Writing

From Chekhov to James Joyce, the short story defined modern fiction. Subsequently, it became a form defined by America. Here, one of the great US writers explains why he came to prefer the story to the novel.

From the British painter and sculptor Maggi Hambling

It's about coming home to your art.

Building up courage to own your identity as a writer starts when you realize you need to ask someone for an objective opinion on your work.

Prepare yourself to receive feedback so your writing benefits from people’s input while ensuring you’re taking care of yourself.

Screenwriter Mike White ("School of Rock," "Nacho Libre") takes viewers inside his creative process in an exploration of where ideas come from.Subscribe and ...

On first drafts, unusable pages and the difference between typing and writing

I’ve been teaching one of my favourite courses these past weeks – Self-Adaptation, Making the Personal Publishable – which is basically a small reading group (max 10 on Zoom), concerned with set texts of personal essays, which turns into a writing group where participants offer each other feedback on their work in progress. The idea […]

Your writing might soar to new heights when you make weather—and the words describing it—an important element in your characters’ lives.

Consider how your approach to crafting point of view will influence your story and your readers' impression of your character.

The following first appeared in Lit Hub’s The Craft of Writing newsletter—sign up here. At a literary festival a few years ago, during question time after a panel discussion, an audience member tol…

A character cheat sheet can help in the early stages of character development and ensure you write well-rounded characters every time.

A few checks you can do to try and work out once and for all if your writing is – you know – any good.

When it comes to idea generation and development, what are ways to both provide structure and room to explore?

Are you a writer? Do you like learning about the creative process, either for your own projects, or just cause you think it’s interesting? This post is about to make your day. As I’m su…

Seriously, it’s really weird. But it’s helped me for 25 years!

I would go so far as to say talent is an overrated component. If I was a gambler, I’d put my money on an average writer who knows how to work hard over someone who is supposedly talented but doesn’t know how to apply the AOC rule (Ass On Chair).

When I learned “show, don’t tell,” I thought I’d discovered a guide that would never fail me. And sure, it was good for me, in the way training wheels help in learning to ride a bike. The directive…

1. Read like mad. But try to do it analytically – which can be hard, because the better and more compelling a novel is, the less conscious you will be of its devices. It’s worth…

I wrote stories for over a decade before I began to think that I might have enough material for a collection, and when I sat down with those stories with the vague idea that the ones I chose for a book should share a theme, I was startled to find that although I’d been reading story collections for many years, I didn’t know what made for a successful one.

From Charles Dickens’ nineteenth century work Bleak House to modern classics like the Divergent series, the English language is full of great novels written in the present tense. If you are working on your first book or first novel, writing in the present tense can be a great way to hook readers and create suspense. Choosing between different verb tenses is one of the most important decisions you can make when writing the first draft of a fiction novel or short story; the present tense can give your writing an unmatched sense of immediacy.

These tips from our founder and director Anna Davis will help you craft a compelling first page and instantly capture the imagination of your reader.

Henry David Thoreau did not consider his time on Walden Pond a writing retreat, per-se. He was retreating from all of life, and he wrote about how brilliant that was. Despite his assured and unrema…

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences. Or at least be happier whilst trying! This is Nathan's guide to novel writing in 7 easy (ish!) steps. Nathan won the Costa Book Prize in 2013 with his debut novel, The Shock Of The Fall. It has been translated into 27 languages. Nathan worked part time as a mental health nurse in Bristol and his book’s narrator is a 19 year old boy with schizophrenia. He graduated from Bath Spa University in 2010 with an MA in Creative Writing and is now a lecturer in Creative Writing at the University. About TEDx, x = independently organized event In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

“All suggestions can be ignored when necessary,” says the best-selling author, but ignore them at your own peril. (And put away that thesaurus.)

The author of Dead Wind discusses her writing process and how she switched from a stand-alone book to a series

Studies of humans and other animals indicate that inventiveness often stems from factors other than need

Show don’t tell is common advice among writers — but what does it really mean? This thorough guide answers that question with plenty of helpful examples.

Featuring short story and flash fiction writers, and editors.

Writing is when you sit—fingertips hovering over your keyboard, cursor blinking on a fresh blank document—and open Twitter for the twenty-eighth time.