Poetry Prompts for Paying Tribute
Writers have been expressing their feelings through poetry for centuries. Rant poems release anger, melancholy poems reveal sorrow, and love poems declare affection. Some poems are meant to make readers laugh. Other poems make people think. Tribute poems (or odes) express praise for the poem’s subject. Odes can be written to honor people, animals, objects, and abstract…Read More
Plot Points: A Storytelling Exercise
Today’s fiction writing exercise is an excerpt from Story Drills: Fiction Writing Exercises. This exercise focuses on plot points, which you can use to construct stories and to resolve issues with a story’s plot and structure. Enjoy! Plot Points Plot points are the events that move a story forward—the twists, turns, and developments that push the…Read More
How to Identify the Protagonist in a Story
This post contains affiliate links that earn commissions from qualifying purchases. In most stories, the protagonist is obvious: Harry Potter, Lisbeth Salander, and Katniss Everdeen are unquestionably the protagonists of their respective stories. But sometimes the protagonist isn’t so obvious. In some cases, a false protagonist is planted to intentionally mislead the audience, but the…Read More
How to Construe and Convey Tone in Poetry
In literature, tone is the mood, attitude, or emotional sensibility of a written work. In poetry, tone expresses the narrator’s disposition toward the poem’s subject, the reader, or the narrative itself. We might describe a poem’s tone as irreverent, relaxed, sarcastic, solemn, jubilant, or desperate. Tone can be any emotion or state of mind, and a…Read More
Self-Expression in Creative Writing
A lot of people first come to creative writing because they want to express themselves. Emotions are running high, ideas are flying, and opinions are in full supply. What better way to get it all off your chest than writing it down? Self-expression is the act of giving form to our thoughts, ideas, experiences, and…Read More
How to Conduct Credible Research for Writers
Today’s post is an excerpt from the book 10 Core Practices for Better Writing. Enjoy! “‘Research’ is a wonderful word for writers. It serves as an excuse for EVERYTHING.” — Rayne Hall Almost all writers rely on research for facts and information. Even fiction writers and memoirists, whose work is either made up from imagination…Read More
Interviews with Authors Are Packed with Writing Wisdom
You don’t have to search far to find creative writing tips. There are tons of books, websites, and magazines that will let you in on the secrets of creativity and good, strong writing. But if you want the inside scoop on what it takes to be a successful author, wouldn’t it be best to get…Read More
Writing Resources: The Chicago Manual of Style
This post contains affiliate links that earn commissions from qualifying purchases. The Chicago Manual of Style is the most widely used resource for American English style, grammar, and punctuation. If you’re working on any kind of writing project and need a solid reference that provides answers for how to consistently apply style and grammar, then…Read More
Character-Driven Fiction Writing Prompts
Most authors agree that fiction is primarily driven by characters. Experienced authors will talk about characters who take over the story, who have their own separate and independent consciousnesses. Outlines and plans for plot go out the window as characters insist on moving the story in a direction of their own design. Because characters are…Read More
From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Report It
Today, I’m sharing an excerpt from my book, 101 Creative Writing Exercises (aff link). It’s packed with writing exercises that are designed to help you explore all forms of creative writing: fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. The book will inspire you while imparting useful writing techniques that are fun and practical. This exercise comes from “Chapter 2: It’s…Read More
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