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Writing Forward | Weekly Digest Excerpts: Top Secret Fiction Writing Prompts “Ssh, don’t tell anyone. Put it in the vault!” Most of us have had those very words whispered into our ears. In fact, most of us have probably whispered those words into someone else’s ear. They say everyone has a secret. I don’t know if that’s true, but I do know that secrets sure pique...Read More The post Top Secret Fiction Writing Prompts first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » Recent Articles: From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: What’s Your Superpower? 20 Fun and Inspiring Character Writing Ideas How to Publish Your Poetry Homophones: Affect vs. Effect Journal Ideas for Daily Writing and Creativity Share Tweet Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing 101 Creative Writing Exercises Sign up to receive free books on the craft of writing in exchange for an honest review. Learn More Copyright © 2021 Writing Forward, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Writing Forward 911 Lakeville St. #123 Petaluma, CA 94952 Writing Forward | Weekly Digest Excerpts: From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: What’s Your Superpower? Today, I’d like to share a fun exercise from my book 101 Creative Writing Exercises (aff link), which is packed with writing exercises that encourage you to explore different forms and genres while you discover useful writing techniques. You’ll find plenty of inspiration throughout the book with ideas for projects you can eventually publish. Today’s exercise...Read More The post From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: What’s Your Superpower? first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » 20 Fun and Inspiring Character Writing Ideas Creating a realistic character is one of the most difficult challenges in writing a piece of fiction. We’ve all read stories in which the characters were dull or hollow; they come across like clones of the same characters we’ve met in dozens of stories before. Readers want characters who are as unique and complex as...Read More The post 20 Fun and Inspiring Character Writing Ideas first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » Recent Articles: How to Publish Your Poetry Homophones: Affect vs. Effect Journal Ideas for Daily Writing and Creativity How to Make Grammar Part of Your Daily Life Writing Tips For Staying on Your Game Share Tweet Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing 101 Creative Writing Exercises Sign up to receive free books on the craft of writing in exchange for an honest review. Learn More Copyright © 2021 Writing Forward, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Writing Forward 911 Lakeville St. #123 Petaluma, CA 94952 Writing Forward | Weekly Digest Excerpts: How to Publish Your Poetry I don’t know about you, but I wrote poems for years before it ever occurred to me that I might want to publish them. My poetry wasn’t written for an audience or publication. It was personal self-expression. I often used poetry to explore ideas and experiment with language. It seems that this is not uncommon....Read More The post How to Publish Your Poetry first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » Homophones: Affect vs. Effect Homophones can be confusing. Luckily, there’s an easy way to remember affect vs. effect. I see it all the time: affect and effect mixed up as if they were completely interchangeable. But they’re not. These two homophones may sound exactly alike, but they don’t even belong to the same parts of speech! If you’ve ever...Read More The post Homophones: Affect vs. Effect first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » Recent Articles: Journal Ideas for Daily Writing and Creativity How to Make Grammar Part of Your Daily Life Writing Tips For Staying on Your Game The Writer’s Journey: A Must-Read for Storytellers Creative Writing Prompts Inspired by Technology Share Tweet Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing 101 Creative Writing Exercises Sign up to receive free books on the craft of writing in exchange for an honest review. Learn More Copyright © 2021 Writing Forward, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website. Our mailing address is: Writing Forward 911 Lakeville St. #123 Petaluma, CA 94952 Writing Forward | Weekly Digest Excerpts: Journal Ideas for Daily Writing and Creativity Every expert in the world thinks you should keep a journal. Physical trainers suggest keeping an exercise journal, and nutritionists recommend keeping track of your meals. Oprah insists on a gratitude journal, and business consultants promote journaling one’s career. How much journal writing can one person do? Journals are, first and foremost, the forté of...Read More The post Journal Ideas for Daily Writing and Creativity first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » How to Make Grammar Part of Your Daily Life I recently started relearning how to play the guitar after a rather long hiatus. It’s not like I ever learned how to play it properly in the first place — so I’m still a beginner. And at times, I find it frustrating. I just want to pick the thing up and rip out a song,...Read More The post How to Make Grammar Part of Your Daily Life first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » Recent Articles: Writing Tips For Staying on Your Game The Writer’s Journey: A Must-Read for Storytellers Creative Writing Prompts Inspired by Technology From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Couplets and Quatrains Storytelling: The Elements of Plot Share Tweet Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing 101 Creative Writing Exercises Sign up to receive free books on the craft of writing in exchange for an honest review. Learn More Copyright © 2021 Writing