There are essential dialogue writing rules to follow if one expects to write a good story. Dialogue is what keeps the story interesting and moving quickly for the reader
Creative writing
15 Marketplaces to Publish Your Poetry
Since there are hundreds of publications in the US and abroad that publish poetry, finding the perfect fit for your verses may seem a bit overwhelming. If you’ve been writing and submitting for a while now, then you already have a list of publications on-hand. If you’re yet to publish your first poem or collection… Read more →
The Writing Style of Stephen King
Stephen King’s legacy as a bestselling horror/psychological fiction writer is attributed to his writing style. Because readers can identify with many of King’s three-dimensional, dynamic characters, his stories captivate and engage his loyal fans and first-time readers.
The Writing Style of William Shakespeare
Some of the most famous lines in the history of literature come from the writings of William Shakespeare. Shakespeare wrote in iambic pentameter. The results were plays and sonnets that had ten syllables per line and with his plays, these lines were unrhymed.
Writing Sleuths – Pet Detectives
This article defines the role of a pet detective, their skill set and tools, and techniques writers can apply to develop such a character.
Writing Sleuths – Five Tips For Developing Bodyguard Characters
The fearless, protective bodyguard who is willing to put his/her life on the line to protect a client has long been a popular character in books, TV, and movies
Writing to Convey Drama and Place – Techniques to Keep Readers Reading
You often hope to convey some drama or sense of place in your writing. What if you were able to describe matters in a way that imparted feeling and not just factual information?
6 Steps to Get You Started Writing Your Memoirs
Everyone has a story or two to tell. As time passes, these precious personal and family memories can be lost. But how and where do you begin? Right here.
The Writing Style of Agatha Christie
The works of Dame Agatha Christie are still a part of popular culture. In a writing career lasting more than 55 years, she wrote 72 novels (66 mystery novels and 6 romance novels) and 15 short story collections – a body of work that remains unparalleled in any genre
Write a Story Starting With I Always Thought That I Would
Learn how to start a story with ‘I Always Thought That I Would.’ This prompt can be very useful to help you start your creative short story.
Creative Writers : Can You Write Good Transition Sentences?
Creative writers often have a problem transitioning from one paragraph to the other. After reading this article, you will fully understand the trick to it.
Writing a Children’s Book – 11 Things You Need to Know
If you are serious about becoming a children’s author, then you need to get into it as if you were writing a novel. Here are 11 things you need to know.
Writing a Comedy Church Skit – How to Create Funny Characters
You don’t have to be a professional writer to create funny characters and humorous drama that makes a spiritual impact on your church congregation.
Writing a Comedy Screenplay
A useful rule of thumb for comedy is that there are three reasons for a line of dialogue to be in the script. Read the article to discover what they are.
Writing a Video Game Script – Write the Game
Writing a video game script is very different to writing a movie script or a novel. Firstly you have to contend with different choices taking you through different routes, and secondly you have to deal with the limitations of game programming.
5 Tips for Writing Authentic Crime and Legal Fiction
To write a good crime story, a writer needs to have credibility. You don’t have to be a cop or lawyer to write about crime or criminal law with authenticity
How to Become a Fiction Writer
The market for fiction has no middle ground. It’s either too safe or too elitist. What does this mean for fiction writers first entering the market?
10 Ways to Take Writing Humor Seriously
It has often been said that everyone likes humor and laughter on our planet. Well maybe not everyone, but almost every person who is normal will like humor
Basic Structure for a Three Act Movie Screenplay
Three act movie screenplays are the most popular structure of screenplays written today. So, the good news is that you need not write something as complex as the structure of a five-act
Using Character Sheets in Fiction Writing
For fiction, you need the right combination of plot, action, description and character development to bring your story to life for your reader.
5 Ways to Use Flashbacks in Your Fiction Writing
Most people use flashbacks to provide more information about the main character’s past – thereby using this technique as a means to explain why certain events are happening, or how / why a character is acting or responding in a particular way.
