Writing Tips
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9 Essential Poetry Manuscript Format Tips to Get Published
After months of writing, editing, rewriting, hair-pulling, and late-night coffee sessions, you have a finished poetry manuscript. There’s only one thing standing between you and submitting your poetry for publication: the poetry manuscript format. Poetry manuscript submissions must conform to certain formatting guidelines to even be considered by publishers. Poetry manuscript submissions must conform to…
How to Write a Story Outline
The story outline is a great bridge between your story idea and a polished work of fiction. When you’re not sure how to start writing a story idea you might have, working on an outline will save you time and frustration, while also generating new ideas. Some writers balk at the idea of using a…
24 of the Best Places to Submit Poetry Online
What is the best place to submit poetry online? Just like poetry itself, the answer is often complex. Finding the right home for your poetry can take a lot of time and research. We’re here to help! In this article, we’ll share our 24 best suggestions for where to submit your poetry online. After that,…
From Our Instructors
Writing About Real People
Sneak Peek: This essay is excerpted from some of the materials I’ll be sharing in my class, “The Body and Soul of Your Memoir: Shape, Focus, and Write Your Memoir” at Writers.com starting June 4. When my memoir, The Sky Begins At Your Feet: A Memoir on Cancer, Community and Coming Home to the Body,…
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…
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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.