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Interview: Jack Smith Talks Writing, Publication Process, and His New Book “If Winter Comes”

December 1, 2020 by Sean Glatch Leave a Comment

When Fanny Kemble, an acclaimed nineteenth-century British actress, marries Pierce Butler, a Philadelphia aristocrat, she is yoked to a philanderer, a liar, and, as she soon learns, a slaver. She must deal with a husband who expects her absolute obedience, as though she were one of his slaves. As an abolitionist, she feels compelled to […]

Commonly Misspelled Words: Working with Homophones

November 24, 2020 by Sean Glatch Leave a Comment

Pull out your edition of Strunk’s Elements of Style, because it’s time to talk about a major headache for English writers: commonly misspelled words. The English language lacks uniform spelling patterns, so many words are easy to confuse and misspell—especially most commonly misused homophones. Homophones are two words which sound similar but have different meanings. […]

Concise Writing: How to Omit Needless Words

November 19, 2020 by Sean Glatch 4 Comments

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

November 5, 2020 by Sean Glatch 5 Comments

“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 […]

7 Common Writing Mistakes: Creative Writing Tips for Beginners

October 27, 2020 by Sean Glatch 1 Comment

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 seven common creative writing […]

What Causes Writer’s Block, and How to Overcome It

October 20, 2020 by Sean Glatch Leave a Comment

Writer’s block—wanting to write and not writing—is a persistent problem that every writer (yes, every writer, even Stephen King) deals with, and one that has ended far too many writing careers. It’s also a tough problem to solve. If we all knew how to get rid of writer’s block, the world would be overflowing with […]

12 Literary Devices in Poetry: Identifying Poetic Devices

October 13, 2020 by Sean Glatch 1 Comment

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 […]

How Creative Writing Classes Can Improve Your Writing

October 9, 2020 by Sean Glatch Leave a Comment

Are creative writing classes useful? The short answer is yes. The longer answer is: it depends what courses you find and what you put into them. However, there’s a course out there for everyone that can help improve your writing! If you want to learn how to write creatively or simply want to improve your […]

10 Important Literary Devices in Prose: Examples & Analysis

October 6, 2020 by Sean Glatch Leave a Comment

Any writer looking to master the art of storytelling will want to learn the literary devices in prose. Fiction and nonfiction writers rely on these devices to bring their stories to life, impact their readers, and uncover the core truths of life. You can, too, with mastery over the different literary devices! If you’re not […]

24 of the Best Places to Submit Creative Nonfiction Online

September 29, 2020 by Sean Glatch Leave a Comment

After weeks of deliberating over the right words and fine-tuning your creative nonfiction piece, you’re ready to begin submitting to literary nonfiction journals. The only problem is finding the right home for your creative nonfiction submission. What journals or literary nonfiction magazines should you prioritize submitting your work to? Find your answer here: we’ve searched […]