Happy
Scream
Guard
Evil
Whirlwind
Cactus
King
Chaos
Angry
Desert
Laugh
Heart
Give each participant a couple of pieces of paper at random. The first person says the first sentence of a story and they must use their first word as part of that sentence. The second person then continues the story and must include their word in it, and so on. Go round the group twice to complete the story.
You can also do this creative writing exercise with story dice, your own choice of words, or by asking participants to write random words down themselves, then shuffling all the cards together.
Every Christmas adults tell kids stories about Santa Claus. In this exercise you write a Christmas story from an alternative dimension.
What if every Christmas Santa didn't fly around the world delivering presents on his sleigh pulled by reindeer? What if gnomes or aliens delivered the presents? Or perhaps it was the gnomes who are trying to emulate the humans? Or some other Christmas tradition entirely that we humans have never heard of!
If you're working with a group, give everyone a couple of minutes to write two possible themes for the new Christmas story. Each theme should be 5 words or less.
Shuffle the paper and distribute them at random. If you're working online, everyone types the themes into the Zoom or group chat. Each writer then spends 10 minutes writing a short story for children based on one of the two themes, or their own theme if they really want to.
If working alone, choose your own theme and spend 15 minutes writing a short story on it. See if you can create the magic of Christmas from another world!
In a murder mystery story or courtroom drama, there's often conflicting information and lots of links between characters. A mind map is an ideal way to illustrate how everything ties together.
Split into groups of 3 or 4 people each and place a blank piece of A3 paper (double the size of A4) in the middle of each group. Discuss between you who the victim is and write their name in the middle of the piece of paper. Then brainstorm information about the murder, for example:
Feel free to expand out from any of these, e.g. to include more information on the different characters involved.
The idea is that everyone writes at the same time! Obviously, you can discuss ideas, but anyone can dive in and write their ideas on the mind map.
If you’re writing a piece of fiction, ask yourself how your protagonist would react to an everyday situation. This can help you to gain a deeper insight into who they are.
One way to do this is to imagine what their New Year’s resolutions would be.
If completing this exercise with a group, limit it to 3 to 5 resolutions per person. If some participants are historical fiction or non-fiction writers, they instead pick a celebrity and either write what their resolutions will be, or what their resolutions should be, their choice.
Stephen King said, "I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops."
He also said, "Take any noun, put it with any verb, and you have a sentence. It never fails. Rocks explode. Jane transmits. Mountains float. These are all perfect sentences. Many such thoughts make little rational sense, but even the stranger ones (Plums deify!) have a kind of poetic weight that’s nice."
In this fiction writing exercise, start by brainstorming (either individually or collectively) seven verbs on seven different pieces of paper. Put those aside for later. Now brainstorm seven nouns. Randomly match the nouns and verbs so you have seven pairs. Choose a pair and write a piece of fiction for ten minutes. Avoid using any adverbs.
It’s the end of the world! For 5 minutes either:
If working as a team, then after the 5 minutes is up each writer reads their description out to the other participants.
For use after your first draft
I’ve listened to a lot of masterclasses on writing by successful authors and they all say variants of your first draft won’t be good and that’s fine. Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman summarise it the best:
“The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.”
Terry Pratchett
“For me, it’s always been a process of trying to convince myself that what I’m doing in a first draft isn’t important. One way you get through the wall is by convincing yourself that it doesn’t matter. No one is ever going to see your first draft. Nobody cares about your first draft. And that’s the thing that you may be agonising over, but honestly, whatever you’re doing can be fixed… For now, just get the words out. Get the story down however you can get it down, then fix it.”
Neil Gaiman
Once you’ve written your first draft, it will need editing to develop the plot, enhance the characters, and improve each scene in a myriad of ways – small and large. These seven creative editing exercises are designed to help with this stage of the process.
Read the first paragraph of the novel, in particular the first sentence. Does it launch the reader straight into the action? According to On Writing and Worldbuilding by Timothy Hickson, “The most persuasive opening lines are succinct, and not superfluous. To do this, it is often effective to limit it to a single central idea… This does not need to be the most important element, but it should be a central element that is interesting.” Ask yourself what element your opening sentence encapsulates and whether it’s the best one to capture your readers’ attention.
Consistency is crucial in creative writing, whether it’s in relation to location, objects, or people.
It’s also crucial for personality, emotions and motivation.
Look at scenes where your protagonist makes an important decision. Are their motivations clear? Do any scenes force them to choose between two conflicting morals? If so, do you explore this? Do their emotions fit with what’s happened in previous scenes?
As you edit your manuscript, keep the characters’ personality, emotions and motivation in mind. If their behaviour is inconsistent, either edit it for consistency, or have someone comment on their strange behaviour or be surprised by it. Inconsistent behaviour can reveal that a character is keeping a secret, or is under stress, so characters don’t always need to be consistent. But when they’re not, there has to be a reason.
This exercise is the first in The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass. It’s a writing guide with a plethora of editing exercises designed to help you reenergize your writing by thinking of what your character is feeling, and giving you the tools to make your reader feel something.
Search for the following words in your book:
Whenever these words occur, ask yourself if you can demonstrate how your characters feel, rather than simply stating it. For each occasion, can you use physiological descriptors (a racing heart), actions (taking a step backwards) or dialogue to express what’s just happened instead? Will this enhance the scene and engage the reader more?
Find a scene where your characters disagree – in particular a scene where your protagonist argues with friends or allies. What happens next?
It can be tempting to wrap up the action with a quick resolution. But what if a resentment lingers and mistrust builds? This creates a more interesting story arc and means a resolution can occur later, giving the character development a real dynamic.
Review how you resolve the action and see if you can stretch out the emotions for a more satisfying read.
Ensure that the words used don’t detract from the enormity of the events your character is going through. Can you delete words like, “Quite”, “Little”, or “Rather”?
Of “Very” Florence King once wrote: “ 'Very' is the most useless word in the English language and can always come out. More than useless, it is treacherous because it invariably weakens what it is intended to strengthen .” Delete it, or replace the word after it with a stronger word, which makes “Very” redundant.
“That,” is another common word used in creative writing which can often be deleted. Read a sentence as is, then reread it as if you deleted, “That”. If the meaning is the same, delete it.
When talking about chapter endings, James Patterson said, “At the end, something has to propel you into the next chapter.”
Read how each of your chapters finish and ask yourself does it either:
Review how you wrap up each of your chapters. Do you end at the best point in your story? Can you add anticipation to cliff hangers? Will you leave your readers wanting more?
The editing exercises are designed to be completed individually.
With the others, I've always run them as part of a creative writing group, where there's no teacher and we're all equal participants, therefore I keep any 'teaching' aspect to a minimum, preferring them to be prompts to generate ideas before everyone settles down to do the silent writing. We've recently gone online and if you run a group yourself, whether online or in person, you're welcome to use these exercises for free!
The times given are suggestions only and I normally get a feel for how everyone's doing when time's up and if it's obvious that everyone's still in the middle of a discussion, then I give them longer. Where one group's in the middle of a discussion, but everyone else has finished, I sometimes have a 'soft start' to the silent writing, and say, "We're about to start the hour and a half of silent writing now, but if you're in the middle of a discussion, feel free to finish it first".
This way everyone gets to complete the discussion, but no-one's waiting for ages. It's also important to emphasise that there's no wrong answers when being creative.
Still looking for more? Check out these creative writing prompts or our dedicated Sci-Fi and Fantasy creative writing prompts
If you've enjoyed these creative writing exercises, please share them on social media, or link to them from your blog.
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Welcome to practical creative writing for beginners.
If you want to write and just don’t know where to start this is the place for you.
I know from experience it can be hard to begin if you start with a blank page.
That’s why I recommend that beginners start by trying some writing exercises .
The reason I always recommend starting with exercises is that the key to improving your writing is practice.
There are plenty of exercises for you to try on this site and my advice is to experiment and just try them – until you find one that you can lose yourself in.
Losing yourself in writing is a wonderful thing. It means you are focused and locked into your imagination.
This creative force is very powerful and if you write regularly you will achieve this very enjoyable state.
Remember that very few people sit down and produce a great piece of writing straight away.
It takes time but the more you write, the easier it will be and if you are enjoying your writing it won’t take long to improve.
It is really important that you are careful about choosing your projects, especially if you are planning a full-length novel or screenplay.
Don’t try to write ‘great literature’ if, in reality, you may be better at writing thrillers, or comedy.
Think about what you enjoy reading. This will have influenced you more than you realize.
In the beginning, you should allow yourself the freedom to experiment with different story types and genre.
This is part of the process of discovering who you are as a writer.
So to start, your only aim should be to write regularly and establish good writing habits. If you allow yourself this ‘practice’ time you will soon learn which stories and styles suit you.
But first, make sure your time won’t be disturbed. Let those around you know you need some time alone.
Don’t be afraid to claim some writing time.
If your family are likely to intrude, make sure to tell them you won’t be available for an hour or two – we’re all entitled to a little space and it is up to you to stake your claim.
By experimenting with the creative writing exercises here you will clear your mind and be able to focus on your writing.
After a while, you will learn that doing creative exercises regularly stimulates your imagination and you will begin to have more ideas.
Remember, that these exercises are just where you start. They are not necessarily where you finish. That is up to you.
You can change and adapt whatever you like.
Go where your writing takes you and always enjoy what you are doing.
After a while, you will lose your sense of time and will experience the joy of ‘flow.’
If you start doing one particular exercise and find yourself not really enjoying it then stop and pick another one.
There are no rules to break, so look at these exercises as experiments that will help you to write your way to the story you really want to write.
Be kind to yourself as you learn your craft.
When you have some experience you will probably seek to broaden your knowledge of the craft and business of writing. You will find lots of useful tips and information here.
Many of us writers can find ourselves stuck for words from time to time.
In its milder form writer’s block can manifest itself as procrastination.
For some unfortunate writers, this problem can extend over long periods of time until they become blocked.
Writer’s block can be demoralizing, but there are solutions.
It often helps to try working on a different project for a while so I suggest you try some of my writing exercises.
If you are feeling really blocked, don’t worry, you will find lots of practical ways to deal with the problem of writer’s block here.
I hope you have found my writing for beginners page helpful.
If you have any problems and can’t find the answer here, just contact me and I will be happy to try to help.
get writing now.
Best of luck with your writing.
P.S. All the information and exercises on the site are free to you. All I ask is that you please like, plus, or share.
If have any questions or comments, just write in the comments box below. I love hearing from other writers and I do my best to answer everyone.
Practical creative writing exercises, you won’t be able to stop writing because these beautiful and inspiring exercises will banish your writing block right now., never be stuck again, get ebook from amazon.com , get ebook from amazon.co.uk, get paperback from amazon.com, get paperback from amazon.co.uk, get from smashwords, share this:, 19 responses to writing for beginners.
Hi Grace, I am a teacher for Creative writing in English and plan to use your tips in class. thanks, Soni
Hi Soni, nice to hear from you. Don’t forget to let me know how you get on. Good luck and best wishes Grace
i am so distraught. I am 51 yrs old, and in my youth, when I attended college, the papers i wrote were returned with great grades and comments that asked when i was going to write or suggesting that i should…or that i have alot to say and should think about writing. well, that was many years ago, and i thought i would enjoy writing like i do blogs and sending emails, texts and correspondence at work. What i have found in this current writing class I am taking at Rowan University is that I do not have command of the English language, nor a great understanding of poetic and writing terminology. In addition, being in an evening class with such young inspired minds, has me second guessing whether i am cut out for this or have anything of importance to say because i feel ill equipped when its time to choose a prompt the professor provides for us to begin writing about; or when he times us with the challenge to come up with a story line for a fiction non fiction or writing piece. I guess with many of the other students being journalism majors and/or having been introduced to writing in the high school classes, there’s less prep necessary in urging them to complete said assignments, the comments he usually makes with them are directed at the few who may not spell a word correctly…but not for their writing ability feel embarrassed or as if my pieces are not good enough to read I also struggle with getting my thoughts in order so that the piece is not all over the place. My other recent issue I discovered was the fact that i am not sure how to add the meat to the work and in other instances show but don’t tell. I am trying to learn about all the parts of writing which are all new to me, overwhelming and have me second guessing if i am producing anything worth sharing/saying. I would not be surprised if my age is contributing to this rut i am in at this time, as well. i have looked up Ruth Stone poetry, read items from the creative writing text book and online items but don’t feel any aha moments nor as if i am better equipped for the tasks at hand and I have a midterm tomorrow (Monday). I had no idea writing would give me so much anxiety since i have to produce a timed fiction writing sample and provide definitions for and examples of the words / terminology for writing and poetry. I have no idea where to search for help or if I am wise to try reaching out to you and googling. Any advisement you can provide is appreciated. I am not a quitter, but really unsure about whether this was the class for me to hone in on writing skills…or if it is something else (like the committee in my mind who all seem to be vying for their ideas to hit the paper but I stopping progress…. I appreciate your reading this and your site as the advisement was very interesting and I will definitely take heed to. (sure wish i found your site months ago when classes first began. My best, Mary a senior student of uncertainty.
HI Mary, I am so glad you wrote to me because I too have been in that position. I think the main problem is you are over-thinking. It takes a bit of practice to get back on the writing bike and my suggestion is that you set yourself some homework. Spend half an hour every night, or morning writing – use one of your class prompts or one of the exercises you find here. Just go freestyle and don’t think about the outcome – this is just practice and will get you back in the habit of writing. It can be intimidating being in a class full of younger people, I know that but remember that many of them are as intimidated as you are. I guess you are doing your best to appear calm and unafraid in the face of these difficulties but I bet the other student are too. Remember you have loads of life experience that they don’t and that is an advantage – so be patient and do the best you can and your ideas will soon arrive. The early days of a course can be difficult but you can do it – you had the courage to join in the first place and you are good at reaching out and getting help for yourself as is proved by this post. Whenever you feel unnerved or anxious take some deep breaths to settle yourself – this will return your mind to focus. Please stop worrying so much – you need to allow yourself time to settle in to the course. Maybe you could try some meditation practice. I find this very useful for relaxing my mind and I am sure it helps with my writing. Please keep in touch and let me know how you are getting on. Take care and best wishes Grace
Blank page is my nightmare! Metaphors have encroached my subconsciousness. Actually, metaphorical way of thinking is so specific, but it’s hardly to imagine my writing life without this stylistic device. I just wonder could I become a writer of one style? Creative writing is a celestial gift. But every writer needs to develop it. How not to lose it? My friend put me in fear that someone can stole all my metaphorical crazy ideas….How to protect myself? I was googling and found out that checking for plagiarism by this could help…but I’m not an expert. Writing is a part of me and I don’t want to lose my face. Oh, and thank you! The only thing I need now is a cup of hot chocolate and picturesque view in front of me…Thank you for the inspiration!
Me too – blank pages just cry out to be filled! I am glad you are inspired – and I’m sure a cup of hot chocolate can’t be too far away. Good luck and stay inspired. Grace
Hi Grace. I am a 14yr old student and I have never written a story In my life but I need to write short story for an entrance exam at my new school. Are there any tips you could give me to write this? I would appreciate any help. Thanks
Hi Noah, Good to hear from you. My best advice is to read and pick some exercises from this page: https://www.practicalcreativewriting.com/creative-writing-exercises/ Use the exercises as starting points. Decide which story you would like to keep going with and write that story. Best of luck Grace
Hi Grace, I am happy to have found your creative writing site. Today is the first day of my writing life. I have come out and finally am taking this fun journey and putting words, thoughts, memories on paper. I have many journals that I have filled with thoughts but today I am forging ahead through the ceiling that I have stifled myself under and blowing the roof off and write. I have a coach that I am working with to keep a date with myself to cultivate the creative side of me. Happy New Year 2016 I am taking the actions to be the writing I put on hold the past 67 years.
