Be Inspired / 103 posts found
Kit Mayquist: On Writing the Book You Want To Read
A fan of everything spooky and indulgent, Kit Mayquist is a bisexual, trans masculine writer who can be found in the historic shadows of Boston, MA, hunched over his desk with a sullen Persian cat in his lap and surrounded in antiques. He has a MA degree in Medieval History from the University of Iceland, and a BA from Portland State University (and if you ask him, yes, Stumptown will always have the best coffee). Find him on Twitter and Instagram. Kit Mayquist In this post, Kit discusses how craving a nostalgic, gothic story led him to writing his novel, […]
Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 601
For today’s prompt, write a first poem. This is my first prompt and poem since the 600th Wednesday Poetry Prompt last week. But there are many other firsts available out there, including first steps, first words, and first jobs. Pick one such first and write your poem. Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them. Note on commenting: If you wish to comment on the site, go to Disqus to create a free new account, verify your account on this site below (one-time thing), and then comment away. It’s free, easy, and […]
Joel Agee: On Recreating Lost Time
Joel Agee is a writer and translator. He has won numerous literary awards, among them the Berlin Prize of the American Academy in Berlin, the Helen and Kurt Wolff Translator’s Prize, and the ALTA National Translation Award, as well as fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. His essays have appeared in Harper’s, The New Yorker, The Yale Review, and other magazines, and he is the author of two highly praised memoirs: Twelve Years: An American Boyhood in East Germany and In the House of My Fear. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. Joel Agee […]
Eva Stachniak: On Filling in the Blanks
Eva Stachniak was born in Wroclaw, Poland. She moved to Canada in 1981 and has worked for Radio Canada International and Sheridan College, where she taught English and Humanities. Her first novel of Catherine the Great, The Winter Palace, has been included in the Washington Post 2011 list of Most Notable Fiction and was a #1 international bestseller. Empress of the Night, her second Catherine the Great novel was published in March of 2014. She lives in Toronto, where her latest novel, The Chosen Maiden, was published in January of 2017. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Eva Stachniak […]
The WD Interview: Elizabeth Acevedo
A poet, an aspiring chef, a healer, and a chess player: Elizabeth Acevedo writes about creative teen girls making their own way in a world that isn’t always kind. It didn’t come as too much of a surprise that Acevedo herself took up a creative hobby during the pandemic lockdown. But the way she brought it back to writing, however, was the revelation. While discussing having patience during the revision process, Acevedo noted that she had started making candles, and she learned that each candle has a curing time during which it sits untouched before it can be burned. This […]
Plot Twist Story Prompts: Who Am I?
Plot twist story prompts aren’t meant for the beginning or the end of stories. Rather, they’re for forcing big and small turns in the anticipated trajectory of a story. This is to make it more interesting for the readers and writers alike. Each week, I’ll provide a new prompt to help twist your story. Find last week’s prompt, Initiation Project, here. Plot Twist Story Prompts: Who Am I? For today’s prompt, have a character experience amnesia. To be honest, I’m surprised it’s taken us this long to get to one of the more popular plot twist devices, but I’ve probably […]
Gal Beckerman: On How Change Happens
Gal Beckerman is the senior books editor at The Atlantic and former editor at The New York Times Book Review and the author of When They Come for Us, We’ll Be Gone, which won the National Jewish Book Award and Sami Rohr Prize and was named a best book of the year by The New Yorker and The Washington Post. He has a PhD in media studies from Columbia University and writes for many publications, including The New Republic and The Wall Street Journal. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters. Find him on Twitter and Facebook. […]
Writer’s Digest March/April 2022 Cover Reveal
Exploring Point of View Point of view is one of the first things writers learn about creative writing, yet it’s also one of the hardest things to master. It involves at a minimum: choosing the right POV for your story, making sure you don’t break the guidelines of that POV and inadvertently take readers out of the narrative, but also experimenting with POV to better serve your story … It’s a lot to consider and in this issue, we explore it all. [Subscribe to Writer’s Digest now for this to be your first issue.] Articles include: + All About Omniscience: […]
Julie Bogart: On Navigating the Digital World
Julie Bogart is known for her commonsense parenting and education advice. She’s the author of the beloved book, The Brave Learner, which has brought joy and freedom to countless home educators. Her new book, Raising Critical Thinkers, offers parents a lifeline in navigating the complex digital world our kids are confronting. Julie’s also the creator of the award-winning, innovative online writing program called Brave Writer, now 22 years old, serving 191 countries. She home educated her five children who are globe-trotting adults. Today, Julie lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, and can be found sipping a cup of tea while planning her […]
Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 600
Wow! Today marks 600 Wednesday Poetry Prompts! Good stuff. For today’s prompt, write an occasion poem. The occasion might be doing something for the first time, the 50th time, or 600th time. Or it might be a big event like watching the Super Bowl or giving heart-shaped cards to each other (with some kind of flowers and/or candy and/or use your imagination). Or the occasion could be something much more low key, though maybe just as important, like writing a poem. Remember: These prompts are springboards to creativity. Use them to expand your possibilities, not limit them. Note on commenting: […]