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9 Poems for Spring

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Good news in the Northern Hemisphere: spring starts this Saturday. To commemorate, we’re delighted to share with you nine previously unpublished poems on spring from Writers.com instructors and community members. We hope these sad, warm, funny, springy poems touch you as they did us—wherever you are in these last days of winter. See Spring at […]

How to Avoid Clichés in Writing

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A few weeks ago, we discussed the myth of originality as it relates to writing a compelling story. While no story is truly original, something all unoriginal stories share is the use of clichés. Countless clichés in writing exist, but the savviest writers know how to snuff out trite sentences and overused character tropes. This […]

How to Write a Poetry Book and Get It Published

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Writing a poetry book requires courage, stamina, and a lot of patience with yourself. The poetry book ranks at the top of many poets’ to-do lists, but getting a manuscript in front of poetry book publishers takes years of writing and planning. This article covers the essentials of getting new poetry books into print, covering both […]

What is Form in Poetry? 10 Poetic Forms to Try

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Poets have played with form since the dawn of poetry, resulting in the countless forms of poetry that we writers have at our disposal. Understanding most forms is easy, but if you plan on mastering poetry forms and structure, you need to know your poetic history. This article covers everything a poet should know about […]

How to Read Poetry Like a Poet

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Poetry is the densest and richest use of language there is, and learning how to read poetry is an art in itself. Learning how to read poetry like a poet—to not only feel the impact of poetry but to have a sense of the craft elements that make that impact possible—even more so. Reading poetry like […]

Concise Writing: How to Omit Needless Words

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This article is all about concise writing, summed up in the timeless phrase “Omit needless words.” We’ll examine some of the best advice on writing concisely, define what concise writing is and isn’t, and describe 11 writing habits that encourage concision. “Omit Needless Words” and The Elements of Style In 1920, William Strunk Jr. published […]

Why “Show, Don’t Tell” is a Golden Rule of Creative Writing

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“Show, don’t tell” is one of the most plainspoken rules in creative writing, and yet its message will carry your writing journey. “Show, don’t tell” is not just a suggestion for creative writers; it’s at the heart of what defines creative writing itself. “Show, don’t tell” is not just a suggestion for creative writers; it’s […]

Common Writing Mistakes: Creative Writing Tips for Beginners

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Creative writing mistakes are nothing to feel down about. All good creative writing is not just writing: it’s writing, revising, editing, and proofreading—not only to polish the beauty of our language, but to work with common creative writing mistakes that pop up for all of us. Today, we’ll be looking at eight common writing mistakes, […]

12 Literary Devices in Poetry: Identifying Poetic Devices

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What do the words “anaphora,” “enjambment,” “consonance,” and “euphony” have in common? They are all literary devices in poetry—and important poetic devices, at that. Your poetry will be greatly enriched by mastery over the items in this poetic devices list, including mastery over the sound devices in poetry. This article is specific to the literary […]

65 Common Literary Devices: Definitions, Examples, and Exercises

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Common literary devices, such as metaphors and similes, are the building blocks of literature, and what make literature so enchanting. Language evolves through the literary devices in poetry and prose; the different types of figurative language make literature spark in different ways. Consider this your crash course in common literary devices. Whether you’re studying for […]
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