HI Nancy I am sorry I took so long to reply to your comment – I was away for a little while. I am so glad to hear that you are making a start on your creative journey. I am sure that the fact that you have been on hold for so long will mean that your creativity will be unleashed in all its glory. Best of luck to you and do keep in touch.
Thanks. I appreciate you getting back to me. Best Regards Nancy
I’ve been having this nag to write a story about my life,and I don’t have a clue on how or where to start. I’m all new to this and I don’t want to be on my deathbed and beat myself up for not writing that story that I’ve spent months said that I should.” I’m wondering if I should and if I’m capable of be a great writer someday?” Every morning I wake up I have this urge to sit at the table and write a story about myself. Where and how do I start?
. please get back to me..
Hi Tony, Sorry for being so late coming back to you. I have been recuperating from surgery and am currently laid up with my leg in plaster. So… I am glad to hear you are itching to start writing. I suggest you start by planning some time to keep for your writing. Make appointments with yourself and keep them. Then try beginning with one of these exercises – write whatever you want and don’t worry about how good it is. In the early stages the best thing you can do is establish a writing routine and write regularly. Regard this time as your process of discovery – you are writing to cultivate your love of writing and to find out what type of writing you really want to do. There are loads of exercises on the site but I suggest you start with these: https://www.practicalcreativewriting.com/creative-writing-exercises/ten-minute-writing-exercise
Please come back to me if you have any questions and give me a little time to reply as I recover. Best of luck with your writing. Grace
i Have trouble almost all the time. I go and sit down and nothing comes… its when this happens I call myself stupid,dumb,retarded. I have Learning disabilities and ADHD and I have been writing for a long time and nothing ever comes that I am happy with. Its like God is telling to quit forever.
Hi Anthony. Firstly – please don’t insult yourself or call yourself stupid – EVER! Many writers feel bad about their writing but the idea is to keep going.
Regard your work as practice. Musicians have to practice – right! And when they are learning they make lots of sour notes but they keep going and after time they improve.
Write regularly and don’t worry if you are happy or not with it. Regard it as practice, exercise – as with any skill it can take years.
Check out the website below – it is aimed at writers with learning disabilities. In the past I worked with students with various challenges including learning disability and they told me this helped them a lot. http://www.disabilitywrites.org.uk/
Best of luck to you Anthony – keep going & keep writing. Please remember to come back to me again and let me know how you are getting on – I would love to know.
Wow, your website is an awesome resource!! I’m not a beginning writer, but I am an amateur, in that I’ve only been published in school and even then, it’s been a long time since then. But with my 35th birthday this week, I’m even more determined to do what I’ve always wanted to do… write a novel that more than one person wants to read and get it published. Going back to my roots and reworking beginning writing values has already helped, not just with the imagination and writing, but it’s helping my anxiety and depression as well. I wanted to add a quick thank you for the post about coming out about depression… it’s totally true that you always end up feeling like the ‘fun sucker’ and frequently I find myself pulling away from people before they can pull away from me… if I’m sequestering myself away, I can convince myself it hurts less when people don’t want to deal with my issues. Writing like this, giving myself pep talks and reading that other people are going through the same things and surviving. It gives me hope, and the drive to keep trying, so thank you so much for everything on this site!!
Hi Fran So great to hear from you. I am glad you are making decisions about writing your novel and I urge you to keep going and write regularly. Thanks for your comments about depression and my post – I was unsure about publishing it but if it helps one person then it’s worth it. Anyway depression is an illness like any other we need all the support we can get. Sometimes the only people who can really understand depression are those who have had it. I wish you all the very best and don’t forget to come back and tell me how you are getting on. Take care Grace
Hi Grace, thanks for this tips. I’ll love to write but really don’t know good vocabularies to use on my writing, really need your help.
Hi Jane, Glad to have helped. My best advice to you is to read and write as much as you can. Your vocabulary will improve gradually – keep going. Best wishes Grace
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Good question.
Creative writing exercises are designed to teach a technique. They are highly specific, more specific than creative writing prompts, and much more specific than story generators.
Creative writing exercises for adults are not designed to lead the writer into crafting a full story, but are only designed to help them improve as a writer in a narrow, specific category of writing skills.
I’ve broken the exercises below into categories so you can choose what category of skill you’d like to practice. Can you guess which category in this list has the most prompts?
If you guessed characters, then you’re right. I think characters are the heart blood of every story, and that a majority of any writing prompts or writing exercises should focus on them.
But I also think any of these will help you create a narrative, and a plot, and help you generate all kinds of dialogue, whether for short stories or for novels. These writing exercises are pretty much guaranteed to improve your writing and eliminate writer’s block.
Also, if you’re a fledgling writer who needs help writing their novel, check out my comprehensive guide to novel writing.
Enjoy the five categories of writing exercises below, and happy writing!
1. Think of the most deafening sound you can imagine. Describe it in great detail, and have your character hear it for the first time at the start of a story.
2. Have a man cooking for a woman on a third date, and have her describe the aromas in such loving and extended detail that she realizes that she’s in love with him.
3. Pick a line from one of your favorite songs, and identify the main emotion. Now write a character who is feeling that emotion and hears the song. Try to describe the type of music in such a beautiful way that you will make the reader yearn to hear the song as well.
4. Have a character dine at a blind restaurant, a restaurant in pitch blackness where all the servers are blind, and describe for a full paragraph how the tablecloth, their clothing, and the hand of their dining partner feels different in the darkness.
5. Select a dish representative of a national cuisine, and have a character describe it in such detail that the reader salivates and the personality of the character is revealed.
7. Describe two characters having a wordless conversation, communicating only through gestures. Try to see how long you can keep the conversation going without any words spoken, but end it with one of them saying a single word, and the other one repeating the same word.
8. In a public place from the last vacation you took, have two characters arguing, but make it clear by the end of the argument that they’re not arguing about what they’re really upset about.
9. Write a scene composed mostly of dialogue with a child talking to a stranger. Your mission is to show the child as heartbreakingly cute. At the same time, avoid sentimentality.
10. Have two character have a conversation with only a single word, creating emphasis and context so that the word communicates different things each time it is spoken. The prime example of this is in the television show “The Wire,” where Jimmy and Bunk investigate a crime scene repeating only a single expletive.
11. Pick an object that is ugly, and create a character who finds it very beautiful. Have the character describe the object in a way that convinces the reader of its beauty. Now write a second version where you convince the reader (through describing the object alone) that the character is mentally unstable.
12. Write down five emotions on slips of paper and slip them into a hat. Now go outside and find a tree. Draw one emotion from the hat, and try to describe that tree from the perspective of a character feeling that emotion. (Don’t mention the emotion in your writing — try to describe the tree so the reader could guess the emotion).
13. Describe a character’s bedroom in such a way that it tells us about a person’s greatest fears and hopes.
14. Root through your desk drawer until you find a strange object, an object that would probably not be in other people’s drawers. Have a character who is devastated to find this object, and tell the story of why this object devastates them.
15. Go to an art-based Pinterest page and find your favorite piece of art. Now imagine a living room inspired by that flavor of artwork, and show the room after a husband and wife have had the worst fight of their marriage.
16. Pick a simple object like a vase, a broom, or a light bulb, and write a scene that makes the reader cry when they see the object.
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17. Make a list of the top five fears in your life. Write a character who is forced to confront one of those fears.
18. Write an entire page describing the exact emotions when you learned of a happy or calamitous event in your life. Now try to condense that page into a single searing sentence.
19. Think about a time in your life when you felt shame. Now write a character in a similar situation, trying to make it even more shameful.
20. Write a paragraph with a character struggle with two conflicting emotions simultaneously. For example, a character who learns of his father’s death and feels both satisfaction and pain.
21. Write a paragraph where a character starts in one emotional register, and through a process of thought, completely evolves into a different emotion.
22. Create a minor character based upon someone you dislike. Now have your main character encounter them and feel sympathy and empathy for them despite their faults.
23. Have a kooky character tell a story inside a pre-established form: an instruction manual, traffic update, email exchange, weather report, text message.
24. Write about a character who does something they swore they would never do.
25. Have a character who has memorized something (the names of positions in the Kama Sutra, the entire book of Revelations) recite it while doing something completely at odds with what they’re reciting. For instance, bench pressing while reciting the emperors in a Chinese dynasty.
26. Write a paragraph where a character does a simple action, like turning on a light switch, and make the reader marvel at how strange and odd it truly is.
27. Have a couple fight while playing a board game. Have the fight be about something related to the board game: fighting about money, have them play monopoly. Fighting about politics, let them play chess.
28. Write about two characters angry at each other, but have both of them pretend the problems don’t exist. Instead, have them fight passive-aggressively, through small, snide comments.
29. Describe a character walking across an expanse field or lot and describe how he walks. The reader should perfectly understand his personality simply by the way you describe his walk.
30. Write a first-person POV of a character under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and try to make the prose as woozy and tipsy as the character.
31. Describe the first time that a character realizes he is not as smart as he thought.
32. Describe an hour in the life of a character who has recently lost their ability to do what they love most (a pianist who has severe arthritis; a runner who became a quadriplegic).
33. Write an argument where a husband or wife complains of a physical ailment, but their spouse refuses to believe it’s real.
34. Write a scene where a stranger stops your main character, saying that they know them, and insisting your main character is someone they are not. Describe exactly how this case of mistaken identity makes your character feel.
35. Describe a small personality trait about a person you love, and make the reader love them, too.
36. Write a personality-revealing scene with a character inside a public restroom. Do they press a thumb against the mirror to leave a subtle mark? Do they write a plea for help on the inside of the stall door? Do they brag about the size of what they’ve just dumped off?
37. Give your character an extremely unusual response to a national tragedy like a terrorist attack or natural disaster. Maybe have them be aware their response is unusual, and try to cloak it from others, or have them be completely unaware and display it without any self-consciousness.
38. Have one of your main characters come up with an idea for a comic book, and tell a close friend about the idea. What about this idea would surprise the friend, upsetting what he thought he knew about your main character? Also, what would the main character learn about himself from the comic book idea?
39. Think of an illness someone you love has suffered from. How does your character respond when someone close to them has this illness?
40. Have your main character invent an extremely offensive idea for a book, and show their personality faults through discussing it with others.
41. Have your character write down a list considering how to respond to their stalker.
42. Write a scene where a man hits on a woman, and although the woman acts repulsed and begs her friends to get him away from her, it becomes apparent that she likes the attention.
43. Write about a 20-something confronting his parents over their disapproval of his lifestyle.
44. Have your character write a funny to-do list about the steps to get a boyfriend or girlfriend.
45. Have a risk-adverse character stuck in a hostage situation with a risk-happy character.
46. For the next week, watch strangers carefully and take notes in your phone about any peculiar gestures or body language. Combine the three most interesting ones to describe a character as she goes grocery shopping.
47. Buy a package of the pills that expand into foam animals, and put a random one in a glass of warm water. Whatever it turns out to be, have that animal surprise your main character in a scene.
48. Have your character faced with a decision witness a rare, awe-inspiring event, and describe how it helps them make their decision.
49. Imagine if your character met for the first time his or her long-lost identical twin. What personality traits would they share and which ones would have changed because of their unique experiences?
50. If a character got burned by a hot pan, what type of strange reaction would they have that would reveal what they value most?
Once you’ve taken a stab at some of these exercises, I’d recommend you use them in your actual writing.
And for instruction on that, you need a guide to writing your novel .
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John Fox, you have some excellent resources, and I thank you. I read your comments, then scrolled down to glance at the list of 50 exercises. The FIRST one, “loud noise’ is already in my head. My Hero is going to be side swiped in my Cozy. I was side swiped on a state highway here in Virginia a couple of weeks ago and, although the damage was minor, the sound of that big SUV “glancing” off my little car was SCARY!!! I once heard a fast-moving car REAR-END is stand-still car; that sound was something I’ll never forget. So, your exercise is very timely. THANK YOU!!!
This is a great list! Thanks!
You know what would be motivating? If we could turn these in to someone and get like a grade lol
I can really see the benefit of doing these writing exercises. (Versus using prompts) The purpose is so much clearer. Some I can imagine my response fairly easily. (Though the task of not jumping on the obvious might make it harder than I imagine at this point) Some however I would struggle with ( number 42 for example), where I have zero sympathy for the main character’s plight. Hhhmmmm. But maybe they are the very ones I should be tackling – to see if I can develop them in a way that explains their behaviour and so creates sympathy. Thank you. Much food for thought.
I’ve been thinking a lot about “how to master writing,” and this is the first time that I found an article that makes it clear the difference between prompts and exercises. I fully agree with you. These are bound to make you a better writer if you focus on doing a variation of them daily.
An excellent list – thank you very much. I run a small writing group and we’ll be trying some.
Yes, thank you. I too run a small writing group and you got me out of a slump for tomorrow’s group!
yes,thank you . It’s good for improve your writing skills.
What a lovely list! I am working on the final draft of my very first novel, and am constantly working at improving the final product. Your exercises are just what I need to kickstart my writing day. Thank you so very much.
Thank you very much When I turned50 I received my diploma from Children’s Institute in West Redding Ct I got my inspiration from being near water however now that I am in Oregon I have had a writing block thanks to your list my creative juices are flowing
I suppose I better have good punctuation, seeing this is about Writing. Thank you for this great list. I am the Chair of our small Writing group in Otorohanga and we start again last week of Feb. I have sent out a homework email, to write a A4 page of something exciting that has happened over the holiday break and they must read it out to the group with passion and excitement in their voices. That will get them out of their comfort zone!
A formidable yet inspiring list. Thank you very much for this. This is really very helpful. I am from India, and very new to writing and have started my first project, which I want to make it into a Novel. This has been very helpful and is very challenging too. Prompts look sissy when compared to this, frankly speaking. Thank you very much again.
Where can I get the answers for these?
There aren’t “answers.” You create responses to these exercises.
Thank you so much for the detailed suggestions focusing on HOW to put the WHAT into practice; really helpful & inspiring.
Just started rough drafting a story I’ve always wanted to write. Do you have any advice for someone writing their first real story? I’m having trouble starting it; I just want it to be perfect.
I consider this very helpful. Just started my journey as a creative writer, and will be coming back to this page to aid my daily writing goal.
I have always loved writing exercises and these are perfect practice for my competition. I have tried lots of different things that other websites have told me to try, but this by far is the most descriptive and helpful site that i have seen so far.
This is really a creative blog. An expert writer is an amateur who didn’t stop. I trust myself that a decent writer doesn’t actually should be advised anything but to keep at it. Keep it up!
I’ve always enjoyed writing from a little girl. Since I’ve been taking it a bit more seriously as does everybody else it seems; I’ve lost the fun and sponteneity. Until now…..this is a marvelous blog to get back the basic joy and freedom in writing. Or should that be of?:) These exercises are perfect to get the creative juices flowing again…..thank you:)
These are interesting exercises for writing.
These are fantastic! I started reading a really awesome book on creative writing but it just didn’t get any good or easy to follow exercises. So I found your site and having been having a lot of fun with these. Exactly what I was looking for, thank you!
creative and inspiring, thank you
I always wanted to have an exercise where a friend and I each wrote a random sentence and sent it to each other to write a short story from that beginning sentence, then exchange the stories for reading and/or critique. Maybe both writers start with the same sentence and see how different the stories turn out.
