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“It is advantageous to an author that his book should be attacked as well as praised. Fame is a shuttlecock. If it be struck at one end of the room, it will soon fall to the ground. To keep it up, it must be struck at both ends.” – Samuel Johnson “Pay no attention to what the…

Good stories center on the clashing of characters’ goals and motivations. Sometimes a character’s goals and motivations arise from overcoming one’s fears. Here are four writing prompts for stories that deal with the theme of fear. Man vs. natureOur main character is placed in an environment that he has a great fear of it. Perhaps it’s…

Sometimes an apostrophe can make all of the difference. So it is with these words. “Ma’am” is the correct spelling of the polite address of a woman, as in “Thank you for the change, ma’am.” “Mam” refers to a member of a Mayan people of southwestern Guatemala or to the language they speak. ______________ My name…

One area of character description that novice writers often overlook is physical gestures. That can be problematic. For example, many novice writers will tell a characters’ emotional state rather than show it. Describing a character’s physical gestures and body movements, however, allows the reader to infer that emotional state while adding a level of detail to…

With all of these different spellings of bull’s eye (or is it bullseye?), how do you when you’re on the mark with the right one? The good news is that no matter which one you use, you’ll score a direct hit. All are acceptable spellings. Check with your house or publisher’s style guide to determine which…

Suffering from writer’s block or need to add some spunk to your writing? The problem may be that you need to change up your routine. To that end, try this tip: Many writers use journaling to deal with trauma and emotional upheaval. One way to do that is to write about what you need to let go…

When creating your story’s setting or explaining what your characters are doing, you’ll need to use imagery. Imagery is necessary to move along the plot and to establish tone. When describing a landscape, character or action, you’ll need to appeal to one or more of the senses that people use to perceive the world. There are…

“A poet can survive everything but a misprint.” – Oscar Wilde “Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary.” – Khalil Gibran “Poetry is what gets lost in translation.” – Robert Frost “A poet gives life to his thoughts and feelings and with inspiration, breathes life into his work for it…