Creative Writing Blog | Writing Tips and Ideas

Tips for Developing Your Voice in Writing

Each and every writer has a distinct way of writing. We repeat certain words, phrases, and expressions; there are patterns in how we arrange words in sentences and paragraphs, and our writing often carries a recognizable tone and rhythm. The term for this is voice. Wikipedia defines one’s voice in writing as “a combination of…Read More

Improve Your Writing with Poetry

In the world of writing, one form stands out as different from all the rest: poetry. Poetry is not bound by the constraints of sentence and paragraph structure, context, or even grammar. In the magical world of poetry, you can throw all the rules out the window and create a piece of art, something that is…Read More

The Benefits of Keeping a Gratitude Journal

A journal is a log, usually with dated entries. Some journals are topical (dream journals, travel journals, freewriting journals), while others are left open to explore just about anything. Many topical journals are meant to improve the quality of life. For example, people who are working to lose weight might keep a diet and exercise…Read More

Writing Resources: The Pocket Muse

This post contains affiliate links. We writers can’t be inspired every day. Sometimes we get burned out. Our ideas seem unappealing. We find ourselves grappling with an idea that’s incomplete or we might be seeking lots of small ideas for a big project. But inspiration isn’t on call; we can’t expect it to be there…Read More

Philosophy-Inspired Writing Prompts

Writing provides a way to express one’s thoughts, feelings, or ideas. It’s a communication tool. But writing can also be a tool for self-discovery and critical thinking. Many authors have stated that they write stories so they can find out what happens to the characters they’ve created. Essayists explain that writing helps them organize their…Read More

From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Haiku

Today’s writing exercise comes from my book, 101 Creative Writing Exercises, which takes writers on an exciting journey through different forms and genres while providing writing techniques, practical experience, and inspiration. Each chapter focuses on a different form or writing concept: freewriting, journaling, memoirs, fiction, storytelling, form poetry, free verse, characters, dialogue, creativity, and article and…Read More

sneak peek what's the story buiilding blocks for fiction writing

Sneak Peek: What’s the Story? Building Blocks for Fiction Writing

Today I’m sharing a look inside my book, What’s the Story? Building Blocks for Fiction Writing. This excerpt is from the introduction; it talks about the magic of storytelling and what you can expect from the book. Enjoy! What’s the Story? What’s a story? Is it character? Plot? Conflict? Change? Why do some stories fall…Read More

How to Read Poetry

Have you ever fallen in love with a song immediately upon hearing it? As soon as it’s over, you whip out your phone to find the song, and then you play it on repeat for the rest of the day until you know every note and lyric. It becomes your current favorite, your latest obsession….Read More

What’s The Difference Between Dashes and Hyphens?

To the passive reader, it’s a short horizontal line that appears somewhere in a text, usually joining two words together. To a writer, it’s something else entirely, but what? Is it a dash, a hyphen, or a minus sign? More than once, I’ve been pecking away at my keyboard and stopped suddenly when confronted with…Read More

A Guide to Writing Creative Nonfiction

Here at Writing Forward, we’re primarily interested in three types of creative writing: poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. With poetry and fiction, there are techniques and best practices that we can use to inform and shape our writing, but there aren’t many rules beyond the standards of style, grammar, and good writing. We can let…Read More