Creative Writing Blog | Writing Tips and Ideas

A Big, Bold List of Creative Writing Activities

Are you looking for writing motivation, inspiration, or ideas that will give your latest project an extra boost? Below you’ll find a massive list of creative writing activities. Some of these activities will keep you writing when you’re in need of ideas and inspiration. Others will improve your writing skills and techniques through practice. Some…Read More

A Few Good Writing Tips to Keep You on Your Toes

Have you ever gotten stuck in a writing project, and just when your frustration reached its peak, you heard some bit of sage advice that helped you see how to move forward? There aren’t many writing problems that a few good writing tips can’t solve. Whether you need to develop your voice or use fewer…Read More

Writing Resources: Wired for Story

This post contains affiliate links that earn commissions from qualifying purchases. Are you a storyteller? Do you want to be one? Then I suggest you pick up a copy of Wired for Story, ASAP. This is easily one of the best books on writing fiction that I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. The book…Read More

Seasonal Poetry Prompts for Spring and Summer

Poets have a long tradition of honoring the seasons by writing odes. Poetry celebrates spring and summer for bringing renewal to the land and warmth to our lives. Rebirth is a common theme in poetry, so the spring season, with its fresh skies and new shoots, is a rejuvenating source of inspiration. Summer is packed…Read More

Sneak Peek at Story Drills: Character Arcs

Today’s post offers a sneak peek at my book, Story Drills: Fiction Writing Exercises. This exercise examines character arcs. Enjoy! Character Arcs In storytelling, an arc is a path of transformation. A character arc is the journey that a character experiences throughout the course of a story, which leads to a significant change. Changes can…Read More

Narrative Techniques for Storytellers

Today’s post includes excerpts from What’s the Story? Building Blocks for Fiction Writing, chapter ten: “Literary Devices and Narrative Techniques.” Enjoy! Writers use literary devices to convey or illustrate thoughts, ideas, and images or to strengthen their prose. Narrative techniques are a subset of literary devices that are specifically used in narrative writing. Both literary devices…Read More

Using Allusion in Poetry Writing

As we read poetry and other forms of literature, we’ll inevitably come across allusions. An allusion is a reference to something else; it can be indirect or explicit. In poetry, most allusions refer to other works of art and literature or to historical persons or events. Cultural references are also common. Although allusion is a…Read More

Writing When You’re Not in the Mood

Today’s post is an excerpt from Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing. This is from a chapter titled “Doing the Work,” which focuses on writing when you’re not in the mood. Doing the Work When you experience a burst of inspiration that leads to a satisfying writing session, the results are exhilarating. Whether you’ve gotten…Read More

Writing and Editing Polished Prose

Writing leaves an impression. Readers will come away from your work feeling informed, entertained, inspired, even moved. Or will they? When I was in high school and during my early college days, I wrote papers and turned them in without giving them so much as a second glance — no revisions or rewriting and no…Read More

The Only Two Writing Tips You’ll Ever Need: Read and Write

I love collecting writing tips. You never know when you’re going to stumble across a golden nugget of wisdom that will make your writing richer and more vibrant. One of the reasons I started this website was so that I could share the many valuable tips that I’ve collected over the years. I figure that…Read More