Thanks for these exercises. Some are really challenging. To truly tackle them I’m having to spend as long beforehand thinking “how the HECK am I going to do this?” as I do with ink on paper. Would be a great resource if other authors submitted their replies and thoughts about how they went about each exercise.
Start the conversation: submit one of yours.
I think I can use these to inspire my students.
Hi there. Thank you for posting this list- it’s great! Can I ask you to consider removing number 42 or perhaps changing it somewhat? I teach sex ed and every year am shocked by how many young people don’t understand issues around consent. Stories about woman who ‘say no but really mean yes’ are deeply unhelpful. Really appreciate your post but felt I had to ask. Thanks.
What’s wrong with the number 42?
It promulgates the belief that when a woman says no, she doesn’t mean it, potentially resulting in sexual assault.
I just make this list a part of my teaching in Creative Writing Classes. Very good list of ideas!
Thank you so much for posting this! I have used it to create a creative playwriting activity for my high school creative writing class–so much good stuff here for me to pick through and select for my kiddos that will allow them to shine and improve their knowledge of writing as a craft!
These exercises are amazing! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
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Writing is not just a skill; it’s an art that evolves with practice. For beginners, embarking on the journey of writing can be both exciting and daunting. This article will guide you through various writing exercises for beginners, ensuring a gradual and enjoyable development of your writing prowess.
Enhancing creativity.
Engaging in writing exercises sparks creativity by encouraging you to think outside the box. Whether it’s inventing characters or describing imaginary worlds, these exercises push your creative boundaries.
Consistent writing exercises refine your language and storytelling skills. From constructing compelling sentences to organizing thoughts, each exercise contributes to your overall improvement as a writer.
As a beginner, building confidence is crucial. Writing exercises provide a safe space to experiment, make mistakes, and learn from them. This boosts your confidence to tackle more complex writing challenges.
People also ask
Prompts and inspiration.
Start with prompts that ignite your imagination. These can be single words, images, or even phrases that serve as a springboard for your writing journey.
Allow your thoughts to flow freely without the constraints of structure or grammar. Freewriting helps overcome self-doubt and encourages a more spontaneous writing style.
Setting limitations, such as word count or specific themes, challenges you to be inventive within defined parameters. This sharpens your ability to convey ideas concisely.
Digital platforms.
Explore online writing communities, where you can find prompts, share your work, and receive feedback. Digital platforms also offer writing apps tailored for various exercises.
The simplicity of pen and paper can be liberating. Use this traditional method to disconnect from screens and tap into a more tactile writing experience.
Discover a plethora of writing apps designed for exercises, offering features like timers, prompts, and progress tracking. These apps can make your writing routine more organized and enjoyable.
Consistency is key.
Establish a consistent writing routine. Whether it’s daily or weekly, regular practice is essential for skill development and maintaining momentum.
Identify when your creative energy is at its peak. Some writers thrive in the early morning, while others find inspiration in the quietude of the night.
Set achievable writing goals. It could be a specific word count, completing a short story, or experimenting with a new writing style. Realistic goals foster a sense of accomplishment.
Online forums for worksheet sharing.
Join online writing forums where beginners can share their completed worksheets . This collaborative approach fosters a sense of community and shared learning.
Organize virtual writing circles where participants can discuss their worksheet experiences . This interactive format enhances engagement and motivation.
Host worksheet challenges or competitions within writing communities. This not only adds a fun element but also motivates beginners to excel in their exercises.
Worksheet portfolio.
Encourage beginners to maintain a worksheet portfolio. This collection showcases their journey, serving as a tangible representation of progress.
Include self-assessment sections in worksheets. Beginners can evaluate their performance, identify areas for improvement, and set goals for future exercises.
Recognize the completion of a set of worksheets with certificates. This acknowledgment boosts confidence and acknowledges the effort put into the learning process.
Embracing imperfection.
Accept that not every piece of writing will be perfect. Embracing imperfection allows you to move past the fear of creating subpar work.
When faced with a creative block, taking short breaks can be rejuvenating. Stepping away and returning with fresh eyes often leads to breakthroughs.
Explore various sources of inspiration, from nature walks to reading diverse literature. External stimuli can reignite your creativity.
Consistency in practice.
Emphasize the importance of consistent practice with worksheets. Regular engagement leads to gradual improvement in writing skills.
Encourage beginners to review completed worksheets periodically. Reflection on their progress enhances self-awareness and encourages continuous learning.
Provide a variety of writing exercises with corresponding worksheets. Diverse tasks keep learning interesting and challenge beginners to explore different aspects of writing.
Join online writing forums where you can share your exercises, receive feedback, and engage with fellow writers. Connecting with a community fosters a supportive writing environment.
Explore local writing groups or workshops. Personal interactions with fellow writers can provide valuable insights and encouragement.
Participate in writing workshops or events. These platforms offer opportunities to learn new techniques, receive guidance, and network with experienced writers.
Tracking word count.
Monitor your word count to track your progress over time. Witnessing tangible growth in the number of words you produce is motivating.
Regularly assess your writing skills. Compare your recent work with earlier pieces to identify improvements and areas that need further development.
Celebrate milestones, whether it’s completing a challenging exercise or receiving positive feedback. Acknowledging achievements keeps you motivated.
Procrastination.
Combat procrastination by setting deadlines and breaking down exercises into manageable tasks. Consistent effort is key to overcoming this hurdle.
Avoid overthinking your writing. Trust your creativity, and remember that perfection is a journey, not a destination.
Embrace constructive criticism as a tool for growth. Overcoming the fear of criticism is essential for evolving as a writer.
Stephen king’s daily routine.
Explore Stephen King’s disciplined writing routine, emphasizing the importance of consistent practice and a dedicated writing space.
Learn from J.K. Rowling’s commitment to her craft, including her perseverance through rejection and the value of embracing failures.
Seeking constructive criticism.
Actively seek feedback from peers, mentors, or writing groups. Constructive criticism helps refine your writing style and address blind spots.
Master the art of revising and editing. A well-edited piece showcases your commitment to quality and attention to detail.
Experiment with character development, plot structures, and creating immersive settings. Fiction exercises allow you to unleash your imagination.
Here are five beginner-friendly fiction writing exercises to help kickstart your creative journey:
Create a brief character sketch for a protagonist. Include details like name, age, occupation, and one unique trait or quirk. Consider what motivates this character and how they might react in different situations.
Develop a vivid description of a fictional setting. Consider the time period, climate, and the overall mood of the place. Think about how the setting can influence the characters and the events in your story.
Write a dialogue-only scene between two characters. Focus on conveying emotions, tone, and character relationships through their spoken words. Avoid using any narration or description.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and write a complete story in that time frame. Focus on a single, impactful moment or event. This exercise encourages brevity and creativity within a limited timeframe.
Take a familiar fairy tale or classic story and give it a modern or unexpected twist. How would the narrative change if the roles or outcomes were different? This exercise helps in understanding the impact of unexpected plot elements.
Delve into the world of poetry with exercises focusing on rhythm, metaphors, and expressing emotions through carefully crafted verses.
Here are five poetry exercises for beginners to help you explore the beauty of language and express your thoughts and emotions:
Try writing a free verse poem, which doesn’t follow a specific rhyme scheme or meter. Allow your words to flow naturally, expressing your thoughts and feelings without the constraints of structure.
Create a visual poem where the arrangement of words on the page reflects the theme or subject of the poem. Use the shape of the words to enhance the meaning.
Write a persona poem where you adopt the perspective of an object, an animal, or even an abstract concept. Explore the world through the eyes of your chosen persona.
Choose a piece of visual art, whether it’s a painting, photograph, or sculpture, and write a poem inspired by the artwork. Capture the emotions or stories that the art evokes.
Hone your non-fiction writing skills by tackling topics with clarity and precision. Practice crafting engaging narratives based on factual information.
Here are five non-fiction writing exercises for beginners to help you explore the world of factual writing and storytelling:
Write a short personal essay about a memorable experience or event in your life. Focus on conveying your emotions and reflections on the situation, creating a vivid and engaging narrative.
Choose someone you find interesting, whether a friend, family member, or acquaintance, and conduct a brief interview. Use the information gathered to create a profile or character sketch, highlighting the individual’s unique qualities and experiences.
Select a skill or hobby you are knowledgeable about and write a step-by-step guide on how to do it. This exercise helps you practice explaining concepts clearly and concisely.
Pick a topic you are curious about and conduct some research. Write a short report summarizing the key findings. Practice presenting information in a structured and informative manner.
Express your opinion on a current event, social issue, or topic of interest. Support your viewpoint with logical arguments and evidence. This exercise helps develop your ability to articulate thoughts persuasively.
Explore books dedicated to writing exercises, offering a wealth of prompts, techniques, and advice from seasoned authors.
Enroll in online courses that guide you through structured writing exercises, providing expert-led instruction and valuable feedback.
Participate in writing challenges hosted by various platforms. These challenges often come with prompts and time constraints, pushing you to think on your feet.
Embarking on the journey of writing exercises is a transformative experience for beginners. Embrace the diverse exercises, stay consistent, and celebrate the small victories. Remember, the path to becoming a proficient writer is paved with exploration, resilience, and a love for the written word.
How often should i do writing exercises as a beginner.
It’s advisable to start with a manageable frequency, such as a few times a week. Gradually increase as you become more comfortable with the routine.
Feel free to modify the exercise to suit your preferences. The goal is to enjoy the process and explore your creativity.
Yes, engaging in different exercises can stimulate creativity and break through writer’s block by introducing new perspectives.
Yes, some exercises focus on grammar improvement. However, it’s essential to balance grammar practice with overall writing development.
Search for reputable writing forums, create an account, and start engaging with the community by sharing your work and providing feedback to others.
How do beginners practice writing ?
Here you are as an adult who’s decided to make writing an essential part of your life.
However little practice you’ve had until now, it’s not too late to become a writer.
It’s as simple (and challenging) as showing up every day to write something .
Getting started on your daily writing can be tricky, though–especially if it’s not a habit yet.
That’s why we’ve rounded up this collection of 35 fun writing exercises for adults.
We’re not talking about writing prompts (which are also helpful). Writing exercises usually focus on a specific type of writing to help you develop your skills.
The list in this post offers a variety of fiction writing exercises, each dealing with one or more of the following:
Since there’s plenty of room for overlap with these types, the list below doesn’t separate them. You can choose, though, to focus on one specific type for each exercise.
If you’re still wondering, “How do I start writing as an adult?” the answer is to do just that: start writing. We all have to start somewhere. The older you are when you begin, the more experiences you can draw from for your writing material.
What better way to get started and build a daily writing habit than with some easy writing exercises?
Look through the list below and start with the one that gets your mind immediately working on ideas. Don’t worry if those ideas quiet down the moment you begin.
Take a deep breath (or two) and write whatever comes to mind.
1. Write up to ten emotions on as many strips of paper and put them in a container. Choose an object, and then pick out one of the pieces of paper. Write about the object from the perspective of a character feeling that emotion. Or write a journal entry for a character, expressing that emotion and explaining why they feel it.
2. Start with a blank page and whatever is on your mind, and just write. This is a stream of consciousness exercise where you just let the thoughts pour onto the page without worrying about grammar , spelling, or technique. The point is to just get the words flowing without interruption. Choose the topic , and run with it.
3. Take one of your works in progress or a story you’ve enjoyed reading, and write from the perspective of one of its characters. It can be the protagonist, the chief antagonist, or anyone else. Get into the character’s head and write freely about the story or another character from their point of view.
4. Choose a creative writing prompt for the day and write for a solid five minutes using whatever comes to mind. Don’t worry about how it sounds or whether you think it’s bestseller material. The point here isn’t to write something masterful; it’s to help you get used to writing without a filter. Editing is not part of this.
5. Imagine you’ve gone back in time, and you have the opportunity to say something to your younger self. Write about how that encounter would go and what, if anything, you would say to warn them about a pivotal decision you remember making. Would you encourage them to choose differently? Or would you just be there for yourself?
6. Write a fake advertisement for a roommate, a job, a product of your own making, or whatever you want. Have fun with it. You can even advertise yourself, offering your services as a memoir writer , a food tester, an interior designer, or whatever. It doesn’t have to be something you’re good at.
7. Write a short blog post from the perspective of one of your story characters — or any character you choose from a TV series, a movie, or a story you’ve enjoyed reading. Write about something they’ve learned, something they want to do, or someone who’s on their mind a lot lately.
8. Describe your ideal home office using as much sensory detail as possible. Include the color scheme, the decorating style and type of furniture, the smells from candles or fresh flowers, the taste of your favorite working beverage and/or snacks, and the tactile sensations you experience while working in that room.
9. Pick a number between one and ten. Choose a book from your shelf and go to that number page and to that number line on the page. Use it as a prompt for a poem and take it in whatever direction you choose. Don’t worry about technique. Write the words that come as a sort of free association exercise.
10. Your character comes to you with a problem. Your job, for this exercise, is to keep asking the question, “Why?” and writing down whatever they give as their answer. If they get exasperated (and rude), you can go with that, too. Make the words fit your character. And don’t be afraid to go deep.
11. Pretend you’re a talk show host, and your special guest is the protagonist or antagonist of a favorite story or your own work in progress. Record your conversation as a dialogue, and don’t be afraid to ask personal or challenging questions. Let your guest answer in a way that fits their character.
12. You’ve gone to a party with a favorite story character, and they’ve had a bit too much to drink. What might they say or do when they’re less inhibited? Record a conversation you have with their drunken self or describe a scene they create while under the influence. And what are the consequences?
13. Describe an unexpectedly romantic scene between two characters. Start with something mundane and have one of the characters say something unexpected — either from a sudden rush of emotion or because they’re distracted and not thinking about the words coming out. Write about what happens between them.
14. Write a detailed description of the room you’re in right now. What details stand out for you, and why do they matter? What would you change if you could? What can you do today or this week to make this room better for writing in? Or what do you love about this room that no other room has?
15. Your character steps through a portal into a place of your choosing. Describe it using words to set a particular mood . How does your character feel as they walk deeper into the scene? Are they afraid, curious, hungry, sad, or something else? And how does that emotion affect their perception of their surroundings?
16. Write a dialogue between two characters who keep misinterpreting each other’s words and nonverbal cues, thanks to their own distorted self-perception. Is one of them convinced the other finds them unattractive or annoying? Is the other trying to work up the nerve to ask them out? Add descriptions of body language.
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17. Use your phone or computer to record yourself talking about whatever is on your mind, e ither from your perspective or that of a favorite character. When you’ve done this for at least five minutes (set a timer), use the text-to-speech function to transcribe what you’ve recorded.
18. Recall your text-to-speech exercise and pretend you’re taking down your thoughts (or your character’s thoughts) from mental dictation. Use a prompt, if it helps, and record their stream-of-consciousness thinking process without editing or filtering any of the content. Write exactly as you (or they) talk.
19. Imagine you’ve just inherited or won a huge, life-changing sum of money, and you’re discussing it with someone close to you. What ideas do both of you have for its use? Do you disagree on how best to manage the money? Or are you both finally able to do something you’ve wanted to do — together or separately?
20. Find the day’s Twitter #vss word prompt (140 characters or fewer) and write something using that word — a brief dialogue, a pivotal moment, a shocking advertisement, etc. Write as many as you like, and, if you have a Twitter account, share one with your followers, making sure to include #vss and other relevant tags.
