Where Bad Writers Turn Good
Mark Twain famously advised writers to "write what you know." While this isn't bad advise, it isn't the only advise writers can benefit from. Read for ten more pieces of great advise on what writers can and should write about.
Writing dialogue isn't always easy, and it doesn't come natural to all writers. Here are some basic Do's and Don'ts for writing dialogue to help you refine your dialogue-writing skills.
What Is It Doing? Writing Nature and Landscape by Fiona M Jones Here’s a little story, “How to Write Nature Poems,” that first appeared in Hey Mrs. Winkler as part of a series of meta-fiction micros. Hannah wrote stuff about nature. Not poetry, exactly—just stuff. She’d walk through the rain and ask what the rain... Continue Reading →
People who read often get annoyed about errors in published material. Their ire made me retire my own. However, it also brought up—not annoyance, because I get paid to fix mistakes—a screaming head full of chronic errors. Here, I will list the most common 21 grammatical errors that drive readers nuts. Maybe, you’ll recognize a few and nod your head in agreement. Maybe, if you’re a writer, you even make a few yourself…
Being a writer is hard. Nobody denies that. It is one of the toughest, most unforgiving career paths one can choose, and at the end of the day, only the strong (and lucky) survive. But then, why do people still do it? This collection of creative, nonfiction essays written by a diverse range of published... Continue Reading →
In reading numerous works on the writing process and receiving advice from other writers based on their own personal writing habits, I have heard numerous renditions on what up-coming or potential writers must do to cross the threshold into actualized writers. These examples tend to take a dogmatic approach to the process. For example, an established writer will say one, absolute method exists in order to write, which usually just happens to be the method that particular writer uses. I disagree with this. Even if I find the advice helpful, I disagree with the necessity of strict adherence to any singular process.
I can’t tell you how to write your short stories. That you’ll have to learn through all the other means available. But if you write short stories that are written well and have something to say creatively, then I may be able to help you get over the next hurdle of getting your short story... Continue Reading →
Patreon, Kickstarter, GoFundMe; the trio of “Give me money!” is very popular right now. Do any of these actually benefit writers though? I’ll talk about all three, and the impact they can have on you as a writer, as well as personal experience and discussions with other writers. GoFundMe GoFundMe is the number one crowdfunding... Continue Reading →
After pouring hours, months, and even years of hard work into a manuscript, few things are as crushing as the rejection a writer receives when they are striving to become published. Yet, the truth is, some manuscripts don't even get read before they're tossed into the slush pile. Sometimes the reasons are obvious, and other times, not so much. But writers may be surprised how often the reasons could have been prevented.
Here are some simple steps every writer can take to decrease the slush-pile odds.
Tools for Developing Characters Many tools exist to help you craft believable and engaging characters. Below you’ll find some of the best I’ve encountered and a very helpful technique called the secret snapshot approach which can help you discover and reveal your character’s inner most self in a way which readers will love. Sliding... Continue Reading →
Writing Bad - Official Site 