Sneak Peek: What’s the Story? Building Blocks for Fiction Writing
Today I’m sharing a sneak peek at the first book in The Storyteller’s Toolbox series, What’s the Story? Building Blocks for Fiction Writing. This excerpt is from the introduction; it talks about the magic of story and what you can expect from the book. Enjoy! What’s the Story? What’s a story? Is it character? Plot?…Read More
What is Poetry?
Prose Bewitched 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. One of the greatest and most challenging questions of all time is, “What is art?” Although dictionaries attempt…Read More
Grammar Rules: That and Which
There’s a lot of confusion about that and which. These two words are often used interchangeably, even though they’re not necessarily interchangeable. Historically, that and which may have carried the same meaning, and some English dialects may allow for that and which to be swapped without affecting the meaning of a sentence. However, in American…Read More
Creative Writing: Journals
Today’s post is an excerpt from Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing, a book that provides tips and tools for writers while serving as a broad roadmap for anyone who wants to explore creative writing. This excerpt is from chapter seven: “Journals.” Enjoy! Journals are often confused for diaries. Technically, a diary is a…Read More
Good Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation
Let’s get technical for a minute. What, exactly, is grammar? Here’s what Wikipedia says: In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of sentences, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules….Linguists do not normally use the term to refer to orthographical rules, although usage books and style…Read More
How to Write More
Productivity: It’s all been said and done. In fact, you could spend more time learning how to be productive than actually being productive. For us creative types, productivity can be a fleeting thing. We experience highs (a whole month packed with inspiration) and lows (three more months fraught with the ever-annoying writer’s block). It can…Read More
Writing Resources: Perrine’s Sound and Sense
This is one of my favorite writing resources of all time. It is subtitled “An Introduction to Poetry,” but it’s full of concepts that can benefit any form of writing. Whether you write fiction, articles, essays, or blog posts, Perrine’s Sound and Sense will enhance the way you perceive and use language to communicate an idea, a…Read More
Creative Writing Prompts Inspired by the Seasons
Today’s creative writing prompts look to the seasons for inspiration. All of these writing prompts come from my book, 1200 Creative Writing Prompts. Enjoy! Writers and artists, and human beings in general, have always been inspired by the cycle of nature. The seasons provide a rotating backdrop for our lives. They mark the passage of…Read More
Storytelling Exercise: Time Lapse
Today’s post is an excerpt from my book, Story Drills: Fiction Writing Exercises. This is from a chapter called “Time Lapse,” which looks at how a story moves through time in a way that isn’t jarring to the reader. Enjoy! Stories don’t take readers through every minute of the characters’ lives. Scenes jump around in…Read More
Kill Your Darlings: For Storytellers
Some writing tips are cryptic. When I first came across writing advice that said, “Kill your darlings,” I thought it meant we should kill off our favorite characters. That seemed ridiculous. I mean, there are situations in which a story calls for characters to die, but to make a sweeping rule that we should default…Read More