21. Choose a character and write about something they’re ashamed of. How did they learn to be ashamed of it? Who in that character’s past contributed to that? And what could another character do to help them confront that shame and heal from it? What, if anything, does this character need to hear, admit, or do to overcome it?
22. If you or one of your characters becomes physically ill at the prospect of doing something or going somewhere , what’s causing this immediate onset of physical symptoms, and how exactly do they manifest? What could you or your character do to change the way you respond to this perceived threat?
23. Write a letter to yourself to read a year from now. Write as if you’ve accomplished all the things you want to do over the next 12 months. Describe how your life has changed and what you love about it. What changes have you made and undergone that you’re proud of? Where did you begin with the changes?
24. Write about a dialogue between you and an important person in your life. Add any sensory details and body language you remember. What emotions did you feel, and how did this conversation affect you? What did you realize that you expressed to the other person—or that you couldn’t put into words?
25. Put yourself in a character’s shoes and write about the moment they realized they were in love with someone. What were they thinking and feeling in that moment? What did they do with those feelings? And how did it affect their next interaction with that person? Were they free to express what they were feeling?
26. Find a small box and tape it securely shut. Let your imagination run loose and write about what’s in the box and why you can’t risk opening it (at least not until the time is right). Or write about what will happen when the box is opened and its contents revealed. What or whom are you protecting?
27. Describe your perfect bedroom down to the smallest sensory detail. What do you love most about it—the colors, the bedding, the furniture, the closet, etc.? What descriptive words come to mind when you think of that space? Whom do you allow to enter that room (as long as you’re there and they knock first)?
28. Create a timeline of important moments in a character’s life. What experiences shaped them as a person? What pivotal moments have contributed to the life they live now? What choices have they made that led them to where they are? How might you explain their biggest fears or characteristic tendencies?
29. If you’re writing a story, describe a pivotal moment from the perspective of an outsider who witnessed that moment but is not part of the story . What do they notice that your characters do not? How do they interpret the situation since, as an outsider, they’re not privy to important background information?
30. Take a character of your own making (or someone else’s) and put them through something that pushes their limits and deeply affects them, leaving them uncertain as to how to make sense of it. Show how it changes their perspective and their behavior from that point forward.
31. Brainstorm a list of at least five ideas for something related to a story you’re writing: five surprising or defining facts about your main character, five things your antagonist would do to mess with your protagonist , five important details about your story’s setting, five ways your main character could get what they want, etc.
32. Choose a book written by an author you admire and write about an important moment in your life using the voice from a particular character in that book (protagonist, villain, etc.). How would they express what they’re feeling or how they’re inclined to react? What would they do that you would not—or vice-versa?
33. Describe in detail the kind of relationship you want for yourself. Make a list of must-haves and of nice-to-have qualities in a partner. You can also pretend you’re writing a profile description for an online dating site. Or write a letter to your current or future partner about what you really want to have with them.
34. Pick one of your characters and describe the best day of their life in detail. What made it their best day ever? When did it happen, and how? Have they tried to recreate that day more recently? And if so, how did it go? What (if anything) went wrong? Or what happened as an unintended consequence?
35. Write down three random nouns, four adjectives, two verbs, and one adverb for a Mad Libs exercise. Now, write at least 500 words of a story that uses all ten of those words. It doesn’t have to make sense. In fact, the goofier, the better. This can be a self-contained story or the first chapter of a longer one.
Now that you’ve looked through all 35 creative writing exercises, which ones stood out for you? And which one will you try today? The goal here is to get you so comfortable with writing it becomes second nature.
You don’t need perfect; you just need to start somewhere.
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Starting out in creative writing can be a daunting task, with many writers struggling to know where to begin and how to improve their skills. However, there are plenty of exercises that can help you develop your writing abilities and bring your ideas to life on the page. With practice and persistence, you can turn your thoughts and imagination into beautiful works of art through creative writing.
These tips will help you to become a much better creative writer:
- Find the Best Environment: Everyone has different writing preferences, whether it's a quiet coffee shop or a busy park. Experiment with different writing environments to find what works best for you.
- Freewriting: Set a timer for a few minutes and write whatever comes to mind without worrying about structure or grammar. This can help you get past writer's block and generate new ideas.
- Know Your Characters: Spend time getting to know your characters before you start writing. Develop their backstories, motivations, and personalities to create fully-formed characters that readers can connect with.
- Don't be Scared of Drafting: Remember that writing a first draft is just the beginning. Don't be afraid to make mistakes or write imperfectly. You can always revise and improve later.
- Keep a Writing Log: Keep a notebook or digital log of your writing ideas, snippets of dialogue, or interesting observations. This can help you capture ideas as they come and have a resource to refer back to when you need inspiration.
- Never Stop Reading: Reading widely is essential for improving your writing skills. Read a variety of genres and styles to see how other writers use language and structure their stories.
- Explore Your Emotions: Writing can be a powerful way to explore your emotions and experiences. Don't be afraid to write honestly and vulnerably, even if it's just for yourself.
- Get Perspective: Take breaks from your writing to get perspective. This can help you see your writing with fresh eyes and come up with new ideas.
- Research!: Research can add depth and authenticity to your writing. Spend time researching your setting, characters, and topics to make your writing more believable.
- Explore Ideas: Don't be afraid to experiment with different ideas and concepts. Even if you don't end up using them in your writing, exploring different ideas can help you find your unique writing voice and style.
Here are some concrete exercises that can help you improve your creative writing :
Describe a scene: Choose a scene or setting and describe it in detail, using all of your senses. Try to create a vivid picture in the reader's mind, using specific details and descriptive language.
Write from a different perspective: Take a story or event and write it from a different character's perspective. This can help you develop your ability to write in different voices and points of view.
Create a character: Think of a character and write a short story or scene that features that character. Try to give the character a unique personality, backstory, and motivations.
Rewrite a story: Take a classic story or fairy tale and rewrite it in a different style or genre. This can help you develop your ability to write in different genres and experiment with different storytelling techniques.
Use writing prompts: Writing prompts can be a great way to generate ideas and practice your writing skills. Choose a writing prompt or use a writing prompt generator to come up with new ideas for stories or scenes.
Practice writing dialogue: Dialogue is an important part of creative writing. Practice writing dialogue between characters, focusing on making it sound natural and believable.
Write a story in six words: This exercise challenges you to write a complete story using only six words. It can help you develop your ability to write concisely and effectively.
By practicing these exercises regularly, you can improve your creative writing skills and develop your unique voice as a writer. Remember to be patient with yourself and enjoy the process of learning and growing as a writer.
And last but not least, here are ten quotes from famous writers about creative writing:
"The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself." - Albert Camus
"You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children." - Madeleine L'Engle
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." - Maya Angelou
"One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple." - Jack Kerouac
"The scariest moment is always just before you start." - Stephen King
"If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." - Toni Morrison
"You can't use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have." - Maya Angelou
"Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words." - Mark Twain
"If there's no passion in your writing, then it's not worth writing at all." - Jules Renard
"A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people." - Thomas Mann
Enjoy this incredible list of courses which help you to go to the next level in your creative writing:
- Writing a Novel Step by Step - Introduction to Narrative Writing - Creative Writing for Beginners: Bringing Your Story to Life - Narrative Techniques for Children’s Books - Script Writing for Movies and Television
A course by Annamaria Testa
A course by Lina Botero
A course by Cristina López Barrio
The number of creative writing exercises for beginners can be overwhelming. To save you time, and help you kickstart your career as a freelance writer , here’s a list of the best ones for you to try. You don’t need to spend hours doing these exercises. As little as ten minutes a day will be enough to get those creative juices flowing. Your creative writing style will improve before you know it.
1. as easy as abc, 2. use prompts.
If you lack inspiration, plenty of writing prompts are available online. You could also use the world around you as prompts. Pick a sentence, or headline, from a magazine, or use a line from your favorite book. You could even use your dreams. Keep a notepad beside your bed so you can jot down your dreams when you wake up. Those notes are the perfect prompt for a short story . Don’t worry about making them realistic, just go with it.
Some creative writing exercises for beginners are less structured. If this appeals to you, you could try freestyle writing. You just sit down and write. Don’t think about what you are writing, just write. It will become a stream of consciousness but don’t worry about whether it makes any sense. You might even find some interesting ideas come from this exercise. You can develop them later. Julia Cameron calls these ‘morning pages’ in her blog The Artist’s Way. It doesn’t matter what you write, the important part is that you are writing. Isn’t that freeing? It’s almost the same as what some artists do when they doodle on their sketchpads. They draw random figures until inspiration or idea comes to compose those sketches into a masterpiece.
Take a piece of writing and change the person telling the story. If it is written in the third person, rewrite it in the first person. How does this change the story? Think about the information that is included/excluded by a change in the narrator. This is a very useful exercise to make you think about the techniques of writing in the first or third person. It will help you understand the impact of both methods and when you might want to use them.
One of the most common creative writing exercises for beginners is writing from a different point of view. Using a book or story you are familiar with, write a new story with one of the peripheral characters as the main character. That’s exactly how spin-offs are made. Take, for example, the 1993 blockbuster movie The Fugitive starring Harrison Ford. The screenwriters used Tommy Lee Jones’s character Deputy Marshal Gerard from that film and created a spin-off called U.S. Marshals, released in cinemas in 1998. You could even write from the point of view of an animal or inanimate object. As a beginner, you will find this a useful exercise to encourage you to tell a story differently.
Journaling is a great way to create a habit of writing daily. You could write about your day or your hopes for the future. You don’t need to show anyone what you write so you are free to be as open, or imaginative, as you like. Journaling about a specific part of a day is also possible. For instance, you could focus on one of your meals and describe it in detail. What did you eat? Who were you with? What could you see or smell around you? For all you know, this could lead to a flourishing career as a freelance food writer .
8. write to yourself.
Is there advice or information you wish to give your younger self? Do it! This is one of my favorite creative writing exercises for beginners. You can write a letter to your younger self. Pass on that advice you wish you had at the time. Tell yourself things will work out in the end. It is a great opportunity to develop your writing skills . You might also find it therapeutic!
10. instructions, 11. tell someone else’s story.
Think of a tale that has been told to you and use this as your starting point. You might find details missing or parts you can’t remember. Don’t worry about that. Flesh these out with your imagination. Remember, a lot of bestselling fiction novels were inspired by true stories. The authors just invoke their proverbial creative licenses to make those tales more epic.
13. use images, 14. people watching.
This is a game I like to play sometimes when I’m sitting in a car or inside a café. Look around at the people walking past or standing nearby. Make up a back story for them and think about what happens next. Consider the next week in their lives. What events will happen? How will they react? The inspiration is all around you – you can even do this when you are traveling . Grab a notebook and get started.
Benjamin Franklin wanted to improve his writing technique, just like you. He came up with this method, which proved to be very effective. Begin by reading a passage from a book. Take short notes as you go to summarize the gist of what you read. Then, in a day or two, look at your notes and try to recreate the original passage. You, almost certainly, won’t get it exactly right, but that is part of the method. You then compare your writing to the original and consider the differences. This will highlight where you could improve your sentence structure and word choice. You will be a better writer as a result.
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Hey there, welcome to my blog! I'm a full-time entrepreneur building two companies, a digital marketer, and a content creator with 10+ years of experience. I started RafalReyzer.com to provide you with great tools and strategies you can use to become a proficient digital marketer and achieve freedom through online creativity. My site is a one-stop shop for digital marketers, and content enthusiasts who want to be independent, earn more money, and create beautiful things. Explore my journey here , and don't miss out on my AI Marketing Mastery online course.
So you want to be a writer? And not just any writer, you want to be a creative writer. The road to being a legendary storyteller won’t be easy, but with our creative writing tips for kids, you’ll be on the right track! Creative writing isn’t just about writing stories. You could write poems, graphic novels, song lyrics and even movie scripts. But there is one thing you’ll need and that is good creative writing skills.
Here are over 26 tips to improve your creative writing skills :
When it comes to creative writing, reading is essential. Reading allows you to explore the styles of other writers and gain inspiration to improve your own writing. But don’t just limit yourself to reading only popular books or your favourites. Read all sorts of books, everything from fairytales to scary stories. Take a look at comics, short stories, novels and poetry. Just fill your heads with the knowledge and wisdom of other writers and soon you’ll be just like them!
The hardest thing about creative writing is connecting emotionally with your audience. By focusing your writing on real-life events, you know that in some way or another your readers will be able to relate. And with creative writing you don’t need to use real names or details – There are certain things you can keep private while writing about the rare details. Using real-life events is also a good way to find inspiration for your stories.
Be as crazy and wild as you like with your imagination. Create your world, your own monsters , or even your own language! The more imaginative your story, the more exciting it will be to read. Remember that there are no rules on what makes a good idea in creative writing. So don’t be afraid to make stuff up!
Thes best writers have a particular style about them. When you think of Roald Dahl , you know his books are going to have a sense of humour. While with Dr Seuss , you’re prepared to read some funny new words . Alternatively, when you look at R.L.Stine, you know that he is all about the horror. Think about your own writing style. Do you want to be a horror writer? Maybe someone who always writes in the first person? Will always focus your books on your culture or a particular character?
Routine is extremely important to writers. If you just write some stuff here and there, it’s likely that you’ll soon give up on writing altogether! A strict routine means that every day at a certain time you will make time to write about something, anything. Even if you’re bored or can’t think of anything, you’ll still pick up that pencil and write. Soon enough you’ll get into the habit of writing good stuff daily and this is definitely important for anyone who wants to be a professional creative writer!
Writing isn’t just about thinking about your own interests, it’s also about thinking about the interests of your audience. If you want to excite fellow classmates, know what they like. Do they like football , monsters or a particular video game? With that knowledge, you can create the most popular book for your target audience. A book that they can’t stop reading and will recommend to others!
To keep your creative writing skills up to scratch it is important to keep practising every day. Even if you have no inspiration. At times when your mind is blank, you should try to use tools like writing prompts , video prompts or other ways of coming up with ideas . You could even take a look at these daily writing exercises as an example. We even created a whole list of over 100 creative writing exercises to try out when you need some inspiration or ideas.
Everyone needs a little help now and then. We recommend joining a writing club or finding other classmates who are also interested in writing to improve your own creative writing skills. Together you can share ideas, tips and even write a story together! A good storytelling game to play in a group is the “ finish the story” game .
Without feedback, you’ll never be able to improve your writing. Feedback, whether good or bad is important to all writers. Good feedback gives you the motivation to carry on. While bad feedback just gives you areas to improve and adapt your writing, so you can be the best! After every piece of writing always try to get feedback from it, whether it is from friends, family, teachers or an online writing community .
The best way to improve your creative writing is by entering all sorts of writing competitions . Whether it’s a poetry competition or short story competition, competitions let you compete against other writers and even help you get useful feedback on your writing. Most competitions even have rules to structure your writing, these rules can help you prepare for the real world of writing and getting your work published. And not only that you might even win some cool prizes!
Every writer’s best friend is their notebook. Wherever you go make sure you have a notebook handy to jot down any ideas you get on the go. Inspiration can come from anywhere , so the next time you get an idea instead of forgetting about it, write it down. You never know, this idea could become a best-selling novel in the future.
So, you got a couple of ideas for short stories. The next step is to research these ideas deeper.
Researching your ideas could involve reading books similar to your ideas or going online to learn more about a particular topic. For example, if you wanted to write a book on dragons, you would want to know everything about them in history to come up with a good, relatable storyline for your book.
