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Category: Craft

  • 21 Hanukkah Writing Prompts for Reflection and Celebration

    21 Hanukkah Writing Prompts for Reflection and Celebration

    If you’re looking for Hanukkah writing prompts, you’ve come to the right place for some creative ideas.

    Every holiday season is a good time to reflect, think about the holiday you celebrate, why it matters to you, and come up with creative prompts for writing and reflection.

    Hanukkah is observed over the span of eight days and nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev. It is not on a set traditional calendar day as it follows the Hebrew calendar. It typically falls between November and December.

    If you celebrate Hanukkah, it might be a good time for you to reflect on the year, what the holiday means to you, and just simply take the time to think about your life.

    You can do them with your friends and family, too, if you want to create a bond with them or a new tradition to deepen your relationships.

    Why Writing Prompts Help

    When it comes to doing reflection, it’s hard to just sit down and start writing.

    Often, more than not, getting a little help and mental assistance with getting the creative juices flowing can help a ton.

    If there are certain prompts that help you get writing, you should keep those in your own little writing folder for the future. Even the best writers out there need some help now and then.

    It might also help to have a designated writing spot in your home or office. Writing on the couch in front of the TV while your favorite show is streaming in the background would make it tough to focus, even for the best writing professional.

    With all that being said, grab your favorite writing tools, crack open something delicious to drink, and let’s get started.

    Hanukkah Writing Prompts

    Let’s dive into some Hanukkah writing prompts. You don’t need to write about all of them, they’re simply here for you to use as inspiration for your own creativity and journaling.

    #1 – Why is Hanukkah important to you? You can approach this from a religious standpoint or if you want to dive into why you a

    #2 – Why do you think it’s important to pass down traditions? What do you want your children to know about this holiday and the history behind it? How do you want future generations to celebrate and understand this time?

    #3 – How did your family celebrate Hanukkah? What memories did you love from that time? What do you wish you could go back and enjoy again?

    #4 – What do you think about when you see a menorah? What does it mean to you? What about the oil lasting eight days, how does that story make you feel? Since they can come in all kinds of different designs, take the time to write about the most beautiful one you’ve ever seen.

    #5 – What is your favorite part of Hanukkah? How can you enjoy more of it? What is your least favorite part?

    #6 – What would you change about celebrating Hanukkah, if anything? Would you like to celebrate it with different people or in a different place? In what ways would you love to celebrate it more?

    #7 – Since the Hebrew word Chanukah translates to “dedication”, what does the word dedication mean to you? How is the word and the holiday related in your mind? How can you bring more dedication into your life? What would you like to dedicate yourself to?

    #8 – When you talk about Hanukkah to your friends who don’t celebrate the holiday, how do you describe it? What do you want them to know about it? Why is it important to you?

    #9 – Who are your favorite people to celebrate Hanukkah with and how can you show them you appreciate them this year? You could even use this prompt to write letters to people in your life explaining why you’re grateful for them and their presence in your life. They don’t have to be long, extensive letters. You can even just send a spontaneous thank you card.

    #10 – What are your favorite Hanukkah songs? Do you like to sing them or are you not a fan of singing? Did you ever learn and instrument to play any? Would you?

    #11 – What kind of gifts are you hoping for this Hanukkah? What was the best gift you’ve ever been given? Was there a gift you will never forget?

    #12 – Do you decorate for Hanukkah? Is your style to go all-out or are you more minimal with your decorations? What is your favorite item to decorate with that you’ll always put up?

    #13 – What does the first day of Hanukkah feel like? Does it feel different than the last day? How do you feel about it leading up to the celebration?

    #14 – What are your favorite Hanukkah dishes? Do you prefer to cook them yourself or cook them with other people? Do you have a favorite restaurant to go to so you can celebrate? Who is the best cook in your whole family? What is your relationship with food when it comes to holidays in general?

    #15 – What causes do you feel passionate about supporting? How can you get more involved with them in the upcoming year? Would you want your family and your friends to join you in support?

    #16 – How does your faith play a part in your every day life?

    #17 – How would you feel if you were there when the oil lasted 8 days instead of just the one?

    #18 – What was the best Hanukkah you ever celebrated? What made it so special? Was it something you were doing, the people you were surrounded by, or something else? How can you recreate that for yourself this year?

    #19 – Describe your life this time next year. What does it look like? Who are you with? What have you accomplished as you celebrate Hanukkah once again?

    #20 – Do you have a favorite game you play during Hanukkah celebrations? Is there a game you wish your family played or that you want to experience?

    #21 – Do you celebrate the same way every year? Would you want to mix it up in the future? Are you a person who loves to celebrate holidays in the same way each time or would you prefer to change things every year?

    Sharing Your Writing

    It’s up to you if you want to share your writing with the people in your life or simply keep your writing to yourself.

    As mentioned earlier, it can be a way to deepen a bond with other people in your life and discuss these questions as a group.

    You could even typer your answers and share them anonymously with each other, to get a real feel for people’s thoughts on the holiday. If you’re in a book club, you could bring these with you to discuss it there with people who love to dive into themes, stories, and thoughts.

    There are plenty of ways to get creative for how you want to use this time to reflect on your life and deepen your relationships.

    What to do next?

    Did you love the prompts and the ability to start writing something that mattered?

    Is a career in writing in the cards for you?

    If so, you’ll definitely want to check out the next option and begin your journey as a writer!

    Learn How to Start Your Freelance Writing Business!
  • Top Cozy Mystery Authors (+3 New Authors to Read)

    Top Cozy Mystery Authors (+3 New Authors to Read)

    Mystery books are always fun to read and finding new authors can give you a ton of new books to read in the future. If you like this genre of books, you’re most likely on the hunt for the top cozy mystery authors.

    Cozy mystery is its own genre of books that spark memories of watching old Murder, She Wrote shows. They’re under the umbrella of true crime but without any of the violence that comes with typical mysteries.

    These books are often also part of whole series so people can really get into a character and a world that the author has built.

    If you’re a fan of true crime but find the cases too gory or overwhelming at times, cozy mysteries might be a great alternative for you. The killer is almost always caught, too, giving some closure to each story and book.

    We’ve put together a list of top cozy mystery authors. Some were from the past and paved the way for this genre to thrive. Some are current writers and stories for you to dive into. Either way, it will give you a whole new list of books to add to your reading piles.

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    What are cozy mystery books?

    Cozy mystery are books that are a sub-genre of crime fiction. While they still are mysteries, they don’t usually contain much (or any) sex, profanity, or violence.

    In lots of crime fiction books, sex and violence are key to the plot or overall story of the book. There are few violent police chase scenes, if any at all. They rarely revolve around serial killers or any kind of related crimes.

    Essentially, you could never make them into the type of movie where there are tons of chase scenes, guns, and blood.

    Cozy mystery books are often modeled after the Golden Age of detective fiction.

    You’ll find that most of these books take place in small towns and often with detectives who are amateur sleuths. Instead of using complicated detective techniques or forensics, they often solve crimes through intuition and talking to people in the town.

    Because they’re not usually law enforcement, people are more likely to talk to them with their guard down, getting insights others could not.

    They also almost always are based in a small town or village, giving more of an intimate atmosphere. It’s important the town is interesting and the main character is likable, since that will prompt readers to come back and read more of their books in the series.

    While it’s not a book, the famous Murder, She Wrote starring Angela Lansbury is one of the most well-known shows of all time that embody the type of feel of cozy mysteries. Most of us can imagine what that show was like and how it was a calm show about solving mysteries with likable characters.

    Throughout the years, we have seen the genre begin to grow and start to push some boundaries on the topics that they cover, which is adding more to the ongoing debate of which books are still considered cozy mysteries or not.

    Top Cozy Mystery Authors

    Let’s take a look at some of the top cozy mystery authors of all time for you to check out. Then, we’ll dive into some of the top cozy mystery series so you can find a new story to hook you in. From there, we’ll go over some new series for you to check out from newer authors.