Forward, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Writing Forward 911 Lakeville St. #123 Petaluma, CA 94952 Writing Forward | Weekly Digest Excerpts: Writing Tips For Staying on Your Game Believe it or not, there are a few writing tips that we writers can steal from athletes, strategies that show us how to stay in shape and on top of our game. Athletes work hard even when they’re off the field. They spend hours practicing with their teams. They run miles around the track when...Read More The post Writing Tips For Staying on Your Game first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » The Writer’s Journey: A Must-Read for Storytellers This post contains affiliate links that earn commissions. If you read only one book on storytelling, make it The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler. Over the years, I’ve read a lot of books on writing fiction. Many have been helpful, but some have left me feeling disappointed, especially those that promise their methods will result...Read More The post The Writer’s Journey: A Must-Read for Storytellers first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » Recent Articles: Creative Writing Prompts Inspired by Technology From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Couplets and Quatrains Storytelling: The Elements of Plot Reading, Writing, and Reviewing Good Poems How to Transform Words Into Writing Inspiration Share Tweet Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing 101 Creative Writing Exercises Sign up to receive free books on the craft of writing in exchange for an honest review. Learn More Copyright © 2021 Writing Forward, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Writing Forward 911 Lakeville St. #123 Petaluma, CA 94952 Writing Forward | Weekly Digest Excerpts: Creative Writing Prompts Inspired by Technology All of today’s prompts come from my book 1200 Creative Writing Prompts. Enjoy! Technology has become so ingrained in modern, civilized culture that sometimes we don’t even notice it. When was the last time you marveled at a train, a toaster, or a television? Most of us aren’t even fazed by the marvel of mobile...Read More The post Creative Writing Prompts Inspired by Technology first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Couplets and Quatrains Today’s writing exercise comes from 101 Creative Writing Exercises, which takes writers on an adventure through different forms and genres while offering tools, techniques, and inspiration for writing. Each chapter focuses on a different form or writing concept: freewriting, journaling, memoirs, fiction, storytelling, form poetry, free verse, characters, dialogue, creativity, and article and blog writing are...Read More The post From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Couplets and Quatrains first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » Recent Articles: Storytelling: The Elements of Plot Reading, Writing, and Reviewing Good Poems How to Transform Words Into Writing Inspiration What Are Beta Readers, and Should You Use Them? Tips for Crafting Language Share Tweet Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing 101 Creative Writing Exercises Sign up to receive free books on the craft of writing in exchange for an honest review. Learn More Copyright © 2021 Writing Forward, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Writing Forward 911 Lakeville St. #123 Petaluma, CA 94952 Writing Forward | Weekly Digest Excerpts: Storytelling: The Elements of Plot Good storytelling includes many elements that a writer must consider. Plot and character are foremost among these elements, and for literary writers, language is high on the list as well. Some writers start with nothing more than a few key characters and let the plot develop by exploring those characters’ actions. Others practice careful and...Read More The post Storytelling: The Elements of Plot first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » Reading, Writing, and Reviewing Good Poems I’ve always loved writing poetry. It’s a highly artistic and expressive form of writing. Poems can be intellectual, emotional, or abstract. Poetry can feel like a snapshot of a moment in time, or it can feel like a riveting three-hour film. Every poem offers a unique perspective and experience. I believe that all poetry is...Read More The post Reading, Writing, and Reviewing Good Poems first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » Recent Articles: How to Transform Words Into Writing Inspiration What Are Beta Readers, and Should You Use Them? Tips for Crafting Language Writing Resources: A Poetry Handbook From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Rock and Rhyme (Poetry) Share Tweet Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing 101 Creative Writing Exercises Sign up to receive free books on the craft of writing in exchange for an honest review. Learn More Copyright © 2021 Writing Forward, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Writing Forward 911 Lakeville St. #123 Petaluma, CA 94952 Writing Forward | Weekly Digest Excerpts: How to Transform Words Into Writing Inspiration I recently flipped through my copy of Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge’s Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words (aff link), and after just a couple of chapters, my imagination was on fire. I’m always looking for new ways to inspire writing ideas, and lately I’ve been thinking that we should talk more about a writer’s most basic...Read More The post How to Transform Words Into Writing Inspiration first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » What Are Beta Readers, and Should You Use Them? By the time you’ve finished your manuscript and are ready to show it to agents and editors — or self-publish and put it in front of readers — you have almost certainly lost the ability