Writing Contemporary Realistic Fiction
What is contemporary realistic fiction? Is it the right genre for your story? Check out this post for tips and tricks in writing this genre for kids.
Tips for Winning Our Mystery First Pages Writing Contest
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Advice to take your entry to the top. Have you heard the exciting news? The Institute for Writers is now accepting submissions for its Mystery First Pages Writing Contest! Every quarter, IFW hosts a contest, and this time…
Chris McCloskey
The Adventures of Tooten and Ter: A Nose for Crime , The Adventures of Tooten and Ter: A Nose for Trouble
November 15, 2019
Betsy O. Borchardt
The Casting of CrownsNovember 1, 2019
Research Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them – Part 1 | IFW
Famed editor Paula Morrow brings us Research Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them because research is essential whether you write fiction or nonfiction. Expert tips ahead!
Winning Nonfiction: A Path for Revision
Nonfiction writing includes outlines, research, and many drafts. The revision process gives us the chance to polish the content, presentation, and style.
Revising for a Strong Start
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > A checklist for hooking your reader. As the saying goes, we have one chance to make a first impression, and it’s the same with writing. Editors, agents, and readers tend to cast aside stories with weak beginnings. It’s…
J.J. Lawrence
Uncharted WatersAugust 2, 2019
Mark Geatches
amar & PJ: One Giant AdventureJune 28, 2019
From Real Life to the Written Page: Inspired by People You Know or Have Met
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > “Writers, do not wait for inspiration. You need to arm yourself and track inspiration down and mount its head over your fireplace.” – Erin Bow This quote makes me laugh. It’s a reminder to open my eyes and…
From Real Life to the Written Page: Using Your Emotions and Beliefs
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > “For sale: baby shoes, never used.”* That gets an immediate reaction from me. It implies sadness, loss, grief in only six words. We want our readers to react emotionally to our writing as well. But where do we…
From Real Life to the Written Page: Using Others’ Experiences Along With Your Own
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Ever read a story that felt unrealistic? I sure have. And I’ve seen it too many times to count in TV shows and movies. For example, the unconscious patient with the hospital bed rails down. Right. I’m sure…
From Real Life to the Written Page: Using Where You’ve Lived
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > The old adage “write what you know” definitely has value, especially when you use places you’ve experienced. Lived in a dry climate? You know the feel of grit blown into your eye and the scent of freshly rain-dampened…
Hooking the Reader
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > With all the competition from Kindle Unlimited, self-published books, and traditional publishing’s blitz of new releases and re-releases, getting and keeping a reader’s attention has gotten difficult. You need to entice the reader from the very first line,…
Setting as a Character
Write a setting so integral you can enhance your characters’ experiences, drive home your theme and mirror the characters’ journey through the novel.
Choosing a Point of View
Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > All stories are told by someone. Sometimes it’s a chorus of voices as the writer dips into the consciousness of more than one character, revealing their thoughts. More often it’s told by…
Editing Descriptions to Move Your Story Forward | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > Is your pacing too slow? Need to pull out your writer tools to increase story pacing? This is Part II of my “editing description to move the story forward” article. Part I focused specifically on scene imagery. This…
Editing Scene Imagery to Move Your Story Forward | IFW
Facebook Twitter We teach our students how to write and get published! View our Course Catalog > If you’re looking to increase the tension and keep readers turning the pages, become a master of story imagery. We’re told to have sensory details, and imagery descriptions to create a well developed setting. But imagery runs the…
Top 3 Source of Writer’s Block (& How to Jump Over Them Now)
Here are the top 3 sources of writer’s block and how to bust right past them from guest blogger Kristin J. Dawson. Read on for tools to help you right now!
Let’s Talk About Plot
Many writers struggle with plot. Plot has to mix and blend characters, theme, premise, and more. So, let’s break down the essentials of plot.