    Agatha Christie

    No list would ever be complete without mentioning the top cozy mystery author of all time, Agatha Christie. She is the one who lead the way for this genre to thrive and all of the authors who came after her to have a new genre to write books for.

    One of her most well-known characters is Miss Marple who starred in a ton of her books. The first book she makes an appearance in is The Murder at the Vicarage. It’s a character that evolves over time but her stories and role stay the same through all of the novels.

    There are twelve books in total with Miss Marple as the main star. That gives you more than enough books to dive into, fill your reading bucket, and revisit the classics that started the trend.

    Lilian Jackson Braun

    Lilian Jackson Braun wrote the famous The Cat Who series which spans over 29 different books featuring a reporter named Jim Qwilleran and his two cats.

    It’s a wonderful series that gives you more than enough stories to read.

    Dorothy L. Sayers

    As the writer of the Lord Peter Wimsey book series, she is considered one of the original four “Queens of Crime” book authors. She has quite a few other books as well, but the 14 books about Lord Peter Wimsey are her longest cozy mysteries.

    It should be noted that a lot of the women who were the leaders of this genre were criticized for almost writing books that were “too fluffy” instead of being what they called “serious crime novels”.

    Cozy Mystery Series

    If you’re looking for a series or book to dive into and become obsessed with, let’s look at some of the options out there.

    Keep in mind, there are so many mystery series that this list is only scratching the surface of the ones out there.

    Gethsemane Brown Series by Alexa Gordon

    Starting with the first book, Murder in G Major, we meet Gethsemane Brown, who is an African-American classical musician and expatriate to an Irish village. Travel through southwestern Ireland in this 4-part paranormal series.

    The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris

    The Southern Vampire Mysteries is a series that spans over 13 books and is most well-known for being the series behind the show, True Blood.

    Cat in the Stacks Series by Dean James

    The Cat in the Stacks mystery series is a 15-part series set in the South. We meet Charlie Harris, who is a local librarian, and his cat named Diesel. It’s up to Charlie and Diesel to solve the local murder mysteries in the town and figure out the age old “Who done it?” question.

    New Cozy Books and Authors

    Now that we’ve covered some of the most famous authors and the biggest series, let’s go over some of the newer cozy mystery authors and their books.

    Killer Content by Olivia Blacke

    Set in New York, we meet Odessa who is trying to solve the murder of a fellow. Cops have declared this case just a simple accident but she knows there’s something more to it.

    Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q Sutanto

    What happens when your mom and your meddling aunts help you get rid of a body after a terrible blind date? Well, if you read this book, you’ll find out exactly how this unfolds. It’s both a comedy and a mystery, so you can enjoy the best of both worlds.

    A Sprinkling of Murder by Daryl Wood Gerber

    In this book, we meet Courtney. She lost her mother when she was young and stopped believing in magic. As an adult, she is thrust into a mystery when the neighboring business owner ends up dead. She must now find her way back to her magic roots and solve the crime before her life falls apart.

    What to do next

    Are you looking to write your own book or start your writing career?

    Get the book template outline!

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  • Clarity of Writing: 9 Proven Techniques to Writing Well

    Clarity of Writing: 9 Proven Techniques to Writing Well

    While everyone will have their own definition of what good writing looks like, bad writing is more universally recognizable. 

    If you want to write well, it’s essential to write clearly. Anything else is an absolute disservice to your self-respect as a writer, not to mention the time and attention of your reader.

    Sometimes, writers fall into the trap of thinking that if they have an important enough message to share, or an entertaining story to tell, they can get by with not writing clearly. That’s simply not the case. You run a real risk of readers switching off from your work entirely if your writing is unclear.

    Let’s explore the concept of clarity of writing as well as nine techniques to attain it.

    What is clarity in writing?

    Clarity in writing is achieved when your intended meaning is expressed as efficiently as possible.

    To understand what clarity in writing looks like, it’s useful to consider its opposite. 

    When writing is unclear, it causes unnecessary mental effort for your reader. Having to decipher a sentence is not conducive to appreciating or absorbing it.

    So what are some of the main impediments to clarity in writing?

    1. Wordiness. Efficient writers are economical with their words. Saying more with less is a fundamental part of writing well.
    2. Unstructured text. If sentences, paragraphs, and sections or chapters lack a logical flow, your reader will lose focus. A clear structure is essential for effective writing.
    3. Inappropriate language. If you use jargon, metaphors, cultural references, or anything else outside of your intended reader’s expectation or understanding, you sacrifice writing clarity.
    4. Unfocused meaning. Clear writing can only flow from clear thinking. If you’re confused about the point you’re trying to make, or the way you want to express it, you don’t have a chance of writing clearly.

    In essence, anything that makes your writing easier to understand and more enjoyable to read is conducive to writing clarity.

    Anything that detracts from either objective is undesirable and should be eliminated.

    How to achieve clarity in writing – 9 proven techniques

    While understanding the concept of clarity in writing is an essential first step to achieving it, it’s not enough on its own.

    Instead, if you wish to write more clearly, you need to consciously work at it until it becomes instinctive. 

    Here are nine techniques to help you achieve greater clarity of writing.

    1 – Consistent practice

    For most writers, you stand a far better chance of achieving clarity when you write consistently. 

    If you write on an inconsistent basis, you’ll find the act of crafting a sentence to be laborious and unnatural. It’s like attempting exercise when you are out of shape. Even your best efforts will be far less graceful than someone who trains habitually.

    2 – Optimize your writing routine

    It’s not enough to write consistently – you also need to optimize your writing space and writing routine.

    To produce your best work, you need to find the best combination of conditions for yourself. This is a highly personalized process. One writer’s perfect routine would be another’s poison. Furthermore, your preferences will evolve, so don’t be afraid to experiment with aspects of your writing practice in search of greater clarity.

    Some of the factors to experiment with include:

    • The location where you write – at home or in public?
    • The tool you write with – a simple word processor or something with greater functionality? On a laptop, desktop, or by hand?
    • The time of day when you write – when are you at your most productive?
    • Do you write with music, white noise, background noise, or as much silence as possible?
    • Do you consume coffee while you write? Or even write drunk and edit sober?

    Answering these questions and creating a writing routine will make it a lot easier to do your best work.

    3 – Outline in as much detail as you need

    The extent to which you outline, as well as the type of outline you produce, has a direct impact on the clarity of your writing.

    Again, this is highly personal. Some writers find greater clarity by allowing their thoughts to flow freely while they craft. Others find this results in meandering and unfocused text and instead prefer a detailed plan before putting pen to paper.

    4 – Find a drafting and editing process that works for you

    Typically, most writers will benefit from the advice to write without judgment or hesitation during a first draft and to tighten up on the next round. If you try to achieve perfect clarity on your first attempt at a piece you run the risk of getting caught up in the process of evaluating rather than crafting.

    However, some writers report that a quick glance back over a paragraph or section before moving on can be beneficial. Find what works for you.

    5 – Clarity is contextual

    Clear writing for one readership is likely to look entirely different for another. 

    For example, if you’re writing for newcomers to a topic, too much jargon is likely to lead to confusion. However, for an expert readership, clarity will require using more advanced terminology, as anything less will seem oversimplified.

    Clarity is also partially dependent on genre and style. For example, readers familiar with literary techniques such as metaphor or an unreliable narrator will enjoy and appreciate them. Someone unversed in such techniques may well feel confused.

    6 – Read your writing out loud

    Different parts of your brain are used when reading something silently in your mind as opposed to reading it out loud. 

    Something that might seem clear on the page ends up being confusing when spoken. Similarly, your ear will often catch repetition or other impediments to clarity that aren’t apparent when reading silently to yourself. 

    7 – Use writing tools

    Writing apps and tools are no match for a talented human editor. However, they are capable of boosting your writing clarity. Simple, free tools such as Hemingway can easily identify areas of improvement. 

