10 Free Detailed Writing Prompts to Drive Your Next Story
The best stories come from the most unexpected places and from the smallest ideas. And sometimes, you just need a little prompt to spark an idea so good that you fall in love with writing it. I wanted to give you some great writing prompts that can spark those stories within you. But here’s the twist: I love writing prompts, but sometimes the ideas are so vague that it feels like I’m not using a prompt at all. I wanted to give you a few detailed prompts that set up the plot and characters for you, so you can just get to writing and expanding on them. Here we go!…
How to Prepare for Your First NaNoWriMo (Beginner’s Guide)
The stresses of the daunting task quickly ceased as my excitement for the upcoming project grew—my first NaNoWriMo. 50,000 words. 30 days. Never in my life have I written anywhere close to 50,000 words in a month, but here we are. I’m preparing for my first NaNoWriMo, and if you have found yourself with the same goal, here’s everything I’m doing to prepare. November’s still a little while off, so now is the absolute best time to start preparing. The focus of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a lot of writing > great writing. So, in the 30 days of November, the goal is to write 50,000 words! With…
Planning an Entire Novel Using My New Custom Writer’s Hub
Hi there! If you are new to this blog, you may not know that I make digital products for writers. And recently I started working on a new all-in-one Notion Writer’s Hub. I’ll be honest—I’m a little obsessed with it. I recently had a kind of random idea for a novel and thought… why not try to plan the entire thing using my custom hub? Let’s dive in! The Struggle I’ve been using a Notion novel planner I created a while back, and while it’s been super helpful, I’ve learned so much more about Notion since then. That’s why I wanted to design something bigger: a single hub that holds…
How To Stay Inspired to Write Long Term
Writing novels is an entirely different challenge from writing short stories and flash fiction. Though each has its own set of pros and cons, writing full-length novels requires long-lasting motivation. To continue writing (possibly for years) one story in spite of the boredom, disinterest, and frustration is a feat like no other. But how do you stay inspired to write long-term? At some point along the project, you’re bound to feel a lack of interest, a lack of motivation, and uncertainty about where to take the story. These feelings are inevitable, but knowing how to handle them can help ease their discomfort. Here’s my advice on how to stay inspired…
Making These World-Building Mistakes? Here’s How To Fix Them
Building a world through words seems like a daunting feat. But, when world-building is done right, it gives readers an immersive story and brings the characters and scenes to life. World-building done wrong, though, can weaken the world you’re trying to bring to life. In this post, we will explore five world-building mistakes that writers often make—and practical ways to fix them. Mistake #1: Info-Dumping As a writer, you want to give readers the insight they need to understand your story. Sometimes, writers will write all of this information into one scene, resulting in the reader feeling overwhelmed, rushed, and will likely forget all the information. This can occur once…
What To Do When You Want To Quit Writing
You’ve poured your heart into the story, shared it on your portfolio, and no one reads it. The disappointment is high, but you decide to enter it in a contest. But, as always, it doesn’t win, and now you’re lost and you are doubting yourself. This is how writer’s burnout can form, and how you can end up feeling like you want to quit writing. This feeling of self-doubt and lack of motivation happens to every writer, so don’t worry if you feel like this. There are things you can do to work through it, although time will usually help on its own. Signs You’re Burnt Out Every writer experiences…
Breaking Down the Hero’s Journey in Coraline
Coraline, to me, is a complex narrative disguised as a simple children’s story. It follows Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey in such a unique way that I wanted to break down each step for you. I think Coraline is a perfect story to learn many writing techniques from. Let’s follow along through the hero’s journey in Coraline and her journey through the surreal. Jump To What is the Hero’s Journey? The Hero’s Journey (also called the monomyth) was popularized by Joseph Campbell. He was a mythologist who believed stories share a common structure. Writers can use this structure as a great guide to plan their own stories. The steps are: Coraline…
How To Build a Daily Writing Habit—Even When You’re Busy
I know as authors we plan to write every day, but life often has plans of its own. Writing gets put to the back burner again and we continue with the ‘more important’ things. But, if you want to be a writer, you need to write! Developing a daily writing habit matters—especially for busy people who can tend to let writing go for later. This post will help you to develop a consistent writing habit with actionable steps and mindset shifts. Why a Daily Writing Habit Is Worth Your Time Let me make it clear: when I say “daily” don’t think this will be an everyday thing. Like I said,…
How To Write Poetry for Absolute Beginners
Poetry—I’ve become quite intrigued by poetry these past few years. And that’s quite new to me. I enjoy the layers of symbolism and themes that come from poems. So, I’ve decided to finally look into how to write poetry, learn more about the craft, and share what I’ve found with you. I’ve found poetry to be an excellent tool for creative writers and authors. The shortness of poems allows authors to add to their portfolio quickly. Not only that, but poetry also stretches your writing muscles by forcing you to write in a new way. So, I want to share with you the basics of poetry, how and where to…
The Best AI Tools for Busy Writers
Through the rise of AI and the ethical concerns it raises I have avoided it entirely. But, as always, when something becomes mainstream, you can’t escape it. And so, I tried it. I discovered how I could use AI as a tool to help build my writing career without abusing it, and now I see the benefits. That isn’t to say there aren’t still concerns. However, when you use AI as a tool, it can be incredibly helpful—especially to writers trying to grow their online presence. So, I want to share my must-have AI tools for writers and the pros and cons of AI. Jump To Beginner Writers & Authors…
