Writing Tips
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Newest Articles
Is Self-Publishing on Amazon All It’s Cracked Up to Be? Pros and Cons
If you’re struggling with or uninterested in conventional publishing, you’ve likely considered self-publishing. One of many options within this route is self-publishing on Amazon: with its Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) program, the giant online marketplace has now stepped into the publishing world. Before you commit to self-publishing on Amazon, make sure you understand the pros…
The Transformative Power of Writing Circles: Interview with Susan Vespoli
writers.com instructor Susan Vespoli leads both in-person and online writing circles in the Wild Writing tradition of Laurie Wagner. In this interview, Susan explains what writing circles are and how they function, and how writing circles can be a transformative practice for both writing and life. What is a writing circle? There are different forms…
Unlock Your Creativity with the “Three I’s” of Writing: Interview with Sarah Aronson
In this interview, Writers.com instructor Sarah Aronson outlines what she calls the “Three I’s” of writing: inspiration, intuition, and intellect. She discusses how overrelying on intellect can stifle us as writers, and how to use a “Three I’s” approach to unlock creativity in our writing process. Sarah is a recognized children’s book author and educator. Her new book, Just…
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.