How do you know if your writing is improving over time? Simple – Just create writing goals for yourself. Examples of writing goals might include, to write 100 words every day or to write 600 words by the end of next week. Whatever your goals make sure you can measure them easily. That way you’ll know if you met them or not. You might want to take a look at these bullet journal layouts for writers to help you track the progress of your writing.
Writing can be tedious and many people even give up after writing a few words. The only way you can keep that fire burning is by writing about your true passions. Whatever it is you enjoy doing or love, you could just write about those things. These are the types of things you’ll enjoy researching and already know so much about, making writing a whole lot more fun!
You finally wrote your first story. But the writing process isn’t complete yet! Now it’s time to read your story and make the all-important edits. Editing your story is more than just fixing spelling or grammar mistakes. It’s also about criticising your own work and looking for areas of improvement. For example, is the conflict strong enough? Is your opening line exciting? How can you improve your ending?
Never just jump into writing your story. Always plan first! Whether this means listing down the key scenes in your story or using a storyboard template to map out these scenes. You should have an outline of your story somewhere, which you can refer to when actually writing your story. This way you won’t make basic mistakes like not having a climax in your story which builds up to your main conflict or missing crucial characters out.
It’s strange the difference it makes to read your writing out aloud compared to reading it in your head. When reading aloud you tend to notice more mistakes in your sentences or discover paragraphs which make no sense at all. You might even want to read your story aloud to your family or a group of friends to get feedback on how your story sounds.
Pacing is important. You don’t want to just start and then quickly jump into the main conflict because this will take all the excitement away from your conflict. And at the same time, you don’t want to give the solution away too early and this will make your conflict too easy for your characters to solve. The key is to gradually build up to your conflict by describing your characters and the many events that lead up to the main conflict. Then you might want to make the conflict more difficult for your characters by including more than one issue in your story to solve.
Every story has a theme or moral. Some stories are about friendship, others are about the dangers of trusting strangers. And a story can even have more than one theme. The point of a theme is to give something valuable to your readers once they have finished reading your book. In other words, to give them a life lesson, they’ll never forget!
Dialogue is a tricky thing to get right. Your whole story should not be made up of dialogue unless you’re writing a script. Alternatively, it can be strange to include no dialogue at all in your story. The purpose of dialogue should be to move your story forward. It should also help your readers learn more about a particular character’s personality and their relationship with other characters in your book.
One thing to avoid with dialogue is… small talk! There’s no point in writing dialogue, such as “How’s the weather?”, if your story has nothing to do with the weather. This is because it doesn’t move your story along. For more information check out this guide on how to write dialogue in a story .
Writing is a magical process. Don’t lose that magic by focusing on editing your sentences while you’re still writing your story up. Not only could this make your story sound fragmented, but you might also forget some key ideas to include in your story or take away the imagination from your writing. When it comes to creative writing, just write and come back to editing your story later.
Always question your writing. Once done, think about any holes in your story. Is there something the reader won’t understand or needs further describing? What if your character finds another solution to solving the conflict? How about adding a new character or removing a character from your story? There are so many questions to ask and keep asking them until you feel confident about your final piece.
Some kids like writing on their beds, others at the kitchen table. While this is good for beginners, going pro with your writing might require having a dedicated writing space. Some of the basics you’ll need is a desk and comfy chair, along with writing materials like pens, pencils and notebooks. But to really create an inspiring place, you could also stick some beautiful pictures, some inspiring quotes from writers and anything else that will keep you motivated and prepared.
Vocabulary is good. It’s always exciting when you learn a new word that you have never heard before. But don’t go around plotting in complicated words into your story, unless it’s necessary to show a character’s personality. Most long words are not natural sounding, meaning your audience will have a hard time relating to your story if it’s full of complicated words from the dictionary like Xenophobia or Xylograph .
Nobody’s perfect. And why should your story characters be any different? To create believable characters, you’ll need to give them some common flaws as well as some really cool strengths. Your character’s flaws can be used as a setback to why they can’t achieve their goals, while their strengths are the things that will help win over adversity. Just think about your own strengths and weaknesses and use them as inspirations for your storybook characters. You can use the Imagine Forest character creator to plan out your story characters.
You can say that someone is nice or you can show them how that person is nice. Take the following as an example, “Katie was a nice girl.” Now compare that sentence to this, “Katie spent her weekends at the retirement home, singing to the seniors and making them laugh.”. The difference between the two sentences is huge. The first one sounds boring and you don’t really know why Katie is nice. While in the second sentence, you get the sense that Katie is nice from her actions without even using the word nice in the sentence!
Imagine the following scenario, you are a championship boxer who has won many medals over the year and the conflict is…Well, you got a boxing match coming up. Now that doesn’t sound so exciting! In fact, most readers won’t even care about the boxer winning the match or not!
Now imagine this scenario: You’re a poor kid from New Jersey, you barely have enough money to pay the bills. You never did any professional boxing, but you want to enter a boxing competition, so you can win and use the money to pay your bills.
The second scenario has a bigger mountain to climb. In other words, a much harder challenge to face compared to the character in the first scenario. Giving your characters an almost impossible task or conflict is essential in good story-telling.
Scenes help build a picture in your reader’s mind without even including any actual pictures in your story. Creating powerful scenes involves more than describing the appearance of a setting, it’s also about thinking about the smell, the sounds and what your characters are feeling while they are in a particular setting. By being descriptive with your scenes, your audience can imagine themselves being right there with characters through the hard times and good times!
There’s nothing worse than an ending which leaves the reader feeling underwhelmed. You read all the way through and then it just ends in the most typical, obvious way ever! Strong endings don’t always end on a happy ending. They can end with a sad ending or a cliff-hanger. In fact, most stories actually leave the reader with more questions in their head, as they wonder what happens next. This then gives you the opportunity to create even more books to continue the story and keep your readers hooked for life (or at least for a very long time)!
Over 25 creative writing tips later and you should now be ready to master the art of creative writing! The most important tip for all you creative writers out there is to be imaginative! Without a good imagination, you’ll struggle to wow your audience with your writing skills. Do you have any more creative writing tips to share? Let us know in the comments!
Marty the wizard is the master of Imagine Forest. When he's not reading a ton of books or writing some of his own tales, he loves to be surrounded by the magical creatures that live in Imagine Forest. While living in his tree house he has devoted his time to helping children around the world with their writing skills and creativity.
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Find details about every creative writing competition—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, grants for translators, and more—that we’ve published in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it in the Writing Contests database, the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.
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This year’s summer solstice arrives in the Northern Hemisphere on June 20, marking it the longest day, and shortest night, of the year. And yet, no matter the exact number of daylight or nighttime hours measured out, any day can feel like a very long day, just as any night can end in the blink of an eye. Write a two-part lyric essay in which the first part details one long summer day you’ve experienced, and the second part focuses on one short summer night. For the day that seemed to last forever, did it drag on and on, producing exasperation, or did the hours ooze dreamily and pleasurably? For the night that whizzed by, was there nonstop action that was over before you knew it?
In an interview published in Salon, Rosemary Mosco, author of A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching: Getting to Know the World’s Most Misunderstood Bird (Workman Publishing, 2021), reflects on the historical connections between pigeons and people, and recounts a process of domestication, obsolescence, and abandonment. “The city pigeons around us…were domesticated by humans a really long time ago,” says Mosco. “They were really bred to be good at living near us. And then, we forgot, and now they keep hanging around us. And we’re like, ‘why are they here?’” Write a short story that involves an encounter or situation with a domesticated animal, whether a pet, livestock, or one wandering the streets. Think about the wild ancestors of this animal, and how they’ve become entwined with humans and civilization. How might you connect philosophical ideas around domestication with other larger themes of your story?
“We tend to treat odor in general as a sort of taboo,” writes Scott Sayare in a New York Times Magazine article about a woman who discovered she could smell Parkinson’s disease, in some cases over a dozen years before medical diagnosis. “Modern doctors are trained to diagnose by inspection, palpation, percussion and auscultation; ‘inhalation’ is not on the list, and social norms would discourage it if it were.” This week, focus your attention on your sense of smell as you go about your days, perhaps even ignoring social norms as you inhale all the odors around you. Then, write a poem that focuses solely, or primarily, on smell—perhaps juxtaposing scents that are in your everyday life now and those from a more distant past.
A Question of Belonging: Crónicas (Archipelago Books, 2024) by the Argentine writer Hebe Uhart, who died in 2018, translated from the Spanish by Anna Vilner, contains over two dozen crónicas—a form of narrative journalism popularized in Latin America that is characterized by short, informal musings about everyday topics and observations. In her introduction to the book, Mariana Enríquez notes Uhart’s lack of pretension in her chosen subjects, from what she observed around her to the locals with whom she conversed. “Her fascination with language is not limited to the spoken: She roams around cities and towns taking note of shop names, ads, and graffiti.…” Jot down intriguing or amusing fragments of language you see and hear as you go about your day, perhaps during your commute or while watching your favorite TV show. Write a series of short musings based on your observations, noting any humor or insights gleaned from contemporary language and what it reveals about our current times.
Ayşegül Savaş’s third novel, The Anthropologists , forthcoming in July from Bloomsbury, is narrated by Asya, one half of a young couple setting out to build a new life together in a foreign city. While they solidify friendships, search for an apartment, and accommodate visiting relatives, Asya begins a documentary project. Each of the novel’s vignette titles reference anthropological concepts: Notions of Loyalty, Child-Rearing, Native Tongue, Courtship, Gift Exchange, Division of Labor, Principles of Kinship, and Forms of Enchantment. As Asya reflects on anthropological distance and lenses, these headings raise questions about the conventions, expectations, and routines that constitute a life. What makes a life legible—and to whom? Write a short story with subheadings providing insight or an alternative perspective on scenes. How might they produce additional layers of complexity and ambiguity?
“The sun had just gone out / and I was walking three miles to get home. / I wanted to die. / I couldn’t think of words and I had no future / and I was coming down hard on everything.” In Linda Gregg’s poem “New York Address,” which appears in her retrospective collection, All of It Singing: New and Selected Poems (Graywolf Press, 2008), the speaker recounts bleak existential angst. Despite the pain and darkness, there are glimmers of light. In the second half of the poem, questions are stubbornly answered with snappy, tidy pacing: “Yes I hate dark. No I love light. Yes I won’t speak. / No I will write.” Write a poem that goes all in on angst, channeling a time that felt overwhelmingly uncertain and full of trepidation. How can you experiment with sound and diction to gently steer the dramatic toward the life-affirming?
Nearly fifty years ago, the writer George Perec spent three days sitting behind a café window in Place Saint-Sulpice in Paris recording everything he saw. In his short book, An Attempt at Exhausting a Place in Paris , his observations of mundane occurrences and objects often considered unnoteworthy—passersby, cars, buses, pigeons, signs, and slogans—are documented. This week situate yourself in one spot, perhaps in your home or workplace, or in a public space like a park, busy crossroad, commercial area, library, or café. Then, jot down the objects and behavior you see, and the snippets of conversation you hear. Write a lyric essay composed of these notes, trying to avoid interpretations or analysis. Taken together, how do your observations create a portrayal of a specific time or place? Pay particular attention to how one observation might lead to another, and to potential rhythms and repetitions.
The 2023 thriller film Fair Play , written and directed by Chloe Domont, follows the lives of a young, newly engaged couple, Luke and Emily, who are colleagues working as analysts in the cutthroat world of high finance in New York. The film focuses on the progression of their relationship, which has been kept hidden from their hedge fund office, and the bitter disintegration of their happiness after a promotion that was initially rumored to go to Luke is unexpectedly bestowed upon Emily, which situates him as a subordinate to his wife within a misogynistic workplace. Write a short story that revolves around an occurrence that catalyzes a shift in the power dynamic between two main characters who have a close relationship. What are the initial responses, and does the transformation happen suddenly or gradually? Are there gender, generational, or other cultural issues that play a role?
“All too often, on a ‘poetry scene,’ people prioritise ‘subject matter,’” says John Burnside in a 2023 interview about his writing process by Jesse Nathan published on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency. “I am sure that, as I am working, environmental concerns insinuate their way into the content of a poem organically, as other concerns will—but I would never start from there.” Inspired by the late Scottish poet, who died at the age of sixty-nine on May 29, write a poem that springs not from a predetermined topic or subject matter, but instead allows you to “trust in the sounds, the rhythms that come out of the day-to-day, the sheer immediacy and truth of the quotidian…and the images that lead, sometimes via fairly roundabout paths, to metaphor.” Later, as you reread and revise, what do you discover is the subject of your poem? What might have organically insinuated itself into your poem?
The maintenance or restoration of native plant and animal species has long been at the heart of many ecological and conservation projects, and has historically been a focus of land and environmental stewardship principles held by native and first peoples all over the world. But what if a beloved plant or animal is considered invasive, like the palm trees of Los Angeles or the cattle of Texas? What are the effects or consequences of centuries of existence with this invasive species in a particular locale? This week reflect on the notion of belonging—what are various places and times when you have felt a strong sense of belonging, and situations when you did not feel you belonged? Consider your own perspectives and responses when you encounter someone or something else that seems invasive or does not belong.
In Stephen King’s 1983 novel, Pet Sematary , a doctor moves into a remote house in Maine with his wife, two young children, and their pet cat, and learns from a neighbor about an ancient burial ground nearby cursed by a malevolent spirit which gave it power to reanimate those buried there. This is put to the test first by the family cat, and then by members of the family who die throughout the course of King’s horror story. While each formerly dead being is returned to the land of the living, they don’t come back quite the same. Write a story in which a creature or person returns from the dead, either in actuality or under circumstances in which their reappearance feels as if they are “back from the dead.” What familiar traits remain the same and what is disconcertingly different? Is their return ultimately for the better or the worse?
“I told a friend about a spill at the grocery store, which—the words ‘conveyor belt’ vanishing midsentence—took place on a ‘supermarket treadmill,’” writes Madeleine Schwartz in a recent essay published by New York Times Magazine about her experience of negotiating with and toggling between the French and English languages after moving from New York to Paris. In the piece, Schwartz notes that as she became more comfortable with living and thinking in French, she noticed a blurring of her linguistic capabilities, including a muddling of her articulative abilities in English. Think about a time or situation when words have failed you, or you’ve drawn a blank as to the mot juste. Write a poem that traces or enacts a loss of language, perhaps using invented words, phrases, and spellings or experimenting with font sizes, line breaks, and spacing.
Many foods, flavors, and dishes hold a wellspring of emotional associations because they remind us of loved ones, habits and traditions, specific locales, and a different time of our lives when we were different people. Write a series of flash nonfiction pieces this week with each segment focusing on an edible item that evokes particularly resonant memories for you. You might begin by jotting down lists of foods you ate regularly growing up—breakfasts, school lunches, vending machine go-tos, favorite fast-food joints, diners, late night spots, home-cooked specialties—as well as a few momentous meals. Who are the people you associate with each one? Aside from taste and smell, consider the surrounding environment, atmospheric sounds, time of year, and who you were at that point in your life.
While the American proverb “the squeaky wheel gets the grease” may be one you’ve heard time and again, often in reference to the idea that whoever raises or vocalizes a criticism the loudest will be appeased, there is a Japanese saying that translates to “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down,” which points to the positives of conformity in order to maintain a productive and humble society. It can also refer to putting someone who has become too successful back down in their place. Write a story in which your main character diverges from a group of people, and sticks their neck out, so to speak. Perhaps they vocalize a contrary perspective, protest something they feel is unjust, or simply present themselves in an unconventional manner. What are the consequences? Does your story lean toward one proverbial lesson or the other, or does the conclusion demonstrate more ambiguity?
