My living situation recently changed and a room opened up for me to use. Right away, I knew what I was going to do with it. I was going to make a dedicated space to do my writing…. Well, a few solid weeks passed and the room sat empty. I had a lot of ideas on how to...

Ellen Hopkins writes mostly young adult novels dealing with tough subject matters. She tells these stories through poetry, which ensures no word is wasted on the page. Hopkins’ books combine fiction and poetry, which are two genres that aren’t often put together. This...

We see unique structures in often overlooked pieces of writing as we move through the world on a daily basis. Why not borrow the form and substitute your own content? Here are just a few suggestions of common forms that creative writers can steal for their work.

Of all the genres available to a fiction writer, fantasy challenges the writer to tell a lie while making it sound plausible and realistic.The writer is forced to invent magical potions so drunken elves can stumble home to their trees with a satisfied contemplation,...

This is what makes poetry beautiful: taking the moments that seem to be of no consequence and highlighting the beauty in them.

This past Christmas my family and I journeyed up to my grandma’s house in Mendota Heights to celebrate the holiday with my dad’s side of the family. Everything was going as scheduled: the adults gathered upstairs to drink and catch up on their work, vacations, and...

Toiling Beyond the Myth of the Gifted ArtistThere has always been a notion that gifted artists—be it poets, musicians, or painters—are blessed by the gods, performing their craft merely a perfunctory measure. So under this premise, the likes of Mary Oliver, Bruce...

Dialogue is one of the trickiest elements in prose because it has such a dramatic effect on how a reader perceives a story. Well-written dialogue can immerse a reader in a scene, while an unrealistic conversation will make a reader tune out quickly. It can be easy to...

Starting Your First Workshop Group Outside of ClassEvery writer needs to spend time in revision, and one of the best ways to do that can be in a workshop group. Workshopping might seem a little scary, especially when there isn’t a classroom or a professor to help...

Four Journals That Will Respond to Your Submission This WeekFew things are more daunting to writers than the blank page, and what’s an empty email inbox if not a blank page? For those of us without much experience in submitting and publishing our own work in journals,...

Why do people respond to Historical Fiction so well? Is it because they like to be swept away to another time and place? To learn something new? Or because people enjoy the passion and drama that almost (but not always) seems to trump our contemporary lives today?