    For a more detailed analysis of your writing and ways in which it can be improved, consider investing in a paid tool such as ProWritingAid or Grammarly Premium.

    8 – Get the right feedback

    We all have blindspots as writers. Whether through ego, or oversight, we’re not as capable of objectively evaluating our own text as someone else is.

    However, remember that clarity is contextual. Ideally, your feedback will be from someone who fits the profile of your ideal reader. You can also join a writing critique group to improve your writing. 

    9 – Stay humble and embrace the journey 

    Perhaps the most important key to achieving clarity of writing is letting go of your ego and being willing to embrace growth.

    Even the best writers were not born that way. Achieving consistent clarity is the result of countless hours that we as readers are often not privy to.

    Having a sense of humor around your lack of clarity is essential. In ‘On Writing’ Stephen King shares his process of writing a rough draft and then revising it for greater clarity. You will notice that King can laugh at his weaknesses and not take them too seriously.

    That’s a Wrap

    Ultimately, achieving greater clarity of writing is down to three essential factors:

    1. Understanding what clear writing looks like and embracing the need to work towards it.
    2. Consistent and optimal writing practice to improve your level of skill and comfort.
    3. The right attitude to growing both as a reader and as a writer, and embracing feedback and criticism without getting hurt or frustrated.

    Fiction and nonfiction alike suffer when the writer’s intended meaning is distorted by wordiness, confusing sentence structure, inappropriate word choices, and other impediments.

    If something is worth writing, it’s worth writing well. Hopefully, by now, that’s clear!

    TWL. CTA. Book Outline Template
  • 17 of the Best Horror Authors to Inspire Your Writing

    17 of the Best Horror Authors to Inspire Your Writing

    There’s nothing quite like the feeling of reading an author whose writing is so good you can’t help but feel a little envious. The writers capable of making us fall in love with a genre as a reader are often the very same ones we look to for inspiration when we wish to try our hand at writing in that style. 

    From my perspective, one which I imagine many people reading this will share, Stephen King is the perfect example of an inspirational author who not only made me fall in love with reading the horror genre but made me want to write like him as well. Of course, the role Stephen King has played in my writing journey has been fulfilled by different authors for other writers.

    If you’re interested in writing horror fiction of your own, read on. We’ve rounded up a list of the best horror authors out there to inspire your work. Are you ready to discover your next favorite spooky scribe?

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    Stephen King

    Maybe his name meant being the king of horror was always his destiny, but it’s impossible to talk about scary authors without mentioning my personal favorite, Stephen King. Readers of different generations fall in love with King’s work, whether it happens to be his classic works of fiction such as The Shining, or more contemporary, fantasy, and sci-fi-influenced offerings such as Under The Dome. 

    Dean Koontz

    Along with King, Dean Koontz is one of the major names you’ll encounter should you check out the horror section in your local library or bookstore. Although he doesn’t label himself as a horror author, there’s no denying his skill at writing spine-chilling stories. If you’re new to Koontz and looking for some inspiration, check out The Eyes of Darkness for a creepy tale that many say predicted the Coronavirus pandemic. 

    Edgar Allen Poe

    As you’ll see, this list of horror authors is a mixture of contemporary favorites and all-time legends, and Edgar Allen Poe very much falls into the latter category. Considered by many the father of horror fiction, Poe’s ability to conjure up terrifying scenarios is almost unparalleled. Tributes as diverse as The Simpsons and the Insane Clown Posse have been paid to Poe’s mastery of horror fiction. Don’t miss out. If you’re new to Poe, pick up an anthology and dive right in to see how he can inspire your tales of terror.

    Anne Rice 

    Some authors are almost synonymous with an entire genre. For Anne Rice, that’s the case with vampire fiction. Before Twilight caught the attention of a younger generation of readers, Anne Rice was the only real show in town for epic stories of vampire horror and romance. Her books have been adapted into major Hollywood films as well as beloved roleplaying games. If you want to make your contribution to the vampire fiction genre, be sure to study the work of its true master, Anne Rice. 

    R.L Stine

    It would be a huge oversight to ignore the contributions of authors writing horror for a younger audience. After all, our schooldays are often the time of our lives we fall in love with horror fiction for life. For many of us, R.L Stine is the reason we love horror to this day. His prolific output and endless imagination mean many newcomers are still discovering the spooky brilliance of his Goosebumps books for the first time today. 

    Ray Bradbury

    Although Ray Bradbury is perhaps usually categorized as a writer of sci-fi or speculative fiction, there’s no denying his ability to conjure up a chilling tale. Something Wicked This Way Comes and the concept of the Dark Carnival lives on in the minds of horror lovers far after the final page has finished. If you want to learn how to generate terror and unease from the most mundane of regular situations, you could do a lot worse than looking at Bradbury. 

    Clive Barker

    Clive Barker is another true heavyweight of the horror world. While a lot of people will know him for the adaptions of his work, such as Candyman and Hellraiser, you’d be amiss to overlook the source material. Barker not only got respect and admiration from the top horror authors of the era, but he’s also a true creative powerhouse, also producing visual art that sends chills up the spine. Check out Barker’s books for inspiration on how to create immersive, conceptual works of horror. 

    William Peter Blatty

    Although William Petter Blatty’s books don’t always fall under the horror genre, the ones which do are so significant they can’t be overlooked. The Exorcist is, of course, the most prominent of these. The horror genre as a whole has been immeasurably influenced by The Exorcist. It’s hard to imagine the current crop of possession movies would ever have taken place without Blatty’s work. If you’re a fan of that style of supernatural horror, take the time to check out sequels such as Legion which are lesser known. 

    Bram Stoker

    We promised we’d pay tribute to the classics in this article, so you just know we had to give Bram Stoker his due recognition. Without Stoker’s Dracula, there would never have been Anne Rice or any of the more contemporary works of vampire fiction. Although Stoker wrote far more than just gothic and supernatural fiction, it’s impossible to write well in those genres without a solid appreciation of Dracula and other eerie tales like The Mystery of the Sea. 

    Peter Straub

    At the time of writing, Peter Straub recently passed away. However, there’s no doubt that his work will outlast him for generations to come. While many know Straub for his collaborations with Stephen King, his solo output is more than worthy of recognition. Straub’s strength was crafting works of chilling supernatural fiction, reflected by his large haul of Bram Stoker awards. Newcomers to Straub could check out one of his classic novels like Mr. X or start with a short story collection such as 5 Stories. 

    Shirley Jackson

    Shirley Jackson not only impacted the world of horror fiction during the time she was active but has continued to influence today’s authors as well as the media landscape in general through adaptations of her work. Her mystery fiction was just as well-received as her horror, and the influence of one on the other can be seen in the chilling atmosphere of surprise present in her work. Check out The Haunting of Hill House or We Have Always Lived in The Castle for classic fiction from Jackson. 

    Jonathan Maberry

    Fans of contemporary horror shows on Netflix might be familiar with V Wars, but perhaps less show with the man behind the source material, Jonathan Maberry. If you want to learn how to create rich series of books full of worldbuilding and detail, you could do a lot worse than checking out Maberry. He’s also capable of crafting superb standalone stories, such as Ghostwalkers. 

    Mylo Carbia 

    As promised, we want to celebrate contemporary powerhouses of the horror genre as well as their classic forefathers. When it comes to major names that might still be under the radar for a lot of readers, there are few better than Mylo Carbia. Carbia was originally a screenwriter and her fiction reflects that ability to create gripping storylines that loom vividly in the mind of the reader. Check out Violets are Red for a fantastic blurring of the horror and thriller genres. 

    Ramsey Campbell 

    You might have noticed by now that the UK tends to punch above its weight when producing incredible horror authors relative to its population size. For one of the best of recent years, check out Ramsey Campbell. Campbell is quite prolific, having produced well over 30 books. However, he’s somewhat lesser known due to only having a few adapted for the screen. Ancient Images is a great starting point for his work, or try The Wise Friend for something newer. 

