Writing Tips
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Newest Articles
How to Become a Professional Blogger: Interview with Jessica Festa
Jessica Festa is a full-time professional blogger and Writers.com instructor who operates two travel blogs: Jessie on a Journey (founded 2011) and Epicure and Culture (founded 2012). In this interview, Jessie speaks with us about how to become a professional blogger, and what you need to know to make a blogging career work for you. How did…
The Danger of “Always” and “Never” Rules in Fiction Writing
Don’t let anyone make you believe that there are rules in fiction writing—except one: Don’t bore your reader. Everything you do either tends to bore the reader or doesn’t. You just need to know the difference and proceed with caution. Equally worth noting is the fact that the words “never” and “always” aren’t appropriate either…
Writing the Young Adult Poetry Novel: Interview with Kelly Bingham
We recently interviewed instructor Kelly Bingham on a literary form that is quickly growing in popularity: the young adult poetry novel. In this discussion, Kelly outlines the strengths and challenges of the young adult poetry novel form, describes her journey through her own poetry novels, and offers advice for anyone interested in poetry novel writing. Interview:…
From Our Instructors
The 35 Best Gifts for Writers in Your Life
Professional authors chime in on gift ideas for writers—both during the holidays and any time of year. If you’re looking for the best gifts for writers in your life, look no further. There are lots of great gifts for creative writers—you just need to get in a writer’s head. With the help of some lovely…
What is the Setting of a Story? 5 Functions of Setting in Literature
A short story or novel without a setting is one without context—it occurs nowhere and at no particular time. But every person and everything in our everyday world occurs somewhere at some given time. As in real life, characters are connected in some way, or ways, to a given place. They’re always aware of where…
Becoming a Poet: Learn to Write Poetry!
Becoming a poet is no simple task, but with careful attention to language and the world around us, anyone can learn to write poetry. Even so, sitting down to put feelings to stanzas can seem impossible. With so many possibilities to tinker with language, where does the poet even begin? Whether you’ve just begun your…
Writing Tips Series
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Writing Prompts
Jump-start your creativity with our writing prompts. Check back regularly for new prompts!
Show and Tell
Write a story or poem about an object with a lot of nostalgic value for you/the narrator. Do not, at any point, tell the reader explicitly what this object is.
Forgive and Forget
Write a story or poem about a time when you had to forget something to maintain a friendship or relationship.
Trash Day
Collect pieces of “junk writing”—spam emails, credit card advertisements, roadside billboards, bumper stickers, etc. Then, write a story or poem that uses all of the junk writing you collected.