If you could spend a night at any museum, which would you choose, and why? The French publisher Editions Stock has a series of books that begins with this premise—each author selects a museum, arrangements are made for an overnight stay, and a book is written about the experience. In Jakuta Alikavazovic’s Like a Sky Inside , translated from the French by Daniel Levin Becker, she spends a night at the Louvre in Paris, where childhood memories of visits with her father are vividly recalled. “From March 7 to 8, 2020, I spent the night in the Louvre, alone. Alone and at the same time anything but,” writes Alikavazovic. Write a poem that imagines a night at a museum of your choosing, anywhere in the world. What memories will you excavate from this imagined, solitary experience?
Although the origin of the term is unknown and can be defined in many ways, a chosen family is made up of a group of people who choose to embrace, nurture, and support each other despite conventional understandings of biological or marital relationships. Oftentimes a chosen family is formed to take the place of a biological family, however, in some cases, these relationships are formed to expand a family. Write a personal essay about a relationship you have with a chosen family member. How did you first meet? Was there a particular incident that catalyzed what would become an inextricable bond? Has your commitment to each other been tested in ways big or small? Reflect on past memories and experiences you have had with this special person and how your relationship has evolved over the years.
In the 1968 science fiction film Planet of the Apes , which is based on French author Pierre Boulle’s 1963 novel and has spawned several sequels and a recent reboot, a crew of astronauts crash-lands on a planet ruled by apes who have developed an advanced and hierarchical civilization, complete with systems of governance, labor, scientific research, and a military force. In this far-off place, humans have been reduced to mute primitive beings who are subjugated and kept captive as workers for the primates. Write a speculative story that takes place in another universe with a premise revolving around a role reversal. What are the rules and governing structures of the society that you invent? You might decide to approach your narrative with a tone of horror, satire, or comedy to emphasize your perspective on stereotypical assumptions and social expectations.
“I love these raw moist dawns with / a thousand birds you hear but can’t / quite see in the mist. / My old alien body is a foreigner / struggling to get into another country. / The loon call makes me shiver. / Back at the cabin I see a book / and am not quite sure what that is.” In these eight lines that comprise Jim Harrison’s poem “Another Country,” which appears in his final collection, Dead Man’s Float (Copper Canyon Press, 2016), the late poet moves between observations about a natural outdoor setting and the speaker’s own bodily presence, arriving in the final two lines at a sentiment that expresses a feeling of defamiliarization at the seemingly mundane sight of a book. This week write a poem that explores the concept of being so absorbed in one environment or circumstance that to behold a different scene is like traveling to a strange and unknown realm.
A recent study in Scientific Reports journal revealed that, for possibly the first time, a nonhuman wild animal was seen using plant medicine to heal an active wound. In a rainforest in Indonesia, a Sumatran orangutan was observed ripping off leaves from a climbing vine plant, chewing them, and applying the plant sap to treat a wound on his face, which then healed after a few days. Write a personal essay on the theme of self-healing. Think about experiences when you’ve witnessed another person perform this task, or particularly resonant memories that pertain to your own past behavior. What are the primary emotions present throughout this process? What instances of self-treatment or self-medication in film, art, or literature created an impression on you?
Take inspiration from the concept of a campus novel—which takes place in and around the campus of a university and often involves the intertwined dynamics of students, professors, and conventions about learning and power—and write a story that engages with a school setting, whether prominently situated in the context of the plot or used for a particular scene. Some recent additions to the campus novel canon include Elif Batuman’s The Idiot (Penguin Press, 2017), Xochitl Gonzalez’s Anita de Monte Laughs Last (Flatiron Books, 2024), Kiley Reid’s Come and Get It (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2024), and Brandon Taylor’s Real Life (Riverhead Books, 2020). Will you include a character who is a student, teacher, administrative staff member, custodial worker or caretaker, or possibly an alumni revisiting the past? Consider the multitude of ways the incorporation of an educational environment might permeate the atmosphere of the narrative.
“The day the last friend / dies / we sit alone. / A visitor / from outer space / tries hard / to summon us. / Someone says / EAT DEATH. / I fish around for answers / but the questions / still won’t come,” writes Jerome Rothenberg, who passed away in April, in his poem “The Last Friend.” Included in his collection of one hundred poems, A Book of Witness: Spells & Gris-Gris (New Directions, 2022), the poem presents a list of statements and observations, many of which refer to death or dying in some personal way, though the connections are enigmatic and the logical progression is oblique. Try your hand at writing a poem that mentions its subject directly, but which also deliberately obfuscates or remains ambiguous in its intentions. How might using the “I” as a witness include the reader into your point of view?
The New York City culture and news website Gothamist recently asked New Yorkers about their thoughts on sidewalk etiquette in the crowded, bustling streets of their beloved city. What are the rules, who has the right-of-way, and who should yield? Respondents focused on always walking to the right of the sidewalk and to “move quickly and never stop.” One thoughtful respondent considered the cultural differences of sidewalks used for recreational strolls versus commuting. But the overall consensus was that among nine-to-fivers, tourists, parents with kids, dogwalkers, bicyclists, and groups, seniors deserve the right-of-way. Write an essay about the unwritten rules or etiquette you have observed in your daily surroundings. How have these common practices adapted to fit the needs of different people? Do they evolve over time as social norms change? Consider some of your own experiences with how public etiquette has helped or hindered harmonious community life.
The term sub rosa means “under the rose” in Latin and refers to something said or done in private. The rose has been associated with secrecy since ancient times, a decorative symbol often carved and painted in places like meeting rooms, banquet halls, and confessionals as reminders of confidentiality. This week write a short story that revolves around a conversation or discussion that occurs sub rosa in an enclosed space. Does a certain detail get leaked out or overheard? How might the secretive nature place a burden on your characters? Consider the ways in which the atmosphere and tone of your story feel distinctive in the time and space of your sub-rosa conversation versus the scenes that take place before or after the talk.
In the anthology Another Room to Live In: 15 Contemporary Arab Poets (Litmus Press, 2024) edited by Omar Berrada and Sarah Riggs, multinational and multilingual poet-translators challenge foundational narratives and rework mythologies through poetic expression. Yasmine Seale’s poem “Conventional Wisdom (Arabic Saying Translated Twenty Ways)” is composed of translations of an ancient aphorism expressing the inextricable place of poetry within Arab cultural heritage. Each line presents a variation on the truism: “Poetry is the record of the Arabs / The art of poetry is Arabs, collected / Good poetry is a list of Arabs / To speak in verse is to remain in Arab memory / To surpass another poet is the Arab odyssey.” Write a poem inspired by this idea of translating a proverb or maxim—either from another language or from English into English. How might you creatively interpolate different “translations” of the saying by incorporating connotations and riffing on free associations and personal experiences?
In a recent interview with Aria Aber for the Yale Review , when asked his thoughts on the responsibility of the poet, Jackson Prize–winning poet Fady Joudah says, “I often think that the responsibility of the poet is to strive to become the memory that people may possess in the future about what it means to be human: an ever-changing constant. In poetry, the range of metaphors and topics is limited, predictable, but the styles are innumerable. Think how we read poetry from centuries ago and are no longer bothered by its outdated diction. All that remains of old poetry is the music of what it means to be human.” Write a creative nonfiction piece that presents your personal theory of the responsibility of a writer or an artist. To construct an expansive approach, you might use observations about how different creative disciplines overlap in their goals, or consider what has remained resonant as the arts make their mark throughout various eras.
What is a writing prompt and how do you use one? Whether you find yourself in front of a blank page or stuck in a work-in-progress, writing prompts can offer a spark that ignites your creative thinking and can lead to new writing. Prompts offer guidance, fresh ideas, and direction for writers of all levels of experience. First, choose a prompt for the genre in which you’d like to write, then carefully read it and consider what it is asking you to think about. It could be a specific setting, a writing technique, or an element of an imagined character; a specific poem, story, essay, song, book, or film from which you might take inspiration; or a current event or a topical theme. A writing prompt is filled with endless possibilities—and there is no wrong way to use one to generate new writing!
What makes our writing prompts unique? We have an archive of over 2,000 prompts, all original and offered here and in our weekly newsletter . You’ll find a variety of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction prompts—some inspired by recent and classic literature and other forms of art, current events, and writing practices, and others that offer guidance for a particular form, including sonnets, erasure poetry, flash fiction, lyric essays, and more. For more than fifty years, Poets & Writers has supported creative writers with trustworthy information and inspiration, and our weekly prompts provide a regular dose of encouragement and motivation.
What are the benefits of using writing prompts? Writing prompts can help you get unstuck if you’re in a rut and the ideas aren’t flowing. But even if you’re not experiencing writer’s block, writing prompts can offer a fresh take or a new approach to a work-in-progress. Writing prompts can also provide the motivation to experiment with a new form, try out a new genre, or learn about other writing techniques. And writing prompts are an invaluable tool for teachers who want to encourage and inspire their writing students.
What is this list of Best Books? Best Books for Writers is a list of essential books for creative writers that we curate to support your writing practice. Every week, we add a book (whether new or a classic) with a synopsis and highlights. Included are books on the writing life, anthologies of craft essays, collections of lectures, practical guides with writing exercises, and more.
Poetry writing prompts Every Tuesday we post a new poetry prompt to guide you in your practice. Get to know the work of contemporary and classic poets, as well as a variety of poetic forms.
Fiction writing prompts Every Wednesday we post a new fiction prompt to spark your imagination. Take inspiration from recently published short stories and novels, and of course, the classics.
Creative nonfiction writing prompts Every Thursday we post a new creative nonfiction prompt to help your exploration of this ever-changing genre. These prompts include information and inspiration for a variety of essays as well as memoirs. Discover new writers and their craft, and fresh ways to generate writing inspired by your life.
Need a starter pack? Check out our Writing Prompts for Beginners .
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As a lifelong literature enthusiast, I decided to challenge myself in 2010 by participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), which tasks participants with writing a 50,000-word draft within a month. Although I’ve only achieved this goal twice since then, the experience has been invaluable. I’ve connected with a wonderful community of writers, both online and in person.
Through my experience, I can confidently say that creative writing is a skill that can be developed and honed, just like any other. While traditionally associated with literature, creative writing is increasingly being recognized as a powerful tool in various forms of writing, from copywriting and storytelling to novels and poetry. It has the ability to captivate readers and elevate the impact of written expression.
If you’re searching for the best online Creative Writing courses and resources, you’ve come to the right place. This Best Courses Guide (BCG) is built from Class Central’s catalog of over 300 Creative Writing courses and selected according to a methodology that you can check below.
Click on the shortcuts for more details:
Courses overview, why you should trust us, how we made our picks and tested them, here are our top picks.
Click on one to skip to the course details:
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12 hours | |
1-2 hours | |
2 hours | |
5-6 hours | |
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18 hours | |
NA |
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Creative writing is a genre of writing that seeks to evoke emotions and feelings in its readers. It surpasses the limits of traditional forms of literature and emphasizes narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary tropes and poetic traditions. Creative writing finds application in various forms of writing, including screenplays, plays, novels, poems, and other written works. In this guide, I will delve into some of its most popular facets.
Research shows that the brains of professional writers work differently from those of novice writers. Moreover, creative writing has been found to boost resilience in students . If you want to enjoy the benefits of writing, it’s important to develop the habit of jotting down your thoughts and words. Doing so can help you overcome writer’s block.
Creative writing is so powerful that it’s used in prisons to give inmates a chance to express themselves in programs like PEN America . “By providing resources, mentorship, and audiences outside the walls, we help these writers to join and enrich the broader literary community.”
Creative writing is a skill that can be learned and practiced like any other. Techniques such as ABDCE structure, 1st or 3rd person point of view, “show don’t tell”, dialogues, and tropes can be easily learned through the online courses in this guide.
Besides being an awesome writer, Sanderson is an instructor with a very unique talent for keeping us engaged. He has also made available a full course in creative writing on YouTube , originally presented at Brigham Young University, which includes the most crucial tools for any beginner or even experienced writers. The course is comprehensive and rich in content, with great sound and video quality.
Each video discusses a specific tool or technique, so you can easily select the theme you want to explore next or watch it all in sequence. It’s up to you. I recommend you take your time, watch one video at a time and experiment with each concept, or even better, find a writing buddy or form a group to practice writing together.
What you’ll learn:
“Very informative! I’m a beginner writer looking to study writing for video games, and this class gave me a lot of helpful tools to start understanding how stories work/how to organize my ideas! Will definitely be returning to some of these lectures in the future for guidance 👍” – Paige Webster
Brigham Young University | |
Youtube | |
Brandon Sanderson | |
Beginner | |
15 hours | |
1.8M | |
5/5 (6 reviews) | |
None |
Creative Writing by Wesleyan University is a specialization for those looking for a way to improve their writing structure, scene and character creations and finding your style. Each course includes writing practice (for paying learners) and insightful interviews. It’s worth your time and effort if you are a disorganized writer like myself.
It should be noted that the peer-grading system often lacks depth. However, the assignments are well-crafted and can be easily evaluated with minimal effort, providing some insights from other participants in the form of feedback or inspiration from their submissions.
“Great information about plot and scene structure. The information about revision was entirely new to me – thank you! The exercises were good and difficult in a good way that helped me hone my writing.” – Laura B, Coursera learner
Wesleyan University | |
Coursera | |
Brando Skyhorse, Amity Gaige, Amy Bloom and Salvatore Scibona | |
Beginner | |
40 hours | |
126K | |
4.7 (5K) | |
Yes, paid |
Neil Gaiman is currently one the most prolific writers I know of: he’s written books , comics , movies and even TV shows . Even if you’re not a fan of his style, there is definitely something you can learn from him.
In Neil Gaiman Teaches The Art Of Storytelling you will discover Neil’s philosophy on what drives a story and learn to unlock new stories within yourself.
While MasterClass doesn’t sell single courses, a subscription provides access to their entire library, including other writing courses like Margaret Atwood Teaches Creative Writing , Dan Brown Teaches Writing Thrillers , Malcolm Gladwell Teaches Writing , and James Patterson Teaches Writing . If you are considering the purchase, you should definitely enjoy the rest of their catalog.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
This course includes a 94-page workbook that includes assignments and supplemental material.
MasterClass | |
Neil Gaiman | |
Beginner | |
4-5 hours worth of lectures | |
Paid Certificate Available |
I love it when a passionate teacher like Trace Crawford puts the effort into creating a comprehensive curriculum. COMPLETE Creative Writing – All Genres is a 12-hour course with 145 downloadable resources. In this course, you will learn how to write engaging fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction, helping you become the successful writer you want to be.
This is a practical creative writing course that includes assignments reviewed by the instructor, though response time may vary.
“The short snippets of theory in combination with the short assignments suits my learning style. I don’t remember the last time I’ve written anything creative, but this course gave me the incentive to set some foundation and its actually quite enjoyable if you stick to it.” – Nikolaos-Stylianos Z., Udemy learner
Udemy | |
Trace Crawford | |
Beginner | |
12 hours | |
37 quizzes and writing practice | |
31K | |
4.7 (3.9K) | |
Available, paid |
I couldn’t resist adding Creative Writing for All: A 10-Day Journaling Challenge to this guide. Emily Gould is a delightful instructor, and her approach to inviting you to participate in the challenge is impossible to decline. It’s the perfect course to overcome writer’s block, which is exactly what she proposes. In this 10-day creative writing challenge, filled with inspiring examples, observation prompts, and clever revision tricks, writers and enthusiasts will be able to express their creativity in a personal and artful way.