    Ania Ahlborn 

    If you’re looking for proof that self-published horror authors can go toe to toe with traditionally published authors, look no further than Ania Ahlborn. Ahlborn self-published her earliest novels and became the bestselling horror author on Amazon in the process. She’s since been adapted for the screen and has gone on to achieve bestseller status countless times. Check out her career for a blueprint of how to achieve horror success as a self-published writer. 

    Mary Shelley 

    Although we’re coming to the end of our list of the best horror authors to inspire your work, we’d be amiss to finish without taking a look at Mary Shelley. Shelley will always be associated with Frankenstein, but her influence on what later became science fiction shouldn’t be overlooked. Although you probably wouldn’t write in the same style as Shelley these days, you’d be a fool not to look at her mastery of mood, character, and scary storytelling. 

    Robert Bloch

    Robert Bloch is a name that a lot of people may not be familiar with, even if they know some of his most famous works. The movie Psycho is inexorably tied in with Hitchcock, but it was Bloch who provided the source material that would later be adapted. Bloch was a master at crafting psychologically disturbing tales that lingered for a long time in the mind of the reader. Study his work for clues on how to craft your disturbing works of fiction. 

    Are you ready to write your own horror?

    Now that you have plenty of inspiration for crafting your own spooky story, it’s time to take action!

    By all means, choose a few authors or books to read as research, but set yourself a deadline for getting started with the process of creating something for yourself. You might start with an outline or jump into working on a full first draft.

    Whichever route you choose, we wish you every success in your horror genre. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be the inspiration for the next generation of horror authors!

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  • Best Grammar Checker Tools: These 9 Will Make Your Writing Super Clean

    Best Grammar Checker Tools: These 9 Will Make Your Writing Super Clean

    Have you ever wanted a magical editing wand?

    Just imagine: A flick of the wrist is all that would stand between you and the end of editing your writing. No frustration. Minimal time investment. An amazing manuscript or blog post.

    Alas, no such magic wand exists.

    But we do have grammar checker tools, which are the next-best things.

    Just remember grammar checkers are designed to make editing easier, not to eliminate the work completely.

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    Putting the best grammar checker tools to the test

    During self-edits on my latest manuscript, I experimented with editing tools, both free and paid, to determine which could be most beneficial to The Write Life’s audience. Besides being an author, I’m an editor, so I also weighed each tool against what I’d look for when editing.

    Since editing has a broad definition — basically anything that improves your writing — it’s not surprising that the tools I tried had different functions, from checking grammar and style to eliminating unnecessary words, to identifying areas for improvement.

    What you want in a grammar checker or editing tool will influence which one(s) you choose. No one tool can do it all — nor can one of these tools wave away the work and critical thinking necessary for a well-edited blog post, magazine article or book.

    A grammar checker doesn’t replace a human editor. Because language rules and elements of a good story can be so flexible, human eyes will always be superior to the rigidity of automatic tools.

    Here are 9 of the best grammar checker tools.

    1. ProWritingAid

    What It Does:  ProWritingAid is a web editor and plugin that will clean up your writing by detecting grammar and spelling mistakes, plagiarism and contextual errors. It also analyzes your writing and produces reports on writing style, sentence length, grammar, and repeated words and phrases.

    Price: There’s a limited free version. If you upgrade to the premium membership, you can edit in Google Docs or Microsoft Word, access a desktop app and Chrome add-ins, and — best of all — lose the word-count cap.

    A monthly membership is $20, a year’s membership is $120,  or go the whole hog and buy a lifetime membership for $399.

    Who It’s For: Anyone, including students, authors, freelancers or ESL writers.

    How It Works: Click on “Try the editing tool,” create a free account, then paste in your text.

    The Best Part: ProWritingAid has a premium option, but most of the areas you’ll want checked are available for free.

    What Would Make It Better: Though ProWritingAid checks grammar, I slipped in a your/you’re mistake without getting flagged. I wasn’t overly fond of the tool’s inability to work offline, but its overall functionality is hard to argue with.

    Our Recommendation: Use ProWritingAid in the self-editing stage to guide your edits. 

    More Details: For an in-depth explainer of ProwritingAid’s free and premium versions, check out our full ProwritingAid review.

    2. AutoCrit

    What It Does: AutoCrit analyzes your manuscript to identify areas for improvement, including pacing and momentum, dialogue, strong writing, word choice and repetition. Depending on what plan you choose, you can also compare your writing to that of popular authors like Danielle Steel or James Patterson.

    Price: Three different plans are available: the “Free Forever” plan, which is free; the “Professional” for $30, or the “Annual Professional” for $297 per year. The latter offers a built-in discount of two months free every year. 

    Who It’s For: Fiction and non-fiction writers.

    How It Works: Paste your text into the online dashboard or upload a document and click on AutoCrit’s tabs to see its analysis. This tool uses data from various genres and more than a million books to provide a word-by-word level analysis of your writing and shows easy ways to improve the readability of your work.

    The Best Part: I spent the most time in the “Compare to Fiction” tab, which provides a comprehensive look at common issues. It highlighted my tendency to start sentences with “and” and “but,” and identified my most repeated words. I felt like I learned something about my writing, and that’s something I don’t think I could say about some other tools.

    What Would Make It Better: A more accurate definition of passive voice. It highlights any use of the “be” and “had” verbs, neither of which fully capture passive voice (you need a past participle in addition to a “be” verb), and many active voice constructions were falsely labeled as passive.

    Our Recommendation: AutoCrit is great to guide your edits in the self-editing stage. It’s best used for developmental edits, rewrites and avoiding common writing no-nos.

    More Details: For an in-depth explainer of Autocrit’s Free Forever and paid versions, check out our full Autocrit review.

    3. Grammarly

    What It Does: Grammarly is a grammar checker and proofreader.

    Price: A limited version is available for free, and Grammarly also offers a number of other free services such as a wordiness checker and tone detection. The business plan starts at $25 per member per month. For the most up-to-date info on Grammarly pricing, see their website. 

    Who It’s For: Anyone, including writers, business people and academics.

    How It Works: Copy and paste or upload your text into the online dashboard and let Grammarly work its magic. It flags potential errors, gives suggestions and provides an explanation so you can learn why it suggests the change. There’s also a free Grammarly Add-in available for Microsoft Word and a Grammarly for Chrome extension that’s also compatible with Google Docs.

    The Best Part: Grammarly is easy to use and pointed out a vocabulary issue or two that none of the other tools did. It’s superior to Microsoft Word’s grammar checker. Its synonym suggestion feature is pretty nifty, too.

    What Would Make It Better: As an editor, I work with many styles of writing, so it’d be helpful if Grammarly provided the option to switch between a few to ensure writers receive fitting suggestions to improve their work. For example, if you don’t use the Oxford comma, the editor will prompt you to do so, which isn’t right for all writing styles. 

    Our Recommendation: Grammarly is best for the final proofreading stage, or for people who want to learn more about the technical aspects of grammar. If you’re an editor or strong writer, you might find yourself ignoring more flagged items than you fix.

    More Details: For an in-depth explainer of Grammarly’s free and premium versions, check out our full Grammarly review. You can dig deeper into Grammarly features and benefits here.

    4. Hemingway Editor

    What It Does: Hemingway Editor is like a spellchecker, but for style. It provides a readability score — the lowest grade level someone would need to understand your text — and analyzes your writing to identify areas for improvement. Because it doesn’t require an internet connection, you can use it anywhere.

    Price: Free online, and a one-time payment of $19.99 for the desktop version, which is available for both Mac and PC.

    Who It’s For: Anyone

    How It Works: Paste your text into the dashboard and scan for highlighted sections of text. The highlighted text is color coded depending on your area of improvement, whether it’s hard-to-read sentences, the presence of adverbs, or passive voice.