to view your own work with a critical eye. While there are some tactics you can use to self-edit, you...Read More The post What Are Beta Readers, and Should You Use Them? first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » Recent Articles: Tips for Crafting Language Writing Resources: A Poetry Handbook From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Rock and Rhyme (Poetry) Fiction Writing Exercise: What If? How to Break Through a Fiction Writing Block Share Tweet Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing 101 Creative Writing Exercises Sign up to receive free books on the craft of writing in exchange for an honest review. Learn More Copyright © 2021 Writing Forward, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Writing Forward 911 Lakeville St. #123 Petaluma, CA 94952 Writing Forward | Weekly Digest Excerpts: Tips for Crafting Language Have you ever stopped to think about how many different types of writers there are? Novelists, biographers, bloggers, copywriters, poets, screenwriters, and playwrights — just to name a few. Within each type of writing we can find areas of specialization. Some biographers write about celebrities; others focus on politicians. Copywriters can specialize in ad copy...Read More The post Tips for Crafting Language first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » Writing Resources: A Poetry Handbook This post contains affiliate links that earn commissions from qualifying purchases. Poetry is the music of language, the fine art of the written word. It demands a broad vocabulary and creative thinking. It promotes rhythm and meter, and it invites imagery. Poetry engages the imagination, stimulates the intellect, and touches the heart. Reading and writing poetry...Read More The post Writing Resources: A Poetry Handbook first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » Recent Articles: From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Rock and Rhyme (Poetry) Fiction Writing Exercise: What If? How to Break Through a Fiction Writing Block What is Free-Verse Poetry? Ten Grammar Rules Every Writer Should Know Share Tweet Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing 101 Creative Writing Exercises Sign up to receive free books on the craft of writing in exchange for an honest review. Learn More Copyright © 2021 Writing Forward, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Writing Forward 911 Lakeville St. #123 Petaluma, CA 94952 Writing Forward | Weekly Digest You're receiving this email because you signed up at Writing Forward's website. Please take a moment to whitelist melissa@writingforward.com so you don’t miss any emails. Click here for whitelisting instructions. Excerpts: From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Rock and Rhyme (Poetry) Today’s post features an exercise from my book, 101 Creative Writing Exercises (aff link), which is filled with exercises for various forms of writing, including fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. It will inspire you while imparting useful writing techniques that are fun and practical. This exercise comes from “Chapter 8: Free Verse.” The creative writing exercises in this...Read More The post From 101 Creative Writing Exercises: Rock and Rhyme (Poetry) first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » Fiction Writing Exercise: What If? This storytelling exercise comes from my book Story Drills: Fiction Writing Exercises, which takes you through the basics of storytelling by covering a wide range of concepts and storytelling techniques. This fiction exercise is called “What If?” What If? “What if?” is a useful prompt at any stage in story development. We can use this question as...Read More The post Fiction Writing Exercise: What If? first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » Recent Articles: How to Break Through a Fiction Writing Block What is Free-Verse Poetry? Ten Grammar Rules Every Writer Should Know How to Harvest a Dream Journal for Writing Inspiration 21 Do-It-Yourself Editing Tips Share Tweet Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing 101 Creative Writing Exercises Sign up to receive free books on the craft of writing in exchange for an honest review. Learn More Copyright © 2021 Writing Forward, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Writing Forward 911 Lakeville St. #123 Petaluma, CA 94952 Writing Forward | Weekly Digest Excerpts: How to Break Through a Fiction Writing Block It happens to all writers. You’re cruising through a story, and all of a sudden you hit a wall. Your characters freeze up, your plot stops cold, and you’re stuck with nowhere to go. You’ve hit a fiction writing roadblock. All of your ideas have evaporated and you sit there staring at your screen with...Read More The post How to Break Through a Fiction Writing Block first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » What is Free-Verse Poetry? Most of my favorite poems are written in free verse, which means they do not fall under the constraints of form poetry. Not that I have anything against form poetry — it’s a lovely tradition, and I like reading and writing it — but not as much as I enjoy reading and writing free-verse poetry....Read More The post What is Free-Verse Poetry? first appeared on Writing Forward. Read on » Recent Articles: Ten Grammar Rules Every Writer Should Know How to Harvest a Dream Journal for Writing Inspiration 21 Do-It-Yourself Editing Tips Writing Tips: Kill Your Darlings A Must-Read for Storytellers: Save the Cat Share Tweet Ready, Set, Write: A Guide to Creative Writing 101 Creative Writing Exercises Sign up to receive free books on the craft of writing in exchange for an honest review. Learn More Copyright © 2021 Writing Forward, All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: Writing Forward 911 Lakeville St. #123 Petaluma, CA 94952