Consulting Tarot Cards
Erika Hoffman details her experience in a writing workshop that challenged participants to use tarot cards to generate story ideas through a series of writing exercises.
What Is (and Isn’t) High Concept Fiction, and How Do You Pitch It?
Pitching high concept fiction can be the key to skyrocketing to the top of agents' slush piles, according to Angie Hodapp of Nelson Literary Agency. But what is (and isn't) high concept, and how do you go about framing your story as high concept?
What a Coincidence: 7 Clever Strategies for Harnessing Coincidences in Fiction
Well-timed coincidences can catapult a story forward, but a poorly planned one can bring your readers to a dead stop. Use these 7 strategies to harness the power of this storytelling tool while steering clear of common missteps.
Evoking Emotion in Fiction: 7 Pragmatic Ways to Make Readers Give a Damn
Evoking emotion on the page begins with the man or woman at the keyboard. Using the classic novel Where the Red Fern Grows, Dustin Grinnell serves up seven straightforward tactics for writing tear-jerking tales that will make your readers empathize with your characters.
6 Easy Writing Exercises to Fuel Your Creativity
Feeling less than inspired? These six easy writing exercises will build core strength in your creative muscles, and they won't take up much of your time.
#YouToo? 11 Tips for Writing Your #MeToo Stories
In this piece about the impact of the #MeToo movement on how and what women write, Leigh Anne Jasheway explores different ways writers can approach sharing stories of sexual harassment and assault.
How to Increase Your Screenplay’s Commercial Appeal
Selling a screenplay is no easy task. Ray Morton shares advice on how to increase your screenplay's commercial potential to help you choose the best stories to put on the page.
Rub Two Sticks Together to Create a Spark: A Scout’s Strategy for Starting a Story
How do you start a story when your creative spark has dimmed? Try rubbing two ideas together.
Where Do Characters Come From?
Author Mitch Silver discusses how he and other thriller masters came up with the characters who have led their greatest story ideas—and how you can create great characters too.
5 Lessons Writers Can Learn from Ferdinand the Bull
The timeless children’s classic, The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, was written on a Sunday afternoon in 1935. Here's what writers can learn from it.
The Screenwriter’s Toolbox: Two Techniques Novelists Can Borrow from Film When Writing Opening Scenes
Learn about two writing techniques inspired by screenwriters that you can employ when writing opening scenes for novels.
Using Physicality to Bring Your Characters (And Your Fiction) to Life
One of the most common challenges writers face in the character development process is conveying their personalities (even those of side characters) in a naturally complex and believable way. Here, Joan Dempsey dives into the heart of a critical element that can help you flesh out—no pun intended—your characters and enrich...
7 Ways to Create a Killer Opening Line For Your Novel
Writing a dynamite first line that captivates readers and encourages them to read on is difficult. Here are several different approaches to writing a killer opening line (and examples from classic novels to accompany each).
Try These 30-Minute Writing Challenges
Set aside 30 minutes, choose one of the following exercises and, as Tim Gunn from “Project Runway” would say, “Make it work!”
7 Creative Writing Prompts To Spark Your Writing
Man I hate writer's block. We all get stuck in a writing rut from time to time. Sometimes it gets so bad for me that I can't even come up with a clever status update for Facebook—for Facebook! If my creative muscle is having difficulty piecing together a one-sentence quip, how...
5 Ways to Come Up With Great Story Ideas
Here are five ways that will help pump up your creativity muscle and build story ideas that will keep you writing for hours on end.