    The Best Part: In addition to providing examples on how to fix passive voice or complex phrases, Hemingway Editor also identifies how many “-ly” adverbs and passive voice constructions you’ve used and suggests a maximum number based on your word count.

    In my prologue, for example, I had one use of passive voice, and Hemingway Editor suggested aiming for six uses or fewer — which I nailed. These recommendations reinforce the idea that not all adverbs or passive voice constructions are bad, and that’s something other tools miss.

    What Would Make It Better: Hemingway Editor was the cleanest and easiest to use of the free editing tools, but it’s not a true grammar checker or proofreader. Even though it’s not meant to catch grammar and spelling mistakes, any editing application that catches those mistakes is instantly more attractive.

    Our Recommendation: Use Hemingway Editor to increase the readability of your writing and identify problem sentences during the copyediting stage, but supplement your efforts with a grammar and spell checker.

    5. WordRake

    What It Does: WordRake cuts out the unnecessary words or phrases that creep into your writing. It works with Microsoft Word and Outlook, depending on which license you purchase. I tested the Microsoft Word version.

    Price: The Microsoft Word version is available for Mac or Windows, and you’ll pay $129 for a year or $259 for three years. The Microsoft Word and Outlook package version is only available for Windows, and it costs $199 for a year or $399 for three.

    Who It’s For: Bloggers, authors and editors using Microsoft Word or Outlook.

    How It Works: WordRake is an add-in for Microsoft products and requires you to install the program before using it, though it’s as easy as following the instructions. Select the text you want to edit, then use the WordRake add-in. It uses Track Changes to suggest edits, which you can accept or reject.

    The Best Part: WordRake is as close as you can get to an automatic editor. It appealed to me more as an editor than a writer, but it’s great at eliminating unnecessary phrases and words that bog down your writing.

    What Would Make It Better: I threw a your/you’re mistake in to see if WordRake would catch it. It didn’t, even though Microsoft Word flagged it. If WordRake could catch common writing mistakes like your/you’re or their/they’re/there in addition to unnecessary words, it’d be a hard tool to beat.

    Our Recommendation: WordRake is a great tool for the copyediting stage. Verbose writers, authors wanting to cut down on editing costs or editors looking to speed up their editing process will most benefit from WordRake. Watch out if you’re running Word on a slow computer: WordRake could increase your load time.

    6. Ginger Software

    What It Does: This AI-powered writing assistant and grammar and spelling checker works to improve your style and speed, plus boost your creativity. It also scans full, complex sentences and suggests context-based corrections. 

    Price: Ginger offers a free (but very limited) plan, so you’ll find it to be more effective through its premium offerings: $13.99 per month, $89.88 per year or $167.76 for two years. Heads up: It’s currently running a 30% off promo for all plans, so these prices may increase at any time. For most up-to-date pricing, check this page.

    Who It’s For: Anyone.

    How It Works: Whether you choose to download Ginger to your Chrome browser, as a desktop app or otherwise, all you have to do to get started is follow the setup instructions to install it. As an add-on or app, Ginger will highlight spelling, grammar and punctuation errors, and it’ll even help you rephrase sentences by giving you tons of alternative options.

    The Best Part: One word: cross-compatibility. Writers can download Ginger as a desktop app for Mac or Windows or directly into Google Chrome or Safari, and it works seamlessly with programs like Outlook, Microsoft Word and PowerPoint — you can even download it as a keyboard or app for Android phones and an app for Apple phones. 

    What Would Make It Better: Most grammar checkers offer a plagiarism detector, but Ginger doesn’t. Even if it only added it to premium plans, this would be a helpful feature to include. 

    Our Recommendation: Download Ginger If you have a good grasp of grammar and punctuation, and you need a grammar editor to back up your knowledge. 

    7. Scribens

    What It Does: Scribens is a free grammar checker that corrects more than 250 types of grammar, spelling and stylistic mistakes including nouns, verbs, prepositions, pronouns, homonyms, typography and punctuation.

    Price: Free for everyone.

    Who It’s For: Anyone, including writers, editors and authors of any genre, business people and academics.

    How It Works: Choose which extension(s) where you want to install Scribens, then download it and begin writing. To test it first, click ‘Grammar Check,’ then paste your text or import a file into the editor. Through color-coded suggestions, it’ll check your style, vocabulary, grammar and spelling, it detects patterns in your writing, and it grades readability. 

    The Best Part: You can download the Scribens extension in just about any place you’d need to write — i.e., social networks, websites with text zones (WordPress or forums), email platforms and more. Writers will be sure to enjoy this flexibility and the assurance that they can edit their writing right from any website or application. 

    What Would Make It Better: For a free grammar checker, Scribens offers more than the average free tool, but it’s not as intuitive as others on this list. I tested a simple their/they’re mistake and it didn’t flag it. It’s helpful that it notes bigger grammar errors like compound predicates, but as a grammar corrector, it should also be able to avoid smaller ones from slipping through the cracks.

    Our Recommendation: Use Scribens in the final stages of your copyediting. With minor issues out of the way, you can focus on addressing readability, syntax errors and stylistic elements with Scribens deeper analysis of your work.  

    8. WhiteSmoke

    What It Does: WhiteSmoke is a grammar checker and proofreading software that corrects spelling, word choice, grammar, punctuation and style mistakes. It also offers a translator and dictionary that supports more than 50 languages. 

    Price: WhiteSmoke offers three plans that include a web plan for $5.99 per month, which is compatible with all browsers. Its premium option is $6.66 per month. Its business option is $11.50 per month. For updates on pricing, check this page.

    Who It’s For: Students, professional writers and bloggers, business executives and employees and English learners.

    How It Works: After you register, choose a package and install this grammar checker, WhiteSmoke’s all-in-one English tool will provide grammar, spelling, punctuation and style checks when you click on highlighted text from any application or browser. 

    The Best Part: If you’re unsure about grammar rules during your writing process, check out WhiteSmoke’s handy video tutorials that focus on common writing problems and how to avoid them. Plus, if you need a template, it has more than 100 document and letter templates you can access.

    What Would Make It Better: Unfortunately, this grammar editor isn’t the most intuitive tool on this list, plus it has a limit of 10,000 characters at a time, where each letter, punctuation mark and space counts. (For reference, you can check 150,000 words on Grammarly!) If you write long-form pieces, this may not be the best tool to use to check your work. 

    Our Recommendation: WhiteSmoke offers many innovative features, but it shouldn’t be your main squeeze. Although it uses Natural Language Processing technology to enhance your writing, WhiteSmoke openly warns it won’t catch every grammar mistake, so supplement this checker with another one. 

    9. LanguageTool

    What It Does: A multilingual grammar, style and spell-checking software, LanguageTool is an Open Source application that checks your spelling, grammar, tone and writing style and instantly generates context-aware suggestions for more than 30 languages.

    Price: Besides the free plan that allows basic grammar checks of up to 10,000 words, LanguageTool also offers monthly or yearly plans for individual users. You can expect to pay $4.99 per month or $60 per year. For updates on pricing, check this page.

    Who It’s For: Anyone, including students, authors, freelancers, ESL writers and business people.

    How It Works: Try the grammar checker on the website’s homepage or download it as a Google Docs add-on or a Microsoft Word add-in. Write or paste your text into the editor, and it’ll underline your errors in red, yellow or blue to indicate whether you need to correct your spelling, grammar or style. 

    The Best Part: Similar to Hemingway Editor, you can take advantage of the web-based platform of this grammar corrector without the need to install anything. And because it’s multilingual, it offers a premium feature that detects gender while proofreading, which is super helpful when you’re unsure of how another language structures gender in writing. 

    What Would Make It Better: While they offer fun features like detection of incorrect numbers and of incorrect names and titles in emails, LanguageTool’s premium plans limit you to 60,000 characters per text field. It’s an improvement from the 10,000-character limit in its free plan but still a pain point for long works.

