Creative Writing Blog | Writing Tips and Ideas

Finding Meaning in Poetry

We humans are programmed to find meaning in everything. We find patterns where none exist. We look for hidden messages in works of art. We yearn for meaning, especially when something doesn’t immediately make sense. Of course, art is open to interpretation, and some of the best works of art have produced a fountain of…Read More

What To Do When You Need Writing Motivation

Today’s post is an excerpt from Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing. This is from a chapter titled “Motivation,” which provides techniques for cultivating writing motivation. Writing Motivation The more inspired you feel, the more motivated you will be to write. But there’s a subtle difference between feeling inspired and being motivated. Inspiration is about…Read More

How to Write Faster

There are a lot of benefits to writing fast, if you can do it. The faster you write, the more works you can produce. If you write for a living, then theoretically, that means more money in less time. Many people write slowly or write only when they feel the urge, so jumping on the…Read More

How to Prioritize Your Writing Ideas

There are always too many writing ideas or not enough of them. Some days, we writers are so overwhelmed with ideas, it’s impossible to get anything done. Should you work on your novel? That essay you’re writing for your favorite website? You have an original premise for a short story. And you feel a poem…Read More

Writing Resources: The Crafty Poet

This post contains affiliate links that earn commissions from qualifying purchases. One of my favorite classes in college was a poetry workshop. Sometimes we did poetry prompts or exercises. Occasionally we read and analyzed poetry. But mostly we shared our poems and received feedback that would help us see the strengths and weaknesses in our…Read More

Creative Writing Prompts from Far-Off Places

Travel and adventure are the themes behind some of the greatest poems ever written and best stories ever told. Blockbuster movies like the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, TV shows like Star Trek and Game of Thrones, and books such as Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Peter Pan, or Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (aff link) all use…Read More

Poetry Writing Exercises: Using Connotation to Find the Perfect Word

Poetry writing exercises are an excellent way to develop writing skills, especially skills that are essential to writing compelling poetry. Writing exercises can provide us with new perspectives, techniques, and ideas that strengthen and improve poems we’ve written and poems we have yet to write. Words are the most basic building blocks for writers, and…Read More

Journal Prompts for Dreamers

Where do dreams come from? Many philosophers, psychiatrists, and other experts, as well as everyday people, have made conjectures about the sources of our night visions. But they remain a mystery. Some dreams are obvious, of course. We’ve all experienced dreams that are clearly relevant to what’s going on in our lives or dreams that…Read More

What is a Story Concept?

Today’s post includes excerpts from What’s the Story? Building Blocks for Fiction Writing, chapter eleven: “Concept, Premise, and Loglines.” Enjoy! Most audiences are first introduced to stories as concepts, premises, or loglines. These are hooks used for pitching and marketing; they draw people’s attention, get them interested in a story, and compel them to buy it….Read More

Grammar Rules: Who vs. Whom

It sounds old-fashioned: To whom have you sent those letters? Modern colloquial speakers expect something more along the lines of Who did you send those letters to? While whom may sound outdated, it is still the technically correct word in certain situations. Let’s examine the rules and practices surrounding who vs. whom. One of our…Read More