constraints and creativity for writers

Constraints and Creativity for Writers

Lots of writers feel restricted by rules and constraints. I’ve seen writers rail against constraints ranging from the submission guidelines on an agent’s website to the specifications of a creative writing exercise. I once witnessed a rant by an author whose story didn’t fit into any genre that could be found on Amazon (or in…Read More

write better

100 Common-Sense Ways to Write Better

Nobody’s born knowing how to read and write. Sure, the lucky ones have talent, but we all start out learning our ABCs. We memorize the sounds that letters make, and we learn how they come together to form words. Pretty soon, we’re reading. Someone puts pencils in our hands and then we’re scribbling letters on…Read More

avoid cliches

Writing Tips: Avoid Clichés

There are many writing tips that tell us what to avoid in our work: We should keep adverbs to a minimum. Don’t use verbiage, which is excessive and unnecessary language. Watch out for info dumps. And avoid clichés. But why should we avoid clichés? What’s a cliché, anyway, and how do we identify them in…Read More

wreck this journal

A Messy, Liberating Guide to Journal Writing

This post contains affiliate links. You should see my journal. It’s a cacophony of words and images, scribbles, doodles, and scraps of ideas tucked between the pages. It’s sort of a mess, and I like it that way. I know some writers are diligent about keeping their journals pristine. The pages are crisp, the lines…Read More

fiction writing prompts young adult

Fiction Writing Prompts for the Young Adult (YA) Genre

This post contains affiliate links that earn commissions for this website from qualifying purchases.  Young adult literature is one of the most exciting genres in fiction. Young people are bright, bold, and open-minded. More importantly, they’re going to shape the future. What they read matters. Classic young adult books like To Kill a Mockingbird, The…Read More

101 creative writing exercises

From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Rock and Rhyme (Poetry)

Today’s post features an exercise from my book, 101 Creative Writing Exercises (aff link), which is filled with exercises for various forms of writing, including fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. It will inspire you while imparting useful writing techniques that are fun and practical. This exercise comes from “Chapter 8: Free Verse.” The creative writing exercises in this…Read More

fiction writing ideas

23 Fiction Writing Ideas That Will Revitalize Your Story

Sometimes our fiction writing projects dry up. The characters turn out flat, the plot feels formulaic, and the story suddenly seems lackluster. This is when a lot of writers give up and file their half-finished manuscripts into a bottom drawer never to be seen again. Before giving up on a project, why not try to…Read More

what is poetry

What is Poetry?

Prose Bewitched “Poetry is prose bewitched, a music made of visual thoughts, the sound of an idea.” – Mina Loy When I read Mina Loy’s description of poetry as “prose bewitched,” I felt like someone had captured the true essence of poetry for the first time. We often struggle to define abstract or obtuse concepts….Read More

the comma

Punctuation Marks: The Comma

For such a little punctuation mark, the comma causes an awful lot of confusion. Some writers are too liberal with commas, sprinkling them about like nuts on an ice cream sundae. Other writers hoard their commas and avoid using them whenever possible. Why are these punctuation marks so widely misused? Why are we, collectively, so…Read More

observational writing

Get Inspired with Observational Writing

Today’s post is an excerpt from Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing. This is from a chapter titled “Observation,” which explores drawing writing inspiration from the things you observe in daily life. Observational Writing When we open ourselves up to our surroundings and take in the details, we will find inspiration in the most unlikely…Read More

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