    Our Recommendation: LanguageTool grammar checker is a worthy writing assistant to consider if you write in or for other languages regularly, especially for its value. 

    This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!

    This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

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    Photo via rCarner/ Shutterstock 

  • 11 Online Writing Courses, Including Freelance Writing Classes

    11 Online Writing Courses, Including Freelance Writing Classes

    You used to have to attend a university to learn from a smart professor. And pay a lot of money. And get dressed and go to class. Now you can access all sorts of experts from the comfort of your couch — at a fraction of the price. No need to Google “writing courses near me” and drive across town. Instead, sign up for an online writing course you can take on your own schedule.

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    We recommend these online writing courses

    When it comes to online writing courses, there are so many options to choose from! You can really drill down into the niche you’re interested in, whether that’s proofreading, fiction, memoir, freelancing, or blogging.

    Take a course on how to make a living as a freelance writer. Or add to your skillset with a transcription or proofreading course. Or learn all the grammar rules you should’ve learned in school, so your writing will be squeaky clean. Or get really good at writing compelling essays so you can finally get published in your dream publication.

    If you’re ready to invest in becoming a better writer, we’re prepared to help. We’ve vetted each of the online writing courses on this list. We trust each instructor and the experience they bring, and we’ve reviewed the lessons and supplemental materials to ensure they’re high quality. We feel confident that if you put time and energy into one of these courses, you’ll come out a better writer.

    Here are some online writing classes we recommend (these also make great gifts for writers!).

    Online courses on freelance writing

    1 – Freelance Writers Den

    Focus: Freelance writing

    What you’ll learn: The “Den” isn’t billed as a freelance writing course, but it pretty much functions like one. When you join the membership site, you get access to nearly two dozen courses (they call them “bootcamps” and most are designed to be studied over the span of 4 weeks) that cover all aspects of building a freelance writing business, including how to find clients, how to make more money writing, how to market your business, and niche topics, like SEO and more. 

    Membership also includes a resource library with 300+ hours of webinars and podcasts, direct job referrals, and a very active forum. With 1,200+ members and hundreds of threads, you can get answers to anything and everything related to freelance writing. It’s a great place to get support and advice from seasoned pros while also networking and possibly landing more gigs. 

    Instructor: “Den Mother” Carol Tice has been working as a freelance writer for more than 15 years. In addition to earning a six-figure income from her trade, she also has a lot of experience teaching others; she launched the Den in 2011. She plays an active role in the forum, so you’ll have direct access to her there.

    Schedule: Enrollment only opens a few times each year, but if you get on the waitlist, you’ll be notified when there’s an opportunity to join.

    Cost: $40/month

    Our full review: The Freelance Writer’s Den

    2 – Come Write With Us

    Focus: Freelancing

    What you’ll learn: This course teaches you how to make a full-time salary as a freelance writer. It was created for people who dream of being a writer but lack confidence, knowledge or skills. Come Write With Us touches on everything from choosing a niche and launching a website to setting rates and pitching. 

    Over nine modules, you’ll learn to build your writing habit, create a personal brand for your writing and approach editors and publications.

    Instructors: Full-time writers Kristin Wong and Alex Webb bring their diverse experiences in writing, publishing and freelancing. Wong has written for the New York Times and published her first book, Get Money, in 2018. Webb has contributed to books published by National Geographic, the Financial Times and Skyhorse.

    Schedule: This course is available on-demand, so you can enroll and take the course anytime.

    Cost: $197

    3 – Freelance University

    Focus: Freelancing

    What you’ll learn: This is way more than one course; instead, you’ll get access to 80+ courses. They’ll help you with all aspects of running a freelance writing business, and if you want to expand your skills, you can also learn about social media management, content management, web design, digital media and more.

    Instructor: Freelance University was created by Craig and Kelly Cannings, a married couple who have background in freelancing and virtual assistant work. Some of the courses, including those about the business side of freelancing, are taught by Craig, while other classes are taught by instructors who specialize in those topics. They’ve helped 14,000 students through this program over the last decade.

    Schedule: Enrollment opens three times each year. It’s closed now, but you can get on the waitlist so you get an alert the next time enrollment opens.

    Cost: Join on a monthly basis for $59/month, or commit to 12 months of training at a significant discount: $597/year, which works out to roughly getting two months free.

    Our full review: Finally! A School for Freelancers

    4 – 38 Expert Tips for Writers on Medium

    Focus: Writing (and making money) on Medium

    What you’ll learn: Dave Schools says Medium was the best thing that ever happened to him. His course shows you how to use Medium’s Partner Program and what types of content tend to resonate on Medium. You’ll also hear stories of writers who have been successful on the platform and what worked for them. As a bonus, every purchase includes an audio version of the course, so you can learn during your commute or while you clean the kitchen after dinner.

    Instructor: Dave Schools is a writer who has contributed to CNBC Make It and Smashing Magazine. He also founded a top-50 Medium publication called Entrepreneur’s Handbook and earned a six-figure income writing for the platform — so when it comes to Medium, he has walked the walk.

    Schedule: This course is available on demand, so you can enroll and begin whenever you’d like.

    Our full review: We haven’t written a review of this course (yet). We have, however, vetted the course and were impressed with Schools’ instruction. To get a feel for his expertise, read this (free) post on how to make money with the Medium Partner Program.

    Cost: $49. Also offers upgrades for coaching or consulting.

    5 – Creative Class

    Focus: Freelancing

    What you’ll learn: This class covers the business side of freelancing, so you can make a living from your writing. It was built for creators who need guidance on how to land and service clients, how to use value-based pricing (instead of hourly) to earn more, and how to set up systems to make running a business easier.

    You’ll get access to more than a dozen video lessons, plus templates and an online forum.

    Instructors: Successful freelancers Paul Jarvis and Kaleigh Moore, who together bring 25 years of freelancing experience lead Creative Class. Jarvis has a popular blog and is the author of “Company of One: Why Staying Small is the Next Big Thing for Business.” 

    Schedule: Readers of The Write Life can join anytime and get access to all the course materials at once. Public enrollment only opens a few times each year, so be sure to use this link to join.

    Cost: $274

    Special offer: $30 OFF, which brings the cost to $244. Use discount code THEWRITELIFE. 

    Online Writing Courses.TWL

    Online writing classes: Transcription and proofreading

    6 – Transcribe Anywhere

    Focus: Transcription

    What you’ll learn: This course teaches the ins and outs of transcription, so you can land a transcription job. Most of these positions allow you to work from home on your own schedule, so they’re a good income option for writers who want flexibility.

    You’ll also learn what equipment you need to succeed, tips for increasing your transcription speed and accuracy, and how to find transcription jobs.

    Instructor: Janet Shaughnessy has served clients through her transcription business for more than a decade. She teaches general, medical and legal transcription, and she’s passionate about turning typists into transcriptionists.

    Cost: $597

    Special offer: Try your hand at transcription with their free transcription mini-course.

    Our full review: We haven’t written a full review for Transcribe Anywhere yet. However, we have vetted the course, and you can read about how one student used the course to launch a freelance transcription career in this post about transcription jobs.

    7 – Proofread Anywhere

    Focus: Proofreading

    What you’ll learn: This course covers everything you need to make money as a proofreader. Not only will you learn the nuts and bolts of proofreading, but you’ll also walk away prepared to find freelance work in this field.

    Instructor: Caitlin Pyle started proofreading academic papers while in college and turned it into her main money-maker through court transcript editing in 2012. Now she teaches others to turn their love of reading and grammar into a freelance income.

    Schedule: Available on-demand, so you can start whenever you want.

    Cost: $497. Before you invest, take advantage of their free 76-minute workshop to see if it’s truly a fit.

    Our full review: One of our editors reviewed this course, and she said it made her want to start a proofreading business! Here’s our Proofread Anywhere review.