6 Tips For Keeping Your Diary Private
Here are six ways that people who keep personal journals and diaries have handled the issue of privacy. See if you can combine these ideas
Finding Age Appropriate Words When Writing For Children
Writing in general can be a tough business; writing for children is even tougher. Writing for children requires you to use words that are age appropriate.
Story Ideas From the 4 Seasons
So regardless of what season you are in, it’s important for you as a writer to make note of the details and nuances of that time of year. Observe your responses to weather or weather-related incidents/activities, as well as the reactions and behavior of people around you.6
Teaching a Memoir Workshop: Easy is Usually Not Best
In leading memoir writing workshops, the teacher’s task is to help individuals to go through and beyond two kinds of barriers to their writing: the technical and the psychological blocks that keep them from success.
Technical Writer to Fiction Writer: The Process
Successful writing (fiction or non-fiction) is in the process. No process, no product. Let’s look at a process you probably already use as a tech writer, analyst, programmer, etc.
10 Laws of Great Storytelling
Before you begin your story, take a moment. Look at your audience and smile at them. Only after you have got their attention do you begin to even introduce yourself and your topic. You will be able to observe many things about your audience in these few moments
5 Ways To Nurture and Defend Your Muse
Arrogance has a bad rap. We think of arrogant people as unpleasant to be around, full of themselves, and incapable of taking an interest in anyone else. However, when applied to one�s own writing, a certain measure of well-placed arrogance can be a useful tool
The Hero Journey Motif As a Tool for Reading and Writing
Quite often teachers in middle school and high school find themselves teaching the grade level language arts curriculum from a conservative and sometimes minimalist point of view. What that means is that many follow generic lesson plans devised by a team, a textbook company, or themselves that cover only the very basic or minimal reading comprehension and writing skills.
The Many Paths to Plotting
As a writer, I can’t help but see the similarity between my experience as a reading teacher and what writers go through with plotting. You can read six books on plotting and come up with six different methods
The Purpose of the Science Fiction Novel
Where fantasy goes into uncharted territory, the kind of story that couldn’t exist, science fiction, a term made famous by the likes of Philip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov, and Robert Heinlein, goes into charted territory.
Reasons Why Shakespeare is Called “The Bard”
William Shakespeare is also referred to as ‘The Bard’. The term bard originally meant a friend who likes writing poems indeed Shakespeare gained many friends through his plays
Screenwriter’s Guide: Concept and Logline
So you finally have representation, you’ve got your ear to the pavement and you know what’s selling and what studios are looking for. So what’s next?
Scriptwriting: The Five Key Points of Story Structure
One thing is true of all stories. They all have a beginning, middle and end. Film scripts typically run from 100 to 120 pages with each page representing about a minute of screen time
How to Sell Your True Life Story
Popular magazines each have their own policy for accepting real life stories. Some offer a flat rate to everybody who has a half way decent tale to tell regardless of the importance or uniqueness of the situation.
How to Use Weather to Set the Scene
The weather is so much more than how wet you’re getting. It’s amazing how many writers overlook the weather as a useful tool in both setting and also in telling the story
The 7 Deadly Sins For Non-Fiction Writing
Even the most compelling writing and subject can fail if you let the small irritations get in the way of that connection with your reader. Make your writing worth reading and take it from good to great by avoiding these seven pitfalls.
6 Steps to a Good Low-Budget Movie Script
Give the character some depth. He or she is a human being you are creating. They have a past, dreams, failures and successes just like every real person does. This all needs to be fabricated but credible
How to Make Metaphors Work For You
Include the metaphor in your leadership-language. It allows you to make the unfamiliar more understandable. To make the complex more simple.
Memoir Writing Help, Memoir Writing Ideas
Here are a few prompts to stimulate your memory and to encourage your creativity…of which you have plenty to work with and to share.
Hey, Just A Minute, Buster! My Memoir Is More Tragic Than Yours!
The memoir. For years a former agent of mine – who happened to represent one of the country’s most commercially successful memoirists – had been after me to write mine.
A Writing Career: Newspaper vs. Magazine Work
One of the great things about being on the newspaper’s features staff is the latitude you have; you have a beat to cover, sure, but you can basically write any feature story you want, with your editor’s approval.
