Personal Essay
How to Start a Story: Examples and Inspiration
It happens to the best of us: you open a new word document, you’re faced with the many possibilities that a story can take, and then you realize you don’t…
Read MoreStatic Characters vs. Dynamic Characters: Definitions and Examples
You can categorize the people that populate your stories as static and dynamic characters. These categories correspond to character development: if they’re a changed person by the end of the…
Read MoreWhat is a Narrative Poem? Definition and Examples
Writers who want to set their stories in verse may be interested in the narrative poem. One of the oldest literary art forms in the history of written language, narrative…
Read MoreWhat is an Antagonist? Definition & Examples
Because most stories involve conflict, most stories also involve an antagonist. Your protagonist—the main character—will struggle to achieve something important to them, and the antagonist will further complicate this struggle.…
Read MoreHow to Write a Narrative Essay
When writers set down the facts of their lives into a compelling story, they’re writing a narrative essay. Personal narrative essays explore the events of the writer’s own life, and…
Read MoreHow to Submit to Literary Journals
For the last few months, you’ve opened the document on your computer and spent time constructing sentences, reading, researching, and working on the right metaphor for your poem, short story,…
Read MoreOn the Road
Objects at rest will stay at rest and objects in motion will stay in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. My great grandmother Mary…
Read More5 Tips on Self-Publishing Your Book
For book writers, the publishing process is often a fearful mystery. Self-publishing a book can intensify this mystery, because it can seem like you’re all on your own, with no…
Read MoreWriting for Mindfulness: The Foundations of Mindful Writing
Being present, focusing on images, appreciating goodness: these are the foundations of mindful writing. Writing for mindfulness is a skill that any writer can develop, helping you to sharpen your…
Read MoreThere But For The Grace of God
The phone rings and you don’t know if it’s the phone or the new, beeping pill dispenser your husband bought so he could leave you alone in the house for…
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