and favorite writers like Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Ray Bradbury, Kurt Vonnegut, Shirley Jackson, Louisa May Alcott, Sylvia Plath are all short story writers.
I’ve talked about coming up with ideas, plotting, and some key elements of short stories. Now it’s time to stop dilly-dallying and get to writing. This article covers three successful short story tips and strategies to write a short story.
by Joe Bunting and Sue Weems |
Several scenarios might require you to write about yourself from personal essays to job applications and biography blurbs.
The key for each is to think about the purpose and the target audience. Then shape your personal history or life experience into a well-crafted piece of writing that meets those needs of purpose and audience.
Let’s look at a few of the most common scenarios where you have to write about yourself.
by Sue Weems |
Persuasive essays can be challenging for several reasons, but the first problem is choosing the right topic.
You want a topic that is both engaging and controversial enough to elicit a strong response. A topic that’s too broad may lead to a lack of focus, while one that’s too narrow might not provide enough material to argue convincingly.
Let’s look at 25 persuasive essay prompts.
by Sue Weems |
If you’re practicing your personal essay skills or just storytelling in general, these narrative essay prompts are a great way to get started!