Paris has always been an inspiration for writers and artists. I’ve been here for a month, now, and I’m certainly not lacking in inspiration. However, you don’t have to go to Paris to get the gift the city has to offer. Here’s what I’ve learned about writing from living in Paris.
Here to learn? You’re in the WRITE place!
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.
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3 Reasons You Should Stop Seeking Validation
As human beings, we have a deep desire to be accepted. We do things to appease others, to make ourselves look better, to not look stupid.
What happens when we take that attitude into our writing? What happens when we deny our inner muse in order to make others happy? In my experience…bad things happen.
Family Photo Writing Prompt
The people captured in the family photo couldn’t know what would unfold five, 10, 20 years down the road! But you do, the writer who can craft a compelling storyline for one of these six characters-in-process!
3 Steps for a Better Critique Experience
As writers, we spend a lot of time alone, pouring our hearts onto the page. But if we want to produce the very best work that you can, this isn’t enough. To truly make our work the best it can be, we need fresh eyes. We need to show our work to others willing to pick up that loathed red pen and critique our writing.
How to Easily Write a Great Logline
What Is a Logline? Defined simply, the logline is a single sentence (sometimes two) that answers the basic question “what is your story about?” In everyday life, you might encounter a logline most frequently in a TV guide or on your DVR. It seems simple, but the art of writing a compelling logline can elude even the most established writer.
Theme of the Day: Control
A month ago, we took an hour and wrote about pain as a literary theme. Today’s theme is CONTROL. At times painful, at times rewarding, control is one of those elusive, dynamic, yet ever-present forces in human life. It shifts colors the way chameleons walk across the street. It mesmerizes deeper, faster, scarier than you can bungee jump. It prickles the skin and it haunts the psyche.
But control also gives you unimaginable freedom and possibility. Will you embrace it?
Should You Enter A Writing Contest?
Recently I was shocked to discover that I am a finalist for a writers contest. Are you considering entering a writing contest? Here are some things to consider that I learned from entering writing contests.
How Traveling Can Inspire You to Write Creatively
Traveling the world a little bit at a time can offer life experience that no amount of internet research can bring, because you are not only seeing the world, you’re getting the opportunity to taste, smell, touch, and live in the moment.
Good writing always puts the reader right into the moment, into the location, and life experience makes a writer more capable of describing the world in a way that the reader can almost experience it themselves. To do that, it’s important that you first experience life fully. And what better way to do that than through travel?
Writing Fast and Slow: Creative Writing Lessons from Daniel Kahneman
I’m reading Nobel Prize winning Daniel Kahneman‘s groundbreaking book Thinking Fast and Slow.
What does a celebrated psychologist turned economist have to say about creative writing (besides the fact that his step-daughter is the fiction editor at the New Yorker)? A lot. The lessons I’m learning from Thinking Fast and Slow are transforming the way I write, and I think they will help you, too.
Weasel Words You Should Always Watch Out For
There are all kinds of words that seem to pop up in your story while you’re writing the first draft. They can make your writing sloppy, cause confusion, and take up space, sometimes all at once. Some call them “filler words,” others “weasel words,” or any other variation of the term. I think we can all agree, though, that these words are tricky and must be destroyed. But how do you identify these words?
