You might recall a time in your life when it was trendy to have a “pen pal.” Writing letters to pen pals was sort of an art form. It was common for letter-writers to make their own stationery or to use different colors of ink and styles of writing. What you may not have realized … Read more
Throughout the country, the “face of the classroom” has vastly changed in recent years. No longer do you find stacks and stacks of spiral notebooks and textbooks on students’ desks. The learning process now typically unfolds through electronic tablets. In addition to reading everything on a screen, students also type their work rather than writing … Read more
Almost every author has experienced the burning desire to write without any of the inspiration that normally goes with it. While frustrating, there are better things to do than simply sit around and wait for an idea to strike. When you are a writer, you are often responsible for finding your own inspiration to write. … Read more
Writing is a solitary endeavor that takes so much of your own time, concentration and dedication. However, it would be wrong to say that writing takes place in a vacuum. Everything that you read, watch or otherwise consume has the potential to influence your writing in some way. So does this mean that you should … Read more
There are only so many hours in a day, and chances are you’ve already dedicated most of those hours to important tasks. Whether your day is taken up by work, children, social obligations or more, you still need to carve time out for what is most important to you—writing. Making time for writing can be … Read more
One of the most prolific pieces of writing advice is to write each and every day. While writing every day might work great for some, the reality is that it isn’t an effective piece of writing advice for most people. Maybe you have a job, spouse, kids or social life that doesn’t quite allow for … Read more
Making resolutions as the clock strikes midnight and one year rolls into the next is a time-honored tradition. You might have made your own resolutions for the New Year too, promising to write more in 2022 than you did in 2021. While this is a great jumping off point, you will need more actionable writing … Read more
Dialogue should flow through your story like a river that has seamlessly carved its way through a forest. Like the river, it should be complex and varied, with more going on beneath its surface than your readers might realize. So how do you write complex yet realistic dialogue? You put a lot of time, thought … Read more
What sparked your love of writing? There’s a good chance that your desire to tell a story started in another person’s written words. This goes back to one of the most basic truths of writing: great writers start out as great readers. Reading is more than just your origin story as a writer. It is … Read more
One of the most difficult parts of drafting a book is creating full, three dimensional characters. It doesn’t matter how well-crafted your plot is or if the words flow off the page like magic— if you have flat characters, your readers will lose interest. Not sure how to start bringing your characters to life? Try … Read more