Be Inspired / 103 posts found
How To Write About Love While the World Is Falling Apart
I wrote what I hoped would be a slightly unconventional novel that would ideally be really accessible. It took me a long time to figure out how to do this! Part of the problem was that when I was in middle school and they tried to get us to write short stories, they would tell us to write a summary of what was going to happen and then write the story. This is great! Here’s the problem: If I write out what’s going to happen in the story, then I already wrote the story. I have no idea how to […]
Katy Regan: On a Promise Fulfilled
Katy Regan grew up on the north-west coast of England. She began her writing career as a magazine journalist and is former Commissioning Editor of Marie Claire magazine. She has written for most national magazines and newspapers. She has also written two self-help books, (a cause of great amusement among those who knew her well.) How to Find Your Way Home is her sixth novel and her second to be published in the United States by Berkley, Penguin Random House. Her first was Little Big Love. She lives with her teenage son. When she’s not writing, she mainly loves swimming […]
Why Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Is Important for Writers
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) is important for everyone. The way we live, work, collaborate, and communicate must take into account the value of multiple perspectives, structural inequalities, social rejection and exclusion, and the basic psychological need we all have to be accepted. (Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts: On Intentional Expressions of Black Joy) As writers, we have a special responsibility to apply a DEIB lens to our work because so much of what we write ends up becoming cultural truth. I don’t just say this as a nonfiction author on DEIB. The reality is that people really do believe what […]
Plot Twist Story Prompts: Initiation Project
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, Déjà Vu, here. Plot Twist Story Prompts: Initiation Project For today’s prompt, have a character go through an initiation project of some kind. That could be for a new employee going through initiation training. Or maybe a student having to complete an […]
Wednesday Poetry Prompts: 599
For today’s prompt, write a round poem. This could be a poem about a something that is circular, for sure, but also play off ideas like “what goes around comes around” or things that are rounded off. Of course, there are also poetic forms with refrains that have the same lines come around multiple times in the 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 […]
Mia P. Manansala: On Savoring Positive Feedback
Mia P. Manansala is a writer from Chicago who loves books, baking, and badass women. She uses humor (and murder) to explore aspects of the Filipino diaspora, queerness, and her millennial love for pop culture. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Mia P. Manansala Photo by Jamilla Yip Photography In this post, Mia discusses how a beta reader helped her rethink the story she wanted to tell in her new cozy mystery novel, Homicide and Halo-Halo, her advice on savoring positive feedback, and more! Name: Mia P. ManansalaLiterary agent: Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary AgencyBook title: Homicide and […]
Kiare Ladner: On Anticipating False Summits
Kiare Ladner’s short stories have been published in anthologies, broadcast on the radio and shortlisted in competitions, including the BBC National Short Story Award. Nightshift is her first novel, written while studying for a PhD. Prior to that she did a Prose Writing MA at the University of East Anglia. She teaches at various institutions in London and also mentors other writers. You can find her at kiareladner.com and on Instagram. Kiare Ladner Photo by Marcos Campos In this post, Kiare discusses the release of her debut literary novel, Nightshift, in the midst of the pandemic, its revival with a U.S. […]
Kim Fay: On Turning to Friendship in Times of Need
Born in Seattle and raised throughout the Pacific Northwest, Kim Fay lived in Vietnam for four years and still travels to Southeast Asia frequently. A former bookseller, she is the author of Communion: A Culinary Journey Through Vietnam, winner of the World Gourmand Cookbook Awards’ Best Asian Cuisine Book in the United States, and The Map of Lost Memories, an Edgar Award finalist for Best First Novel. She is also the creator/editor of a series of guidebooks on Southeast Asia. Fay now lives in Los Angeles. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. In this post, Kim discusses the hard […]
Alana Quintana Albertson: On Giving a Tragedy a Happy Ending
Alana Quintana Albertson has written 30 romance novels, rescued 500 death-row shelter dogs, and danced 1,000 rumbas. She lives with her husband in sunny San Diego with her two sons and too many pets. Most days, she can be found writing her next heart book in a beachfront café while sipping an oat-milk Mexican mocha or gardening with her children in their backyard orchard and snacking on a juicy blood orange. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Alana Quintana Albertson © Berkley Jove (TR) 2021 In this post, Alana discusses how she reimagined Romeo and Juliet with a happy […]
Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts: On Intentional Expressions of Black Joy
Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts is the author of 18 books, and the host of the podcast HeARTtalk with Tracey Michae’l. Her writing has appeared in a variety of publications, including The Washington Post, Essence, Oprah Daily, and more. Find her on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts Photo by MaKayla Simone In this post, Tracey discusses how exploring personal joy led her to write her new essay collection, Black Joy, how the writing process for this changed how she’ll approach future projects, and more! Name: Tracey Michae’l Lewis-GiggettsLiterary agent: Cait HoytBook title: Black JoyPublisher: Gallery BooksExpected release date: February 1, […]