To err is human, in the words of Alexander Pope — or, in the slightly goofier words of Pam Beesly, pobody’s nerfect. It stands to reason that if you want your fictional characters to be as well-rounded and relatable as actual people, you’ll need to give them a few character flaws. While it might be ... read more »
Author Elizabeth Bowen once said “characters are not created by writers. They pre-exist and have to be found”. That’s solid advice, but there’s one small catch — what do you do if you want to write, but a fully-formed character is yet to fall into your lap? Don’t be disheartened: there are things you can ... read more »
If you're currently in the process of growing your readership as a poet, you're going to need to know how to make a chapbook. These short books can help kickstart your literary reputation, and may well increase your chances of getting a book deal for your debut poetry collection. Sounds good? Read on for our ... read more »
Welcome to the niche world of poetry chapbooks, where many budding poets come to develop their craft and grow their readership. While developing novelists and short story writers are, these days, often going digital, emerging poets are finding new life in the printed word. Read on to find out what a chapbook is and whether ... read more »
These days, there’s no shortage of ways to learn from the comfort of your own home, and writing is no exception. Creative writing classes abound on the internet, but in such a crowded market, it's difficult to know which are best suited to your skill level, interests, and learning preferences. Below, we’ve gathered eight of ... read more »
Whether for school, work, or a particularly eloquent email, everyone’s done some creative writing at one time or another — but that doesn’t mean everyone knows how to do it well. If you’re reading this now, you probably enjoy creative writing from other authors and want to improve your own, but aren’t sure where to ... read more »
The Christian publishing scene is vibrant, diverse, and big — there are a lot of publishers out there, all with their own niches, and it can be hard to figure out who does what. So if you're looking for a who's-who guide to Christian publishers, you've come to the right place! We’ve hand-picked a group ... read more »
Freytag’s pyramid is a term that any writer obsessed with story structure will inevitably encounter. Conjuring up notions of dark, ancient tombs, this intimidating-sounding theory is actually very easy to understand. The pyramid, also known as ‘Freytag’s triangle’ or ‘five act structure’, is a straightforward way of organizing narrative. Read on to discover the five ... read more »
“When you leave a beautiful place, you carry it with you wherever you go,” lifestyle author Alexandra Stoddard once wrote. She was referring to real-life places, but the same is true of fictional ones — the setting of a story can be just as affecting and memorable as a place you’ve actually visited. But how ... read more »
We all had our favorite children’s book illustrators growing up. From Quentin Blake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fame to Julia Donaldson of The Gruffalo, the best illustrators not only helped us visualize stories, but also made us fall in love with the sheer possibility of imagination. If you’re writing a children’s book, you, ... read more »
We proudly circulate our newsletter to over 500,000 authors each week. Subscribe today today for writing, publishing and marketings tips.