    Creative writing courses

    8 – Personal Essay Writing Course

    Focus: Personal essays, creative non-fiction

    What you’ll learn: This course covers both how to write a compelling personal narrative and how to pitch editors to get your essay published. It includes writing and revision prompts, practice integrating vulnerability and dialogue, and examining examples of hard-hitting essays. 

    As a parting gift, students get contact information for 130+ editors who accept personal essays. We nearly fell over when we heard that! Quite frankly, this list in itself is worth the cost of the course.

    Instructor: Amy Paturel is a journalist who writes widely in the health and nutrition spaces; her essays have been featured in outlets like The New York Times and Parents. She has taught this writing course for about a decade and helped many of her students land impressive bylines.

    Schedule: The course is six weeks long and available on-demand, so you can enroll whenever is best for you. 

    Cost: $325. Paturel also offers an upgrade for students who want a personalized critique.

    Our full review: Write better personal essays

    9 – Masterclass: Variety of Options

    Focus: None

    What you’ll learn: You can learn about how to write screenplays, youth fiction, novels, thrillers, and more.

    Instructor: Varies based on course. For a list of writing courses, see this page.

    Schedule: Join at any time. Go at your own pace while you have access.

    Cost: $15 per month, cancel any time

    Our full review: We haven’t written one yet, but it does have incredible instructors who have “been there, done that.”

    Online courses on writing well and grammar

    10 – Grammar Lion’s Grammar Refresher Course

    Focus: Grammar

    What you’ll learn: Writing well starts with good grammar, and this course will give you the foundation every writer (and editor!) needs. It covers commonly misused words, contractions and possessives, punctuation, run-on sentences and so much more.

    Instructor: Editor Ellen Feld has been teaching this course for years, serving 43,000 students. Your tuition includes access to Ellen for questions as you work through the material.

    Schedule: Go at your own pace during your 12 weeks of course access.

    Cost: $67 

    Our full review: We haven’t written one yet, but we did join the course and the Facebook group to check for quality. While this course could use a design refresh, the information included is excellent.

    Bonus: A Free Book on Self-Publishing

    11 – Published.: The Proven Path From Blank Page To Published Author (Ebook)

    Focus: Self-Publishing

    What you’ll learn: Are you tired of trying time and time again to successfully, write, market, and publish a book and not being successful? Are you looking for a map that will take you from blank page to published author as quickly as possible? In this conversational and action-oriented book, Chandler Bolt presents a simple solution to the writing, marketing, and publishing process through a tried, tested, and proven book launch formula: The SPS 90-Day Way

    Cost: $23 Now Free. Download by filling this form below!

     

    Ready to enroll in some writing courses online?

    No need to commute to the closest college or give up all your weekends to take a writing class. 

    These online writing courses with knowledgeable instructors provide the training you need, and in many instances, a community of students to connect with as well.

    If you know of other online writing courses we should add to this list, let us know!

    This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!

    This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

    Photo via Oleksii Didok / Shutterstock 

  • What is Context in Writing? [6 Context Types Included]

    What is Context in Writing? [6 Context Types Included]

    While it’s essential to have a good story, giving context in your writing is key to giving the story meaning.

    Imagine you’re in a bookstore and you pick up a book with an intriguing title. You open it to start to read the first chapter and it’s dialogue between a few characters.

    Imagine reading it for a few pages but there’s no hint to who the characters are or what is going on. There are a lot of emotions but there’s no context or understanding of what is happening in the story. You would get frustrated and most likely put the book back down.

    This is exactly why context in writing is so important. It gives your readers a full understanding of the setting, what is happening between characters, and gives meaning behind all of the events happening.

    Imagine reading something like Harry Potter but with no context that they’re in a world where magic exists. Or reading a Jane Austen novel without knowing the family dynamic or the social dynamics.

    When you provide the reader with context, they can comfortably follow the story because they know what’s happening and why certain characters do what they do.

    This post covers what context in writing is, the types of context you can give readers, and how to integrate it in your overall writing.

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    What is context in writing and why does it matter?

    Context explains the situation your characters are in; or, it gives the reader a deeper understanding of why they act the way they do. It brings clarity to the writing and explains intentions.

    Basically, context in writing helps give your writing meaning.

    Have you ever had something in your life taken out of context? You sat back and thought, “That’s not what I meant!”

    The exact same thing can happen to your writing, which is why you need to include it in your writing.

    Most of the books you’ve read give you context behind what you’re reading. Let’s go through some examples. (Potential book spoilers ahead!)

    If you had to read The Great Gatsby in high school, you most likely remember the New York setting in the famous Jazz Age. Knowing the context of Gatsby being in love with Daisy gives the entire story meaning and helps you understand why Gatsby does what he does.

    In the classic story Dracula, it’s essential to know it takes place in the late 1800s and takes place in both Transylvania and England. This sets the overall mood of the location and the customs at the time.

    Then, take something such as Lord of the Rings. To read the book, you’d need to understand all of the wars that have gone on, what this fictional world is like, and who all of the major characters are to even begin to read it all.

    Of course, there are deeper levels of context as well.

    In the famous story of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, it’s important to know it was written before the Civil War and had a tremendous impact on the abolitionist cause in the 1850s.

    There are many layers to a story, the era of when it was written, and also the author’s life story that influences the overall angle of the book. Of course, this won’t matter as much as when you’re writing the story, but you need to remember these elements if you’re pulling inspiration from other writers.

    Types of context in writing

    There are various forms of context you might need to include to give your readers an accurate understanding of the story. This might not include every single type of context you would need for your story, but it will give you a great place to start. You can find other storytelling tips here.

    All of these help either explain the situation your characters are in or it gives the reader a deeper understanding of why they act the way they do.

    Location context

    This can range anywhere from the physical location in the world to a whole new world that you’re creating and giving them context. If you’re writing about characters in space that will form a different context than characters on the open ocean.

    Keep in mind, if you’re creating a whole new world that does not exist in our real one, you will need to give a lot of context to build the world in the readers’ mind. Some examples of this include Lord of the Rings or Star Wars.

    Historical context

    Giving the historical context of a place can help readers understand what’s going on. For example, you might need to include wars, the history of the landscape or town, what the area is known for, or anything else you might need to include.

    Knowing the timeframe of a story can also help readers understand things such as what type of technology might have been created already or if there are certain economic conditions happening.

    Situational context

    You might need to include other storylines to give the reader context into what is happening. Some examples might include a recent divorce between characters, an upcoming court case that’s pending, if a character just got out of prison, and so on.

    This one is particularly key to understanding why characters are feeling or acting a certain kind of way.

    Emotional context

    Providing your readers with emotional context can help explain why some dialogue happens in a particular way. For example, if a simple conversation about coffee creamer turns explosive, it is a good idea to inform the reader that this is happening because both of these characters have tension due to fighting over a family’s inheritance.

    Cultural context

    The type of culture your story takes place in will change a lot of the context. Keep in mind the type of audience you’re writing to as well because that will change how much or how little explanation you’ll need to include.

    Readers who did not grow up in a certain culture might need more thorough explanation than people who are native to an area. You might consider including certain types of foods or rituals from different parts of the world.

    Cultural context can also include the social and political undertones that are taking place throughout your story, too.

    Linguistic context

    How people talked in the past and in different parts of the world can have a huge impact on your overall dialogue. For example, how characters speak in Shakespeare’s stories and how Millennials talk is worlds apart.

    If you’re going to include slang and other shorthand words, you may or may not need to include an understanding of what those words mean or you might decide that it’s not important to include.

    How to give context in writing

    Now that you know what context in writing is, we’ll go over how to include it in your writing.

    If you are writing a book, the single biggest factor you need to include is all of the context someone would need to get interested in your story.

    If you give too much context, you might give your reader too much information at once and lose them while you explain everything they need to know. However, if you give too little context, they won’t understand what’s happening.

    You’ll need to find a delicate balance between your context and your story. You don’t want them to feel like they’re reading a history book instead of a story.

