This is the fifth and final post in my series on the benefits of writing with an outline. In my first post, I listed three reasons why most writers need an outline. In the second, I discussed three things to keep in mind when creating an outline. In the third, I talked about how to use one while… Read more »
“I try to write every single day, but some days life gets in the way and I can’t do it. Then I feel really guilty. How do I find time to write every single day and how can I stop feeling guilty when I’m not writing?” – Guilty in Galveston Yeah, so. There’s this thing… Read more »
The notion that one should not understand too much about how to write is very common in writing workshops across the country. The refrain is that one should only write. I don’t think that attitude is helpful. We value experiment in science; we respect practice and rehearsal in theater and music; yet many fiction writers… Read more »
Our new writing challenge Conquer the Craft in 29 Days (#CTC29) starts today. During this challenge, writers do one prompt per day for 29 days. I’ve handpicked the prompts so that they cover all the important topics in the craft of fiction and structured the challenge so that by the end of 29 days, writers will… Read more »
This is the fourth post in my series on the benefits of writing with an outline. In my first post, I listed three reasons why most writers need an outline. In the second, I discussed three things to keep in mind when creating an outline. In the third, I talked about how to use one while drafting. In this… Read more »
“I just got a book of character archetypes, but it seems so limiting. Do I really have to categorize all of my characters into these types?” –Confused & Characterless To answer your question, Confused & Characterless, I give you another quote: “They’re more like guidelines than actual rules.” –Captain Barbossa I highly approve of character… Read more »
Over the past few weeks, you may have noticed we’ve had a bit of a recurring theme on the DIY MFA site — Writing Challenges. Becca gave us 29 reasons to do a writing challenge, Melinda talked about what a writing challenge is (and isn’t!), and I wrote about how a writing challenge can help you. Just in case we… Read more »
We’ve been talking a lot about writing challenges here at DIY MFA lately. Last week Becca shared 29 reasons why you should do them and earlier this week Melinda talked about what results you can get from a challenge. Not sold on the concept? Here’s how a writing challenge can help you write more, write better, and write smarter. 1) Write More Most writing challenges… Read more »
When I first launched my writing career, the task of writing a novel seemed daunting. The blank page stared accusingly at me, like I’d failed before I even started. I knew the basic story I wanted to write, but beyond that everything was a haze of mis-matched sentences and bizarre people lurking in shadows. Then… Read more »
“I only like to write when the muse moves me, but I’m having trouble getting the motivation to finish something. Help!” –Bemused You know what you need? A good ol’ fashioned dunk in an icy lake! Just kidding. But it’s 95 degrees here and I’m a little delirious with the heat. Writing challenges are popular in… Read more »
