New Daily Writing Guides from The Write Practice

How to Publish 99 Short Stories in 8 Years: An Interview with Stefanie Freele

Today, we’re talking to Stefanie Freele, a novelist, poet, and short story writer who lives in the Northwest. Stefanie is a Pushcart Prize Nominee and has published short fiction in Glimmer Train, PANK, Sou’wester, Word Riot, R.KV.R.Y Quarterly Literary Journal, Vestal Review, and many more. In the last eight years, she has published 99 short stories. Isn’t that remarkable?

Stefanie and I are going to be talking about the hunger for publication, how to know when your short story is finished, and the world’s need, or lack thereof, for more donut stories. You can find Stefanie’s work on her website, stefaniefreele.com, as well as her book of short stories, Feeding Strays, and her novel, Surrounded by Water.

Thanks so much for joining us Stefanie!

Don’t Leave Your Characters in Limbo

by Melissa Tydell | 42 Comments

A few years ago, when Sex and the City: The Movie came out, many reviews referenced New York City as the “fifth character”—an element of the storyline that was just as important as Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda.

When writing stories—especially character-driven ones—we focus on the protagonist, the main characters and secondary characters, their backgrounds and motivations. We focus on conflict, what the characters want and what stands in the way.

But sometimes that means we forget to write about the setting, a crucial part of creating a strong story.

Metaphor, Simile, and a Big Place to Grow Grass

by Joe Bunting | 27 Comments

A student once asked her English teacher, “What’s a metaphor?” and he replied, “It’s a big place to grow grass.”

I don’t think he understood the question.

We’ve grown with up the distinction between similes and metaphors, but in a technical sense, all comparisons are metaphors. But let’s stick to this separation of powers, and think about the problem with similes and why metaphors may be better for your writing.

Grandfather [writing prompt]

by Joe Bunting | 247 Comments

Write about grandfathers.

Write for fifteen minutes. When you’re finished, post your practice in the comments section.

And if you post, please be sure to give feedback to a few other writers.

How to Write a Short Story No One Else Can Write [interview with Danielle Lazarin]

by Joe Bunting | 51 Comments

Today, I’m talking to Danielle Lazarin about how to get your short story published by a literary magazine, how to know when your story is finished, and how to write stories no one else can write.

Danielle has a forthcoming story in Glimmer Train, and has published stories in Michigan Quarterly Review, The Boston Review, and on FiveChapters.com. She received her Masters in creative writing at University of Michigan. All that’s to say, she knows her stuff.

You can check out Danielle’s website and follow her on Twitter (@d_lazarin).

Let’s jump into the interview.

Put Your Writing Skills to the Test

by Joe Bunting | 13 Comments

If you want to become a better writer, you need to practice deliberately, and one of the best ways to practice writing deliberately is by submitting your work for publication. Submitting acts as a kind of test of your writing skills, and studies have shown that people improve at a skill faster if they’re tested.

I know submitting can be scary. You feel vulnerable, like all your insecurities and flaws are exposed. However, if you want to get published, you need to learn to submit your work, and not just when it’s perfect.

Today, you can make a breakthrough in your writing. You just need to submit your work.

99 Ways to Tell a Story

by Joe Bunting | 86 Comments

Have you ever thought of writing the same story in a hundred different ways? Sounds crazy?

This is exactly what Raymond Queneau did in his Exercises in Style, back in 1947. He tells a simple, unremarkable story (more like flash fiction) 99 times, trying out different styles, from ode to mathematical depictions.

Don't Waste Your Pain

by Joe Bunting | 77 Comments

I recently heard Horatio Spaford’s great song, “It is Well With My Soul”. I was moved, as I have been many times before. How is it that a song, a really old song, hasn’t gotten musty and useless over the years? Why do the words of others have the ability to touch our hearts so deeply?

Have you ever wondered how an author seems to be inside your head?

I looked up the story behind the song hoping to find some answers. And it turns out Spaford’s writing didn’t come out of a vacuum, but out of his own suffering. His experience can teach you how to powerfully connect your own suffering to the larger, human experience.

The Formula to Write a Novel

by Joe Bunting | 53 Comments

There is no book-writing formula.

I love Stephen King’s On Writing—it’s half brilliant portrayal of an accomplished writer’s origin story, half writer’s tool kit. But one thing with which I’ve always taken exception is his suggestion that there’s only one proper way to complete a novel.

King compares writing to an archaeological dig: he sees stories as found objects, excavated from the literary ‘earth’, and he believes the writer’s job is to extricate the object—without breaking off any bits in the process, or leaving any parts behind.

And so King doesn’t outline—he starts off with an unusual combination of ideas, and lets his writer’s instincts carry him from there.

How to Paint a Scene With Words

by Melissa Tydell | 121 Comments

Good stories and strong writing can transport us to another world. We see the characters and setting, visualizing every detail as if the words on the page have become a picture in our minds.

On the other hand, as writers, we encounter the challenge of putting words together—the right words in the right way—so our story can come alive in our readers’ imaginations.

How do you create something that goes beyond simply telling a story? How do you write something that has the power to show in such a way that readers can visualize the story just as you are imagining it?