Capturing the Art of Storytelling: Techniques & Tips

the art of storytelling

It is hard to describe the art of storytelling, but you know good storytelling it when you read it. You read a passage of prose and it raises your arm hairs, makes your blood tingle, gets your heart racing; suddenly you’re swept up in the experience of beautiful writing. Indeed, writers seem to possess a…

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Common Rhetorical Devices List: The Art of Argument

common rhetorical devices list

Rhetorical devices are techniques in writing and speech that try to persuade the audience. A rhetorical device uses language to shape ideas into arguments, convincing the reader through a plethora of literary strategies. Why study rhetorical devices? Understanding how writers wield words to persuade you will help you read critically and carefully. And, if you’re…

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Anti-Hero Characters: Writing the Unheroic Protagonist

anti hero characters

Want to learn more about how to write an anti-hero? Consider taking our private class with Gloria Kempton. The anti-hero (or antihero) archetype is a popular feature of modern books and movies, and for good reason. Anti-hero characters are often lonely or isolated individuals, who experience ethical dilemmas typical of modern day society. As both…

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Interview: Barbara Henning Discusses “Prompt Book” and Finding the Inspiration to Write

prompt book barbara henning

If you’re a writer looking for prompts, inspiration, or lessons on literary movements, then writers.com instructor Barbara Henning‘s new book Prompt Book (Spuyten Duyvil Publishing, 2021) is your solution. Naturally, we were curious about how an author goes about collecting and publishing a book of prompts. Below is our full interview with Barbara on Prompt Book…

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How to Be Confident in Your Writing

how to be confident in your writing

At some point early in our writing careers, we find ourselves asking a painful question: What if I’m not good enough? It’s an early indication that writing confidence—the ability to write freely, unimpeded by self-doubt—can be hard to come by. The focus of this article is learning how to be confident in your writing, and…

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Creative Writing Anxiety: What It Is and How to Overcome It

overcoming writing anxiety

Editor’s Note: In this interview on writing anxiety, instructor Giulietta Nardone describes what creative writing anxiety is, what causes it, and—most importantly—how to get over writing anxiety. What is writing anxiety? There are many people who would like to start writing, or to take a writing class, but they never get started because the critical…

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Character Development Advice: 5 Tips for Creating Characters that Breathe and Move and Can’t Stop Talking

writing character development tips

Editor’s note: This is the second of two articles (first here) on the fundamentals of character development written for Writers.com by our instructor Gloria Kempton, in support of a full character development course she’s developing. In this article, Gloria answers a number of commonsense questions about character development. 1. What makes a character relatable? Vulnerability.…

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Essential Character Development Questions: 3 Questions to Ask Every Character You Write

questions for character development

Editor’s note: This is the first of two articles (second here) on the fundamentals of character development written for Writers.com by our instructor Gloria Kempton, in support of a full character development course she’s developing. In this article, Gloria covers the three essential questions you should ask each character you write. There are three questions…

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