For creative writing ideas and tips, browse the selection of articles below.
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Instead of just describing your character's feelings, it's generally more effective to show them. Here are some techniques you can use, and a questionnaire to help you get to know your character's emotional vocabulary.
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A classic romance story has three key elements. Find out what they are, and how to develop your romance plot, then use our story prompts to get you started.
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So, you have a story idea... and now you're facing a blank page. What do you do now?
Here's a step-by-step guide to developing your ideas into stories.
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Here some story ideas about topics including a suspicious discovery in an attic, a novel that endangers a friendship, a secretive neighbor, and a dangerous habit.
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"Show, don't tell" is common advice in creative writing classes. But what does it actually mean? And how do you do it? Learning when to "show" instead of "telling" will increase the emotional impact of your stories.
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When you're planning a mystery story, you're really planning two stories -- the story of the investigation (which is the story that the reader sees), and the story of the crime (which is the background to the main story).
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Raymond Carver offered this advice to writers: "When in doubt, have a man come through a door with a gun in his hand." Depending on your story, that's certainly one option. Here are twenty others.
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These five techniques will help add interest to your characters -- and your stories! Find out how to write characters that play against type, characters who attract trouble, and characters with hidden layers.
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Here are lots of story ideas about topics including a strange job offer, a mysterious
meeting, a voodoo doll in your character's image, and a new boyfriend who seems to know too
much about your character...
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Your story beginning needs to capture the reader's interest and set the right expectations for your story. But if you're having trouble coming up with a great beginning, don't let that stop you! You can always improve the beginning later.
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Wondering whether your idea is worth developing? No matter what your story's about, it will interest readers if it contains two key ingredients.
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Use these questionnaires to create unique settings that reveal aspects of your characters, and to build a detailed story world.
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These two magic phrases will help you come up with intriguing story ideas. Just fill in the blanks to get started.
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Do your fictional characters speak in different voices, or do they all sound the same? Does the dialogue sound natural? Does it sound TOO natural? Here's how to avoid common dialogue mistakes.
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Your story ending determines the reader's final impression of your story. Whether
it's a happy ending, a sad one, or something in between, your ending should leave the reader
feeling something.
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Do you tend to lose interest in your writing projects partway through? Why is this happening, and how can you stay inspired long enough to complete your manuscript?
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Here are some story ideas about topics including a shady job offer, a marriage proposal that comes too soon, and a heart-wrenching choice that threatens to destroy a man's family.
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This simple worksheet makes it easy to plan your stories. Just fill in the blanks to
develop your story plot. You can use our prompts to get you started.
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Here are some story ideas about topics including mysterious love notes, a scam artist posing
as a psychic, a romance between two people who don't speak the same language,
and a joke that might have caused a murder.
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Are you constantly editing yourself while you're writing? Is your perfectionism getting in
the way of your creativity? Here's what you can do about it.
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Here are some first lines you can turn into stories, and twist endings you can use as a
starting point. Or try to come up with a story using all three of these elements...
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Do you make excuses to avoid writing? To stop procrastinating, the first step is
understanding why you do it.
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Looking for inspiration? This three-day email course will show you how to generate new
ideas whenever you need them. You'll also learn about character development and plot structure.
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