Writing tips

Elise Valmorbida, author of The Happy Writing Book: Discover the Positive Power of Creative Writing, reports on how her 20-plus years as practitioner and teacher have given her a firm belief that creative writing can deepen your appreciation of life, and empower you as an agent of positive change

The first time I considered the relationship between fiction and research was during a writing workshop-my first-while I watched the professor eviscerate some poor kid's story about World War II. And yeah, the story was bad. I remember the protagonist being told to "take cover" and then performing several combat rolls to do so.  Read more

What's plot? Discover the definition of plot, different types of plots, the various elements of a great plot including Vonnegut's story shapes!

How to write dialogue is one of the first things a budding storyteller can master with just a bit of practice and effort. That's not to say that writing dialogue is easy- it's not. But, once you realize the purpose of dialogue in a story and hone in on all those pesky formatting rules, it can become intuitive.  Read more

Writing about the people you are closest to can be one of the most rewarding experiences a writer can have-but also the scariest. This is a big topic, so I will cover it in two parts. First: what to put on the page. And second: how to deal with your subjects' reactions to what you write about them.