Creative Writing | Writing Forward

How to Be More Creative in Your Writing

Here’s an age-old question: is creative writing an art or a craft? Artistically minded writers will say that writing is most definitely an art while those who who think more analytically will claim writing is a skill, a trade, and a business. My answer is that writing can be either an art or a craft,…Read More

Where Do Successful Authors Get Their Most Brilliant Writing Ideas?

Do writing ideas just fall out of the sky? Is it reasonable to sit around waiting for a great idea to land on your lap, so you can write the next big bestseller? I don’t think so. When it comes to developing worthwhile writing ideas, it’s either feast or famine for most of us. Some…Read More

26 Creative Writing Careers

If creative writing is your passion, then you’d probably enjoy a career in which you could spend all day (or at least most of the day) pursuing that passion. But creative writing is an artistic pursuit, and we all know that a career in the arts isn’t easy to come by. It takes hard work,…Read More

Would You Rather Have Skill or Talent as a Writer?

Is effective writing borne of skill or talent? There has always been a debate about whether artistic trades are a matter of learned skill or inherent talent. On the one hand, there is the belief that some are born with active and imaginative right brains and are therefore better able to manifest creativity. On the…Read More

12 Places to Find Awesome Writing Ideas

Some writers are overwhelmed with inspiration and can’t find enough time to bring every brilliant idea to fruition. The rest of us are always on the lookout for compelling writing ideas to add to our inspiration archives. But writing ideas are not always easy to come by. So we constantly search for inspiration that will keep us happily…Read More

How to Engage Readers with Emotional Writing

One of the greatest skills that a writer can possess is the ability to make readers feel something. If you can engage readers on an emotional level, you’ll have them hooked. This effect is called emotional resonance. Think about it: Most of the books, poems, movies, and TV shows that you love best are the…Read More

How to Play and Pretend Your Way to Breakthrough Writing Ideas

My little niece used to love to sit with a grown-up book spread across her lap, reading a story out loud — except she couldn’t read yet. She was making it all up — pretending. During play, she invented new words. One time we were playing with some toys, and I asked one of their…Read More

How to Harvest Creative Writing Ideas from the News

Creative people are always looking for inspiration, and writers are no exception. We look to the people in our lives, to nature, and to the books, music, and films that we love. We call on our muses, we doodle, and we daydream. We record our dreams, meditate, and contemplate. And we do all these things…Read More

Is Writing Always Fun?

People have different reasons for writing. For some, it’s a hobby. For others, it’s a livelihood. For most, it’s a hobby they dream of turning into a livelihood. It’s a worthwhile dream, and a lofty one too. But what does it take to get there? How much fun will you have, and just how much…Read More

How to Find Writing Inspiration When Your Muse is on Vacation

Have you ever sat down to start a new writing project only to find yourself sitting there, hours later, staring idly at the blank page? Writing inspiration doesn’t always come easily. In an ideal world, we always look forward to the blank page, a fresh canvas we can color with ideas and texture with language….Read More