This course is the shortest one on the list, and it’s more about the challenge of keeping a journal. If you decide to subscribe to Skillshare, you can also enjoy their entire library of courses. In addition to the other two recommended courses on this list, you can also check out these other Skillshare courses: Writing Suspense: How to Write Stories That Thrill in Any Genre and The Writer’s Toolkit: 6 Steps to a Successful Writing Habit .
Skillshare | |
Emily Gould | |
Beginner | |
26 min | |
58K | |
99% (1K) | |
Available, paid |
Shaun’s approach to writing in Short Story Writing: Create Fiction from Personal Experience is an unusual one. It draws from your personal experience to create a compelling fictional story. I can say from experience that this technique will help you write with more depth and authenticity. Every time we bring our own life to the story, it becomes alive, believable and relatable. In a way, all fictional stories are based on the author’s life.
This course will help you with techniques and a series of practical exercises to start writing your scenes from a more philosophical point of view, creating compelling stories. You’ll learn how to delve into your imagination to find everything you’ll need to become a prolific writer, no matter where you are.
By the end of the course, you will have a final project that will receive feedback from Shaun and other learners as well. Actually, if you want to check it out, in the course page on Domestika you can open the submitted projects and read the comments.
Shaun’s other courses: Creative Writing for Beginners: Bringing Your Story to Life .
“A practical course. Shaun Levin talks about theory but also demonstrates his process, which was invaluable. The exercises got my creative juices flowing. Thinking about doing his other course in the future.” – Maya Dicheva
Domestika | |
Shaun Levin | |
Beginner | |
2 hours | |
30K | |
99% (764) | |
Available, paid |
If you struggle to start or get stuck in your writing, Write Your Book: Start Strong and Get It Done can help. With good advice and emotional support, you’ll learn techniques to make writing less stressful. The accompanying workbook guides you to think methodically by asking the right questions to keep you focused on your story and not chasing your own tail.
In this class, you’ll learn how to:
This course is more of a masterclass, so there are no assignments included but it teaches good practices and provides a very useful workbook.
CreativeLive | |
Jennie Nash | |
Beginner | |
5-6 hours | |
18.8K | |
100% (29) | |
None |
Writing: The Craft of Story is a series of well-produced lectures covering the basic building blocks of a story. Taught by author Lisa Cron, you will learn how to create compelling stories based on the way the brain responds to storytelling. This course emphasizes the importance of capturing the reader’s attention through techniques such as suspense, exploring the protagonist’s inner issues and dreams, specificity, and cause and effect. Upon completion of the quizzes, you will receive a certificate for your LinkedIn profile. Additionally, you can watch all the videos without subscribing to the course.
“Learning the fundamentals of crafting a story was and is a fascinating experience. And yes, I would highly recommend writing to anyone interested in learning how to express the communication of feeling.” – Nicole Gillard, LinkedIn learner.
LinkedIn Learning | |
Lisa Cron | |
Beginner | |
1-2 hours worth of material | |
100K | |
4.7 (649) | |
Available, paid |
Discover the art of crafting powerful personal essays with best-selling author Roxane Gay in her course, Creative Writing: Crafting Personal Essays with Impact . Through her honest and thoughtful approach, Roxane will help you find your story, craft your truth, and write to make a difference.
This master class offers eight video lessons that are filled with practical guidance, actionable tactics, and example essays to guide you from the first idea to a final, publication-ready work.
You’ll learn how to:
Additionally, the class provides a downloadable worksheet to support your ongoing creative nonfiction writing practice, as well as links to additional resources.
If you enjoy creative nonfiction writing, you might consider this course that’s also on Skillshare: Creative Nonfiction: Write Truth with Style (Skillshare Original) by Susan Orlean
Skillshare | |
Roxane Gay | |
Beginner | |
1 hour | |
45K | |
100% (1.2K) | |
Available, paid. |
Start Writing Fiction explores the writing process, from journaling and idea development to reflection and editing. It features insights from established writers such as Louis de Bernières, Patricia Duncker, Alex Garland, Abdulrazak Gurnah, Tim Pears, Michèle Roberts, and Monique Roffey, who share their approaches to research and turning events into plot. Led by Derek Neale, a novelist and short story writer, this course provides a comprehensive understanding of the writing rituals and techniques used by successful writers.
You’ll get to critique the work of other writers and receive feedback. This course is designed for individuals interested in starting or improving their fiction writing and does not require prior experience in the subject.
You’ll learn:
“This course takes learners through many aspects of writing such as developing characters, observing and describing details, finding inspiration, writing and editing. It includes some peer reviews which can be varying in quality. I was lucky enough to have some of my writing reviewed by a reviewer who gave very helpful and positive feedback.” – Pat Bowden
The Open University | |
Future Learn | |
Derek Neale | |
Beginner | |
24 hours | |
389,780 learners | |
4.7 (923) | |
Available, paid |
Scribophile is one of the largest online writing communities. You can get feedback on your writing and join writing groups. If you decide to join with a free plan, you need to collect points by reviewing other writers’ work before submitting your own work for review. They also developed some advanced tools for evaluating work and guidelines to make sure you give/receive feedback that is actually meaningful.
NaNoWriMo started out as a month-long challenge where you invite your friends and join other writers in your region, be it online in their forums or in person, to challenge yourself in writing your first draft. Nowadays, they run all-year round writing challenges (but November is still the biggest one in terms of participation). What is cool about it is you actually get to meet people in real life with various writing skills and backgrounds. I was able to make some great friends over the years and even met a few professional writers that decided to join our local group just to support us.
If you have any resources you would like to have added here, leave a comment below.
Class Central , a Tripadvisor for online education, has helped 60 million learners find their next course. We’ve been combing through online education for more than a decade to aggregate a catalog of 200,000 online courses and 200,000 reviews written by our users. And we’re online learners ourselves: combined, the Class Central team has completed over 400 online courses, including online degrees.
Trying to find “the best” can be daunting, even for those of us who live and breathe online courses. Here’s how I approached this task.
First, I combed through Class Central’s Catalog and the internet to find a variety of free and paid open courses, some with certificates. You don’t need to enroll in a university to learn about creative writing.
When choosing courses, I considered the following factors:
Then, I defined the scope for these recommendations. A creative writing course can cover various topics, so I chose top courses from a range of sub-fields.
Ultimately, I used a combination of data and my own judgment to make these picks. I’m confident these recommendations will be a reliable way to learn about creative writing.
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Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting, writing blogs can offer many benefits. From honing your writing skills to building an online presence, blogging is a powerful tool for self-expression and connection. As you delve into the world of creative writing blogs, you'll have the opportunity to find your unique voice and connect with a diverse audience.
One of the key benefits of writing blogs is the opportunity to showcase your creativity and expertise in a specific niche. Through regular blog posts, you can establish yourself as an authority in your field and attract like-minded individuals who resonate with your content. Additionally, blogging allows for content creation flexibility, allowing you to explore various topics and styles.
In creative writing blogs, finding your unique voice is essential for engaging readers and standing out in a crowded online space. Your writing voice is what sets you apart from other bloggers and creates a sense of authenticity that resonates with your audience. By exploring different writing styles and experimenting with tone and language, you can discover the voice that best represents your personality and values.
Understanding your audience is crucial for creating compelling blog content that resonates with readers. By identifying their interests, preferences, and pain points, you can tailor your writing to address their needs effectively. Whether you're targeting aspiring writers or avid readers, knowing who your audience is will guide the direction of your creative writing blogs and help foster meaningful connections.
Ink Blog Template from Strikingly
When writing blogs, choosing the right blogging platform is crucial. Platforms like WordPress, Blogger, and Medium offer different features and customization options, so it's essential to consider your specific needs and goals before making a decision. Take the time to research each platform and choose the one that best suits your writing style and audience.
Setting up your blog is the next step in writing a blog. Once you've chosen a platform, you'll need to create an account, choose a domain name, and customize your blog's design. Consider using a clean and professional layout that is easy to navigate and visually appealing for your readers.
Creating engaging content is essential for writing blogs that resonate with your audience. Before diving into writing, start by brainstorming ideas, conducting research, and outlining your posts. Focus on topics that are relevant to your audience's interests and provide valuable insights or entertainment.
Perspective Blog Template from Strikingly
When writing blogs, the headline is your first chance to grab your reader's attention. A captivating headline should be concise, intriguing, and relevant to your content. It should also include keywords that will help boost your blog's visibility on search engines.
Visual elements such as images, infographics, and videos can enhance the appeal of your writing blogs . They break up large blocks of text and make your content more visually appealing. Visual elements also help to convey information more engagingly and memorably for your readers.
One of the most effective ways to engage readers in creative writing blogs is by using storytelling techniques. Storytelling adds a personal touch to your writing, making it more relatable and exciting for your audience. It allows you to connect with readers on an emotional level and keep them coming back for more.
Now that we've covered crafting captivating headlines, incorporating visual elements, and using storytelling techniques in creative writing blogs, it's time to implement these strategies in our own blog posts. By implementing these tips effectively, you can create compelling content that resonates with your audience and sets you apart as a top writer in the blogosphere!
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When it comes to writing blogs, learning from famous bloggers like Neil Patel can provide valuable insights into crafting engaging content. By studying their writing style, topics, and engagement strategies, you can gain inspiration and ideas for your creative writing blogs. Please take note of how they structure their posts, incorporate storytelling elements, and engage with their audience to create a successful blog that resonates with readers.
Famous bloggers like Neil Patel have mastered the art of writing blogs that captivate and engage readers. By analyzing their writing techniques and understanding how they connect with their audience, you can gain valuable insights into creating compelling content for your blog. Please pay attention to the topics they cover, the tone of their writing, and how they use visual elements to enhance their posts.
Incorporating SEO strategies into your blog writing is essential for increasing visibility and driving traffic to your site. You can improve your blog's ranking on search engines by conducting keyword research, optimizing meta tags, and creating high-quality content that meets search intent. Utilize SEO tools to identify relevant keywords related to creative writing blogs or best writing blogs in your niche and strategically integrate them into your content.
A strong call-to-action (CTA) is crucial for prompting readers to take action after reading your blog posts. Whether it's encouraging them to subscribe to your newsletter, download a free resource, or engage with your content on social media, a compelling CTA can drive conversions and foster reader engagement. Craft compelling CTAs that are clear, concise, and aligned with the goals of your writing blogs for authors or top writing blogs.
Remember that these tips are applicable not only when you write blogs but also when you write creative pieces such as poetry or short stories. This will help you reach more people who share similar interests in reading or blogging about literature!
Dinner is Done Blog Template from Strikingly
If you're looking for inspiration to improve your writing blogs, it's essential to analyze top writing blogs like Copyblogger. Copyblogger offers valuable insights into content marketing, copywriting, and blogging strategies that can help you enhance your writing skills and grow your audience.
Copyblogger is known for its high-quality content that covers various aspects of writing blogs, including tips on crafting compelling headlines, creating engaging content, and utilizing SEO strategies. By analyzing Copyblogger's approach to writing blogs, you can gain valuable knowledge and inspiration to elevate your blog writing.
For authors looking to enhance their creative writing skills, there are numerous creative writing blogs explicitly tailored for authors. These blogs offer advice on developing characters, building compelling plots, and refining storytelling techniques. By following these creative writing blogs for authors, you can gain fresh ideas and perspectives to enrich your writing journey.
Engaging with the writing community through various platforms, such as social media groups or forums dedicated to writers, can inspire your blog writing. By connecting with other writers, sharing experiences, and seeking feedback on your work, you can tap into a supportive network that fosters creativity and encourages growth in your writing endeavors.
By exploring the best writing blogs for inspiration, like Copyblogger, and connecting with the larger community of writers, you can infuse new energy into your blog writing journey while honing your writing craft.
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Strikingly offers a range of features to help you create and customize your writing blogs. With its user-friendly interface, you can easily design your blog to reflect your unique writing style and personality. From choosing the suitable color scheme to selecting the perfect font, Strikingly allows you to make your blog visually appealing and engaging for your readers.
Strikingly also provides a variety of templates and layouts to choose from, making it easy to create a professional-looking blog without any design experience. Additionally, the platform offers built-in SEO tools to help improve your blog's visibility and reach a wider audience. With Strikingly, you can focus on writing great content while the platform takes care of the technical aspects of running a successful blog.
With Strikingly, you can personalize every aspect of your blog design to make it stand out. You can add custom backgrounds, images, and videos to create a visually stunning blog that captures your audience's attention. Whether you are a fiction writer or a poet, you can use Strikingly's design tools to showcase your creativity and make a lasting impression on your readers.
Strikingly also provides built-in SEO tools that help optimize your writing blogs for search engines. Incorporating relevant keywords into your blog posts and meta descriptions can improve your blog's visibility and attract more readers. With Strikingly's SEO features, you can increase the chances of ranking higher in search results and reaching a wider audience with your creative writing blogs.
Strikingly's user-friendly interface makes it easy for even beginners to understand and implement SEO best practices . By following the platform's guidance on keyword usage and meta descriptions, you can feel confident that your blog posts are being optimized for maximum visibility. With Strikingly's intuitive SEO tools, you can focus on creating compelling content while knowing that your blogs are set up for success in search engine rankings.
One of Strikingly's most valuable features is the ability to showcase your writing portfolio on your blog. Whether you're an aspiring author or an established writer, having a portfolio of your best work can help attract potential clients or publishers. With Strikingly, you can easily create a dedicated page for displaying samples of your writing, making it easier for visitors to discover and appreciate your talent.
By using Strikingly's features for designing, optimizing, and showcasing content for your writing blogs, you can make the most out of its capabilities in establishing a strong online presence as a writer. With its user-friendly platform, you can easily customize your blog design to reflect your unique style and personality. Additionally, integrating SEO tools provided by Strikingly can help optimize your blog for better visibility and reach. Lastly, you can effectively showcase your writing portfolio through the platform's built-in features, allowing you to highlight your best work and attract potential readers or clients.
Stay tuned in our next section where we will discuss how to take Your Writing Blog to the Next Level!
Now that you have learned the ins and outs of writing blogs, it's time to take your blog to the next level. By consistently creating engaging content, interacting with your audience, and implementing SEO strategies, you can elevate your blog to new heights. Embrace continuous improvement by analyzing top writing blogs and learning from famous bloggers like Neil Patel. Establishing your online writing presence is crucial for connecting with fellow writers and expanding your reach as a blogger.
To take your writing blog to the next level, focus on creating consistent and high-quality content that resonates with your audience. Engaging with other writers in the community can also help you gain new insights and expand your network of readers.
Continuous improvement is critical to success in the world of blogging. Take inspiration from top writing blogs and constantly seek ways to enhance your writing skills and engage with your audience more meaningfully.
Establishing a solid online presence as a writer involves actively participating in the writing community, sharing valuable insights, and building relationships with other writers. This can help you gain visibility as a writer and attract more readers to your creative writing blogs.
Leveraging these tips and Strikingly's blogging features will help you establish an influential online presence through compelling creative writing blogs. By continuously improving your blog content and embracing opportunities to connect with other writers, you can solidify your online writing presence and make a lasting impact on readers across various platforms.
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When your language teachers and tutors advise you to get more writing practice , it can be hard to follow their guidance.
If your daily life isn’t action-packed, keeping a diary in your target language can get boring and repetitive, but what other topics can you discuss?
Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced learner, there are plenty of great things to write about. Here are 33 writing prompts for language learners to get you started.
1. who are you, 2. what are your favorite hobbies, 3. what’s your family like, 4. what’s your best friend like, 5. where do you live, 6. what’s your favorite food, 7. what’s your favorite season, 8. what’s your favorite movie or tv show, 9. describe your daily routine., 10. what are you going to do this weekend, 11. what’s your favorite animal, intermediate writing prompts, 12. what’s the funniest thing that has ever happened to you, 13. where would you like to go on vacation, 14. what’s the best vacation, trip or outing you’ve ever had, 15. where do you see yourself in five years, 16. what are your goals for the future, 17. what were you like as a child, 18. write a poem (rhyming or not) about something that inspires you., 19. pretend you’re instructing someone on how to do your favorite activity., 20. what’s your favorite (or your family’s favorite) tradition.
Advanced writing prompts, 23. if you were given three wishes, what would you wish for, 24. what do you think the most significant world problem is, 25. if you could change one thing about society, what would you change, 26. how has the internet affected communication how do you see it affecting communication in the future, 27. what do you think would be an ideal political system does an ideal system exist, 28. who’s responsible for poverty why does it exist, and how could it be resolved, 29. what’s your favorite literary work, and what has it taught you, 30. if you could teach your future children or other children of the future one lesson, what would it be, 31. what medical issues have you or your loved ones faced how did you handle them or how do you continue to handle them, 32. what topics are not adequately addressed in schools today why should these topics be addressed more, 33. describe a recent world event. what are the potential consequences of this event, why use foreign language writing prompts, how to get the most out of writing prompts for language learners, and one more thing....
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Beginning level students usually know basic vocabulary related to describing people, weather, food, animals, routines and related topics.
Writing as a beginning student can be a bit tricky because you don’t yet have a vast vocabulary. Additionally, your verb conjugation abilities are probably limited, so you may need to stick to the present tense.
These writing prompts can be answered with simple, general vocabulary and present tense verbs , so they’re ideal for beginning students.
You can take this question in a wide variety of directions. Based on what vocabulary you want to practice, you might describe your appearance, your job and/or your interests. If you want to try using more advanced-level vocabulary, you could try getting more philosophical with your response.
Everyone has something they like to do. What are your favorite hobbies? If your vocabulary is limited, you might try simple responses, like “I like sports.” However, as your vocabulary gets more advanced, you can add more detail into your response. For instance, “I like sports, especially soccer. My favorite thing about soccer is hitting the ball with my head.”
What do they look like? What are their personalities like? How is each person related to you? What are their interests? This prompt can be used for quick, easy writing practice or for a book-length extended project.
You can describe your friend physically, describe their personality and/or explain what you like to do together. If you already know some past tense verbs, you might even tell a story about something that happened with your friend in the past to illustrate what your friend is like.
You could even break this one down into a series of prompts. Describe your neighborhood. Describe your city. Describe your state. Describe your country. You might discuss the layout, culture, businesses, natural environment or how you feel about your location.
Not only can you name the dish and list the ingredients, you can also describe how it tastes. As your language skills progress, you might even try explaining how the dish is made.
With this prompt, you can address a variety of subtopics. What is the weather like? What does the season look like? How does it feel? What events or holidays happen during the season?
You can describe what happens in the movie or TV show in either past or present tense. You might also note the genre and/or describe the characters.
Major bonus points if you can describe a Netflix movie or TV show that you also watch in your target language!
Beginning students commonly learn words related to daily routines, so go through your day and explain what you do. When do you wake up? How do you get ready for work or school? What do you eat for breakfast? When do you leave for work or school? How do you get there? What do you do once you’re there? What do you eat for lunch? When do you leave? What do you eat for dinner? How do you relax in the evening?
This question can be a little more advanced in that you could use future tense verbs. However, if you don’t yet know future tense, depending on what your target language is, you may be able to simply use “I am going to…” constructions. Writing about your plans can help you practice words for common activities and prepare you for real conversations you may have with native speakers.
You might describe the animal, what it looks like, what it eats, where it lives, etc. This can give you practice with animal words, physical descriptions, food words and location-related vocabulary.
As an intermediate writer, it’s time to up your game. Now, you can use a broader range of vocabulary words and verb tenses. These prompts will help you make good use of your advancing skills.
Whip out your past tense verbs for this one! Consider writing the story of the funniest thing you’ve experienced. Maybe it’s something that happened to you or maybe it’s just something you witnessed. Regardless, this will give you practice with more diverse vocabulary and past tense verbs.
This prompt invites you to give your conditional verb tenses a workout. Where would you like to go? Why would you like to visit this location? What would you like to do there? Who would you go with?
Describing the best out-of-the-ordinary experience you’ve had, whether a vacation or any other break from daily routine, gives you an opportunity to use plenty of past tense verbs. You might even work in some less common verbs to describe specific activities you participated in, like snorkeling or skiing. You can describe the experience, who you were with, what you did and what made it so enjoyable. Feeling nostalgic? Look at old photos if you have them and describe them in your target language.
Oh, the age-old interview question! In your native language, it’s probably an uncomfortable opportunity to reflect on your goals, but in your target language, it can be a valuable way to practice using future, conditional and/or subjunctive verb tenses while also employing industry-specific vocabulary.
Plus, if you ever need to do a job interview in your target language, you’ll be happy you have the practice. If you like this prompt, you might even consider using some of The Muse’s list of common interview questions for additional writing prompts.
What do you hope to achieve in your life? You might use future tense here, but if you prefer present tense, you can use an “I want to…” or related construction. From there, you can use all sorts of vocabulary words related to your career, family, housing, etc.
Use past tense to describe yourself as a child. You might describe your appearance or personality. To work in more advanced vocabulary, you might also note in what ways you challenged your parents and what you wanted to be when you grew up.
Writing poetry can be a fun way to use your language skills. To make it a little trickier, write in rhyme. You can write about whatever you like, but you can’t go wrong with a love poem. After all, you can always re-purpose it down the road if need be.
Whether it’s cooking, painting or playing Fortnite, this will require the use of commands and a strong vocabulary related to whatever activity you write about.
Whether they’re monthly or yearly, passed down through generations or made up on the spot, traditions shared by people can be a lot of fun. But they also afford a lot of opportunities to use whatever verb conjugations you need to practice. You can talk about your favorite tradition from the past, how you practice it today or how you hope to practice it in the future. You could even instruct readers on how to adopt your favorite tradition.
Think about society, culture and major world issues. How do you think everything will change and evolve? Not only can you use future tense verbs, but this prompt will give you the opportunity to use more advanced vocabulary related to science, technology, culture and/or politics. Depending on your vision, you could even expand your work into a sci-fi or dystopian novel.
This prompt could work with either present tense or conditional verbs. However, more importantly, it invites you to use plenty of more advanced vocabulary relating to learning, careers and society. Responding to this prompt could even serve as extra motivation by reminding you why education or learning of any kind (including your language learning) is so important to you.
As an advanced student, you should be aiming to write without having to think too much. You should be able to navigate seamlessly between any verb tenses and use your large and diverse vocabulary effectively. These prompts aim to help you exercise a broad array of skills.
Okay, you might not have a genie in a bottle, but what would you ask for if you did? This question invites the use of conditional tense verbs. Plus, the vocabulary you use is likely to be as diverse and varied as your dreams.
Writing about current world problems can help you use vocabulary words that are relevant today but might not be terribly common. While you could use present tense, you might also use future and/or conditional tense to examine how this issue could cause long-term consequences.
Take this world’s problems and turn them around! Considering what you would change about society will give you an opportunity to use conditional tense and/or commands to explain what needs to change and how.
Past and future tense in one prompt? How can you resist? Not only that, this prompt invites you to use the latest technology-related words, which are super useful for advanced learners.
This prompt invites you to use advanced vocabulary related to politics and society. Plus, you can use it to practice the conditional tense, future tense and/or subjunctive tense verbs.
This question may feel nearly impossible to answer in your native language, so it will be even more challenging in your target language. However, if you give it a try, you’ll be able to practice words related to society and politics. While you’ll probably use mostly present tense verbs, you might also work in some conditional, subjunctive, future and/or past tense.
Using key literary terms is often reserved for academia, so writing about your favorite literary work will certainly give your vocabulary a workout. While this will be largely in present tense, you might throw in a few other verb tenses for good measure.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learned? Why do you want others to learn it? This question is complex enough that you might incorporate a huge array of verb tenses.
Medical terminology can be a little tricky, but practicing using it is useful , particularly if it relates to a medical condition you or loved ones have. Writing about medical issues and their treatments will reinforce medical vocabulary and past tense verbs. Plus, if you ever experience a medical emergency abroad, you might be relieved to have practiced relevant vocabulary.
You’re educated. You know what’s up. What do you think should be covered more in schools? Addressing this issue gives you an opportunity to use education terms, present tense verbs and conditional verbs.
Not only can you use vocabulary that’s currently relevant, you can also use an array of verb tenses. Start with past tense and then transition to future, conditional and/or subjunctive tenses. Using this writing prompt can help you practice transitioning smoothly between tenses.
With these writing prompts for all levels, you’ll never be at a loss for words.
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Here are over 105 creative writing exercises to give your brain a workout and help those creative juices flow again: Set a timer for 60 seconds. Now write down as many words or phrases that come to mind at that moment. Pick any colour you like. Now start your sentence with this colour.
The purpose of creative writing exercises is to expand your imagination and to spark new ideas or thoughts, encouraging you to practice writing these before you start on your next project. Themed writing prompts can be helpful here, breaking down your prompts into different buckets like: Food. Animals. Landscapes.
Learning to write fiction is like training for a marathon. Before you get ready for the main event, it's good to warm up and stretch your creative muscles. Whether you're a published author of a bestselling book or a novice author writing a novel for the first time, creative exercises are great for clearing up writer's block and getting your creative juices flowing.
This is an especially great creative writing exercise for beginners as they learn the elements of style and language. Daily Journaling. Of course, the best way to improve your creative writing skills is simply to write every day. Keeping a daily journal is a great way to exercise your writing mind. By sitting down with your personal ...
Our 100+ Best Creative Writing Practice Exercises and Lessons. Now that you know how we practice writing at The Write Practice, here are our best writing practice lessons to jumpstart your writing skills with some daily writing exercises, for beginner writers to even the most expert writers: All-Time, Top 10 Writing Lessons and Exercises
List of 12 creative writing exercises for beginners and students. ️ These quick exercises will unleash your imagination, help overcome writer's block, and i...
This activity is a great creative writing exercise and a way to tap into your emotions. 4. Do a Point of View (POV) Switch. Take a segment from a favorite book. Rewrite that segment from a different character's point of view. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is written in third-person limited POV.
Eight. Pick a fiction book from your shelf. Go to page eight and find the eighth sentence on the page. Start with that sentence and write an eight-line poem that connects in some way to your work-in-progress. For instance, write from the POV of a character, or set the poem in a story setting. Don't worry about poetry forms.
5. Write a stream of consciousness page. This is an easy and fun exercise. You want to write it in longhand rather than typing on your computer, as handwriting slows down the process and allows more time for your creative brain to do its work. Grab a pen and blank pad and simply start writing.
If you're interested in the world of creative writing, we have eight fantastic exercises and activities to get you started. ️🤩 Don't miss on the joy of Creative Writing: here are 8 ways to get started. Click to tweet! 1. Use writing prompts every week. Coming up with ideas for short stories can be challenging, which is why we created a ...
Welcome to Writing Exercises and Prompts. This site provides (completely free) creative writing prompts and exercises to help you get started with creative writing and break through writing blocks - as well as some fun anagram vocabulary games. Generate random story ideas, plots, subjects, scenarios, characters, first lines for stories and more.
A selection of fun creative writing exercises that can be completed solo, or with a group. Some are prompts to help inspire you to come up with story ideas, others focus on learning specific writing skills. ... is the single most common mistake in the fiction of beginners." Spend 5 minutes writing a scene where the protagonist is passive in a ...
Exercises for Beginning Poetry Writers. 13x13x13: Choose the 13th book on your bookshelf, open to page 13, find the 13th sentence, and use it in a poem about luck that is 13 lines long. Scrabble ...
In the beginning, you should allow yourself the freedom to experiment with different story types and genre. This is part of the process of discovering who you are as a writer. So to start, your only aim should be to write regularly and establish good writing habits. If you allow yourself this 'practice' time you will soon learn which ...
For instance, bench pressing while reciting the emperors in a Chinese dynasty. 26. Write a paragraph where a character does a simple action, like turning on a light switch, and make the reader marvel at how strange and odd it truly is. 27. Have a couple fight while playing a board game.
8. How to breathe. A "how-to" is a type of writing that describes how to do something step-by-step. Most how-to's teach the reader something new, like how to bake a chocolate cake or how to use a certain feature on your phone. For this exercise, write a how-to for something a bit… different.
4 - Take one of your favorite short stories, either one you've written or one you've read, and write it in a different genre. For example, take a romance and write it as horror. This is a super fun exercise, and it lets you practice using tone and perspective! The tone of a story can change the meaning.
Set a timer for 10 minutes and write a complete story in that time frame. Focus on a single, impactful moment or event. This exercise encourages brevity and creativity within a limited timeframe. Plot Twist Experiment: Take a familiar fairy tale or classic story and give it a modern or unexpected twist.
18. Recall your text-to-speech exercise and pretend you're taking down your thoughts (or your character's thoughts) from mental dictation. Use a prompt, if it helps, and record their stream-of-consciousness thinking process without editing or filtering any of the content. Write exactly as you (or they) talk.
Here are some concrete exercises that can help you improve your creative writing:. Describe a scene: Choose a scene or setting and describe it in detail, using all of your senses.Try to create a vivid picture in the reader's mind, using specific details and descriptive language. Write from a different perspective: Take a story or event and write it from a different character's perspective.
1. As Easy as ABC. Use the alphabet to spark creativity. You could start by writing a story containing a word that begins with each letter of the alphabet. Or, if you are looking for an extra challenge, try writing a poem. Each line of your poem could begin with a different alphabet letter.
Simple - Just create writing goals for yourself. Examples of writing goals might include, to write 100 words every day or to write 600 words by the end of next week. Whatever your goals make sure you can measure them easily. That way you'll know if you met them or not.
When she's not tapping away at her keyboard, you'll find her reading a good book or experimenting in the kitchen. Commerce, Email Marketing. Read article. Deliverability Report, Inside ConvertKit. Use our writing exercises to create better marketing content in only 10 minutes every day. Sharpen your skills with these writing drills!
The Online Writing Lab (the Purdue OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects.
Find details about every creative writing competition—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, grants for translators, and more—that we've published in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it in the Writing Contests ...
Besides being an awesome writer, Sanderson is an instructor with a very unique talent for keeping us engaged. He has also made available a full course in creative writing on YouTube, originally presented at Brigham Young University, which includes the most crucial tools for any beginner or even experienced writers.The course is comprehensive and rich in content, with great sound and video quality.
In creative writing blogs, finding your unique voice is essential for engaging readers and standing out in a crowded online space. Your writing voice is what sets you apart from other bloggers and creates a sense of authenticity that resonates with your audience. By exploring different writing styles and experimenting with tone and language, you can discover the voice that best represents your ...
Writing prompts can help you keep your target language in shape. Skills can slip over time, so continuing to practice your writing can help prevent backsliding. Using writing prompts can help make it so that writing in your target language feels easy and requires less conscious effort. Writing in a foreign language is a skill like any other ...