9 Steps to Write the Best Short Story
Whenever I begin a short story, I remind myself of two things: to try to get in touch with readers’ senses as much as possible by writing something to see, hear, touch, smell, taste, and feel (emotionally), and to try to keep nine points, specifically, in mind when writing my story in hopes of composing a tightly-written story that sticks in readers’ minds. Those nine points are as followed
6 Reasons Prose Writers Should Attempt Poetry
As part of my MFA program, I was told I had to take a class outside of my comfort zone, which happens to be in fiction. I signed up for a poetry class not expecting to like it
A Creative Writer’s Secret for a Professional Query Letter
Editors know what they are looking for in a query letter. This guide follows the teaching of Noah Lukeman, editor, novelist, literary agent and teacher at Writer’s University.
How to Write an Article for a Student Magazine
Here’s how to write an article for a student magazine that really sings, drawing on your own experience to provide interesting first hand material.
How To Write Great Children’s Poetry & Rhyming Stories
Children love rhyme. The rhythm of the text, the way the words bounce off the tongue can be especially appealing to young children who are mastering language and reading
How to Write Juicy Short-Story Introductions
The awful truth is that no matter how fabulous your story is, if your introduction is lame, your readers won’t go further than the first few paragraphs. So it is definitely something you should not overlook.
Inspired by JK Rowling – How Do Generation Y Writers Make Big Money?
It starts off with a book, an adventure, and then as a young person you want to read more and more adventures, be it Harry Potter or any other kind of fantasy, sci-fi, young-adult, urban and so on.
A Creative Problem-Solving Tool for Journal Writing
If you have problems – and let’s face it – we all do, then journal writing can serve as a creative problem-solving tool.
5 Steps to Start Journaling For the Health of It
For most of us, there’s a lot more going on inside our minds and bodies than we let on. We may carry ourselves with the utmost confidence, when in reality we feel like a mess.
19 Questions to Help You Write a Memoir
There are more than six billion people on the planet and I am a firm believer that every one of us has a story to tell.
How Much Money Can A Writer Earn?
One question that everyone always wants to know is how much money can you earn as a writer? Read these tips on how you can maximize your earning potential.
Tips on How to Become a Comic Book Artist
Comic book artist David Cassaday is one of the most well-known names in the comic book industry today.
How to Become a Food Critic
There is only one job that will marry your love for fine cuisine with your impressive written communication skills and cutting wit. Here’s how to do
How to Journal – Where to Begin
The keeping of a personal journal has been a pursuit of human society for many hundreds of years. Here’s how to start writing your journal today.
How to Plot a Film Script
Good stories are told using some type of structure. Plotting a film script can be difficult, here’s how you can write a convincing and successful plot.
How to Start a Career As a Freelance Copywriter
If you have always wanted to be a Freelance Copywriter and don’t know how to break into the industry, read the following article for need-to-know tips!
Five Tips for a Successful Music Review
Writing an informative and captivating music review can be a challenging task. Here a 5 helpful tips to writing a successful music review.
Ghostwriting Rates: Avoid the Client-Turned-Casper
If you pick up a freelance writing job as a ghostwriter, consider yourself lucky. Ghostwriting is a great way to earn money, while expanding your knowledge and expertise. Here are some tips on what to charge your clients and how to avoid pitfalls.
Freelance Writing: Have an End Goal in Mind
Simply stating “I am going to be a freelance writer” isn’t going to make it happen. Read on for how having an end goal can provide clarity in your career.
Horror Fiction – Ten Cliches to Avoid
For anyone thinking about writing in the horror genre, there are certain situations that, over the years, have been done so often that the audience knows exactly what to expect. If you’re trying for the big scare, here are 10 situations to avoid, and alternative scenarios to consider when writing Horror Fiction.
Horror Story Ideas – The Haunted House Or Hotel
Hotels, inns and even simple bed & breakfast places are great fodder for kicking up the horror muse in all of us. Here’s how to gain all the inspo you need.
