QuickTips Index

Why I Stole It
This month's creative writing prompt focuses on character development, and specifically on creating active characters. Use it to get to know an existing character, or to invent an entirely new one.

Writing Group Structure
After finding fellow writers for your group, the next step, of course, is to decide on a time and a meeting place.

Writing Groups
Writing groups help writers produce work, revise their writing, and maintain motivation, but how do you find the right people? A number of writers share what worked for them.

First Line Story Starters
Often all you need is the first line to fill a page. These story starters, meant as opening phrases, were offered by readers as their favorite story starters.

One-Syllable Words: A Writing Exercise
A creative writing teacher named Daisee sent in this writing exercise, which she learned from one of her students.

Story Starter: One Good Line
This story starter submitted by creative writing teacher Daisee is composed of only one line, but it's chock-full of potential.

Specificity and Description
"Vagueness is often our first impulse when we're getting things down," writes Chris Lombardi, but it's specificity that gives our descriptions power. Learn how to be more specific with an example from The Shipping News.

Turn Clichés into Brilliant Description
In your first draft, use as many clichés as you need to, just get the story down. In your revision, however, treat every single cliché as an opportunity for brilliance. Ask yourself how you can describe this in an entirely new way.

Asking Questions to Improve Descriptions
To access the sensory details that will make your descriptions effective, ask yourself questions. The more naive the better. See how with this example.

Improve Your Descriptions Through Observation
Writing vivid descriptions takes practice; even professional writers have to work at it. Learning to observe the world is the first step.

Targeted Description
In fiction, description should not only paint a scene for the reader, but also contribute to the plot and reveal something about character. Study these examples to learn how.

Writing Dialogue in Action Scenes
As with all of your fiction, dialogue is helpful for breaking up action scenes. But dialogue in action scenes isn't necessarily like that in the rest of your fiction. Find out why.

Action Writing Example
In action writing, the pacing of your writing is part of what conveys the action. What does this mean? Find out with this example.

Why Conflict Matters
Conflict is the basis of plot; without conflict there's no growth or change. In short, there's no story. What do you need to know about conflict as a writer?

Invisibility Story Starter
I found this story starter in Beth Baruch Joselow's book of writing prompts, Writing Without the Muse, but it just as easily could have come from Woody Allen's movie Alice. In it you're asked to imagine a scene you might observe only if you were invisible.

Metaphor Example from Raymond Chandler
For examples of metaphor in contemporary literature, it's hard to do better than Raymond Chandler, the hard-boiled detective novelist. Here we look at a metaphor example (or two) from The Long Goodbye.

Examples of Metaphor from Everyday Speech
We don't have to look very far to find examples of metaphor. From expressions like "raining cats and dogs" to "table leg" and "old flame," everyday speech is full of them. But why are the useful? And exactly how do they work? Discover the logic behind everyday metaphors.

All About Book Trailers
Videos aren't just for musicians anymore: writers have them, too. The technology doesn't have to be fancy if you have a good concept. In fact, simple is better if you're doing it yourself.

Description Writing Exercise
Having trouble with description? It's something most writers have to work at. This writing exercise gives you the opportunity to practice this aspect of craft.

Do-It-Yourself Book Tours
Your publisher may not have a budget for a book tour, but if you have a little money or good contacts, take the initiative and set up readings in a few cities. Here's how.

How to Get a Book Reviewed
Don't sit passively back, waiting on an overworked publicist to get those review copies out. There's no reason you can't contact reviewers, bloggers, and journal editors yourself. Here's how.

Storyteller Exercise
This imaginative exercise inspired by one in Julia Cameron's The Right to Write, encourages writers to listen for story ideas.

Tips on Writing Dialogue
Be aware of falling back on stereotypes, and use profanity and slang sparingly. All of these things risk distracting or alienating your reader.

Using Dialogue Tags Effectively
Veering too much from "he said/she said" only draws attention to the tags. Readers tend to read over these phrases, whereas obvious efforts to insert variety draw the reader out of the action.

Listening for Dialogue
For many writers, writing natural-sounding dialogue is one of the hardest parts. This little exercise helps you develop an ear for the way that people really talk.