Creative Writers – Horror Writing
What kind of horror story do you want to write? Your options are as wide open as the type of ‘monster’ you wish to create. Here are tips on writing within the horror genre
How I Became a Syndicated Columnist, And You Can Too!
When people ask me how I became a syndicated columnist, I usually say, it just snowballed. And basically that’s what happened. Here’s how you can do it too.
How Much Does a Copywriter Make?
How much money you make as a freelance writer depends on your skills and experience. Here’s a rough guide to follow as to how much you can charge clients.
Writing Vividly: the Power of Description
The literary market always has a demand for descriptive articles and short stories. A writer’s success in any line of literary work depends largely upon his power of description. It pays to have the skills to describe well, to paint vividly and accurately in words, any scene from memory or imagination.
Finding Success in Writing – The Beginning
With the success of many authors, poets and creative writers, many teachers continue to stress the importance of writing
Write the Story of Your Life
I want to write my life story, but I don’t know where to start. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this statement. Many people have a story to tell. It doesn’t matter that that story will never be on the New York Times
Writing Opportunities for College Students
If you’re a student who loves to write, you may not have thought of the opportunities that surround you to break into writing. The academic setting is the perfect place to build your writing resume so by the time graduation rolls around, you have some real writing experience
Writing Poetry for Children
Have you ever considered writing poetry for children? It’s fun and interesting; but don’t be fooled into thinking it’s easy because it’s for kids. Writing poetry for children requires an understanding of what kids like and a skill in delivering it. So if you’d interested in writing poetry for children, tap into what kids like
Writing Historical Fiction: The Forgotten Golden Egg of Writing
Writing is hard work; it’s not for the faint of heart. Writing historical fiction is even harder, as it is more than just crafting an intriguing plotline. There’s the laborious task of researching the history that drives the story. Any authentic historical reference that I used in the book, I researched at least three times
Writing Your Ecological Autobiography
People write memoirs or autobiographies for a number of reasons, but one thing we can expect as we go through the process is a deeper understanding of ourselves. As we recall and record our life stories, we learn a great deal about who we are and how we came to be the persons we are
Freelance Writing Advice: Writing Descriptive Articles for Editors
The effectiveness of descriptive writing depends largely on the right choice of words. It is not enough to depict the memorable points of the subject tersely and vigorously: you must do this attractively, picturesquely.
Top 5 Tips to Write An Interesting Narrative for Any Story
WRITING NARRATION – You can discover numerous ways of crafting an intriguing narrative. Some narrative methods are so refined that a skilled writer has trouble describing them; they are simply proof of a genuine storyteller.
An Introduction to Using Point of View in Your Story
Point of view is telling a story from a pre-determined vantage point. It is an essential formula for writing stories. If we were to exclude point of view from our stories, every story would be hopelessly confused, an entanglement of incoherent scenes
Creative Writing: Using the Epigram as a Literary Device
The first epigrams were verses used by the Greeks for the inscriptions on statues or other monuments to the dead. The Romans were the first to use epigrams as satirical devices, and Shakespeare made them popular as poetic closed couplets.
Verse Making: Using Poetic License
I just read a prize poem in a university literary magazine-a pretty thing it was, too; had it not felt so special to me, I would have stopped reading it because the poem had minor stylistic faults. A few lines, more or less, were out of measure, causing the poem to lack in rhyme, rhythm and reason
The Weirdest Literary Awards for Writers
All writers secretly have aspirations of fame or at least notoriety. While you wait for the Pulitzer committee to recognize your literary genius, you can pursue some of these less sought-after accolades to bolster your resume.
Using Dialogue to Start a Short Story, a Creative Writing Technique
Dialogue never occurs for its own purpose. Its primary function is to reveal and progress the plot and the story’s events. Dialogue strengthens, accentuates, and substantiates the characters as they play their parts. Conversation can develop your characters and show the story setting and environment at the same time.
The Time Element in Telling a Story
Your first goal in telling a story is to give the time of its happening. The time anchors your story in place, and starting from this anchor you weave the chain of events that follows
The Writer’s First Step: Yanking Ideas from Your Head
When subjects excite your curiosity, make a note of it. Draw an image of it. Write a blog post about it. Tweet it. Dream about it at night. Before long, you will have your own prized collection of story ideas.
Titles that Talk: How to Create a Title for Your Article or Manuscript
The first words of a manuscript that catch the editorial eye are those of the title. Anytime you submit a manuscript or article, you should make your title strong and attractive. A compelling title is more likely to prompt an editor to start reading the opening paragraph.
The Top 5 Story-Based Themes that Will Ignite Interest in Your Readers
A theme conveys a similar comparison to the story that the framework conveys to the completed structure. It conveys the fundamental idea, the trigger of the story, the fact or purpose upon which you base your the plot.
The Epistolary Novel, a Creative Writing Style for Novelists
Evoking a certain dramatic mood is only one of the reasons why authors might use letters or diary entries in their novels. The most obvious benefit is character development, and allowing your protagonist or supporting cast
The Character Arc: Make Your Main Character More Memorable
Put simply, the character arc is the journey of a character in a story from point A to point B. For example, a main character who is born in the opening and dies at the end is a basic character arc. That plotline is biographical…
How to Throw Your Own Successful Book Signing
Of course everyone wants to have a book signing at a big bookstore, but sometimes that’s difficult to negotiate, especially if your book is self-published. However, the good news is that if you can get a smaller bookstore on board, it’s easier to approach the better-known stores
Taking Your Freelance Writing on the Road
It may seem like every writer’s dream, but taking your writing skills on a road trip is a little harder than you might first think! After completing an 11 000 kilometer road trip around Australia, education author Anne Vize shares some tips for taking your writing on the road.
Short Story Writing for the Aspiring Writer
Writing short stories provides you with a creative platform to influence readers’ thoughts and emotions with your words, and gives you a deep feeling of satisfaction in knowing that readers are reaping the benefits of your observations, thoughts and moral teachings
7 Food Writing Tips I Learned from Watching Reruns of Julia Child
The late Julia Child is world famous for her gastronomic talents and relaxed approach to cooking. So what can you learn from her approach to cooking? Here are seven tips I learned and would like to pass on to you.
The Magic of Powerful Story Settings
I was taught and learned the importance of descriptive and powerful settings at an early age. In my elementary school art class, a very clever and gifted teacher spent an entire class period changing a variety of picture frames
Poetry Writing – a Minor Art of Seriousness
Aspiring poets will continue to write deathless rhymes until they realize that poetry is not simply another – perhaps inferior – way of saying things that they could say in prose.
Narrative Prose: The Elements of Description and Narration
Some of our favorite authors have praised parts of their success on having learned to write descriptive scenes and characters, but with lots of self-control. Stephen King said, In many cases when a reader puts a story aside
Repurposing Your Memoir For Profit
Anyone who’s written a memoir knows just how painstaking that writing can be. You constantly get stuck in your head and you often feel alone. Yet many people want to read memoir and so based on that fact alone, why not repurpose your memoir for profit?
How to Write a Haiku: Poetry of simple artform but meaningful expression
A haiku is one of the most beautiful forms of poetry. If you want to try to write a haiku, but don’t know where to begin, read these handy tips.
How to Write a Marketable Article Based on Hobbies and Human Interest
If you are looking for a new topic to write about, perhaps you should consider writing about universally appealing topics like hobbies or human interest.
How to Write a Poem and Wake Up the World
Poetry is not just about fusing words and rhythm. You need to learn how to use your words to wake up the world. Learn how with these writing tips.
10 Techniques to Write Your Screenplay Faster
Often screenwriters get stuck with the dreaded writer’s block. The truth is writer’s block doesn’t exist. It is an imaginary barrier created by a tired, disorganized thought-process. Consider these top ten tips on how to write a screenplay faster.
How to Write a Better True Story: A Simple Technique in Unity
The action that a writer reveals in his story is only a small part of the action that really took place. His selection shows his skill; almost any event makes a good story if the writer tells the proper parts of it.
The Mechanics of How to Write a Climactic Novel
Are you wanting to write novel that will captivate readers’ attention? In order to do so, there are certain steps you must take, as this article outlines.