    To start, you’ll want to go through the categories from the last section and figure out what parts you’ll need to include in your story.

    Depending on the story and your overall writing style, you might also need to think about what you want to keep a mystery or not. Not everything has to be explained, especially if it’s going to end up spoiling the story.

    Know your intended audience

    You’ll need to know your intended market / audience before you start to write anything. That will give you an idea of what to include or not include. For example, if you’re writing a book for business executives, you don’t need to include explanations for basic business things they already know.

    Keep in mind, you might have readers who are not your intended audience find and read your writing. You will need to decide what to include or not include in case this happens.

    Use characters to give context

    One fun way to include context in your story is to have your characters tell stories and include the context. That can prevent you having to give a long exposition to get them up to speed. Inside of dialogue and discussions you can include the history between characters or give readers an understanding of what is happening and how they’re feeling about it.

    Get feedback when you can

    You’ll want to get feedback when you can. That will help you figure out what is missing in the context of your story. It’s hard to judge what is missing from your story when you are the one writing it and you know it all so well.

    Conclusion

    Context in storytelling is essential to making sure you’re telling a good story. You’ll want to find a good balance between giving them enough information but not too much information. To learn more about the craft of writing Fiction, check out this free training we have in conjunction with Self-Publishing School.

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  • 9 Copywriting Examples to Inspire You

    9 Copywriting Examples to Inspire You

    One of the best ways to stay inspired when working as a copywriter is by studying what other copywriters are doing. Look at what they produce and break down the elements. Ask yourself, why does this work? What unusual writing techniques are they utilizing? What can I learn from their approach?

    Copywriting examples to inspire you

    Here are nine copywriting examples from industry experts to get you started.

    Alex Cattoni

    “Copy is literally everywhere you go. Billboards, product packaging, bus ads, and even those cute little A-frame signs that sit outside your favourite café or restaurant. Once you start appreciating and recognizing the copy that’s hidden in plain sight—you’ll naturally get better and better at writing your own copy.”

    Alex Cattoni is best known for the Copy Posse Program, a boutique agency and online copywriting academy. Her course teaches people how to write high-converting sales copy and craft iconic promotional campaigns. 

    She has spent more than a decade in the online marketing world and believes that connection and conversion are not mutually exclusive.

    Brian Clark 

    “It really should be the right content at the right time for the right person”

    Brian Clark is a serial digital entrepreneur and the founder of Copyblogger amongst other websites and communities.

    He built his businesses using online marketing techniques and is best known for his advice that empowers people to grow their businesses through social media and online marketing.

    David Oglivy 

    “On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.”

    David Oglivy is known as the “father of advertising” and believed the best way to get new clients was to do amazing work for existing clients. 

    His client roster included Rolls-Royce and Shell.

    Frank Kern

    “Would you like me to personally double, triple, or even quadruple your business…for free?”

    Frank Kern is world-famous for his annual sales letter, which is considered a masterpiece. 

    He teaches people how to write conversion copy and is the creator of an automation marketing method called Behavioral Dynamic Response.

    Helen Lansdowne 

    “A Skin You Love To Touch”

    Helen Lansdowne Resor was a notable copywriter and is a member of the Advertising Hall of Fame. 

    She is best known for creating the slogan “A Skin You Love To Touch” for the Woodbury Soap Company in 1911. The tagline was so successful the company used it until well into the 1940s.

    Jay Abraham 

    “Sometimes the best copy to sell a horse is ‘Horse for Sale.’”

    Jay Abraham is a marketing expert best known for his strategic approach and critical thinking. He helps businesses increase income, wealth and success by finding new solutions for old problems.

    He’s best known for thinking “way outside the box” while thinking “way inside the box” at the same time.

    Leo Burnett 

    “Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.”

    Leo Burnett built his global advertising agency on the belief that the most creative, effective and powerful work understands people’s needs, wants, dreams and hopes at its core.

    His client list included Kellogg, Pillsbury, Procter & Gamble, and Campbell Soup.

    Nicki Krawczyk

    “If your target audience can’t trust you, then you’ve lost a major piece of the game.”

    Nicki Krawczyk is best known for the Comprehensive Copywriting Academy (read our review of the course here) where she teaches copywriting strategies and techniques for both direct response copywriting and branding copywriting.

    Her clients include Adidas, AT&T, Hasbro, Marshalls, Reebok and more.

    Ray Edwards

    “So, just for the moment, let’s think of your product as the movie. And let’s think of your sales copy as the ‘trailer.’”

    Ray Edwards is a communications strategist, copywriter and author. He is known for his book “How to Write Copy That Sells: The Step-By-Step System for More Sales, to More Customers, More Often” and his podcast, The Ray Edwards Show.

    Ray is the creator of a certified direct response copywriter program called The Copywriting Academy and offers many practical guides for copywriters.

    9 Copywriting Examples to Inspire You

    Copywriters on Twitter to follow

    #CopywritingTwitter is one of the best places to find other copywriters to network with and learn from. If you want to join a community of copywriters to be regularly inspired by, here are a few to get started:

    Which copywriters inspire you? Let us know!

    If you’re looking to uplevel your writing and get more high paying writing jobs, check out this training from the Freelance Writers Den.

  • Writing Romance: Avoid These 5 Mistakes When Crafting Relationships

    Writing Romance: Avoid These 5 Mistakes When Crafting Relationships

    I’ll be the first to admit that there’s a serious problem with romantic relationships in literature nowadays.

    And worse, this issue seems to be overlooked by the large majority of writers — until it’s too late, that is.

    The problem: The unrealistic and unhealthy portrayal of romantic relationships.

    There. I said it. And now people can take notice because yes, there is a serious lack of realism when it comes to the romantic relationships in books.

    Authors are writing relationships that are meant to be exciting and intense, but their execution of those couples can be flawed in sometimes very harmful, although unintentional ways.

    There’s nothing wrong with writing romance. In fact, adding a romantic relationship to your book can help you write a good story. The dynamic of love can:

    • Up the stakes
    • Make readers more emotionally invested in the characters
    • Create contrast in emotions, adding to the coveted “roller coaster” of emotions
    • Give your readers another reason to root for your main character

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    Pitfalls to watch out for when writing romance

    All of these powerful elements can make your book a lot better, but only if you can create a relationship that isn’t problematic for the readers.

    Which means you’ll want to avoid these mistakes many writers might not even realize they’re making when it comes to the romantic relationships in their stories.

    Here are a few traps to avoid when writing romance.

    Writing Romance.2

    1. Glamorizing abuse

    This might be the biggest, most overlooked issue in books. Way too many authors are writing abusive relationships and passing them off as romantic, particularly in the young adult genre, though this can be seen in all types of books.

    If you’re not sure what this looks like, it’s when writers portray abuse as love.

    They write about a person being overly jealous and verbally abusive to their partner and have the main character justify it by narrating that the other person “just can’t live with the thought of losing” them. So the main character is written as seeing this abuse as true love.

    This romanticization of abuse is simply harmful to anyone reading it. Young people might turn to books when it comes to learning about romance. If they don’t have a healthy relationship to learn from in real life, they might think the relationships in books is how it’s supposed to be.

    Therefore, they accept abuse and pass it off as the person just “caring about them too much” because that’s what they’ve seen in their favorite books.

    In order to avoid these types of mistakes, make sure your relationships are written consensually. Think about how you’d feel and act given the situation you’re putting your characters in.

    A general rule is, if you’d be appalled by someone being treated that way in real life, it’s not right.

    2. Instant romances

    Think about the romantic relationships you’ve been in or have seen around you. How often do you hear two people locking eyes across a restaurant and falling madly and immediately in love with one another?

    Not often. Because it’s not realistic, and that’s not the way love works.

    For those of you unfamiliar with this term, it’s just as it sounds. An instant romance is when two people meet and are in “love” and in a committed relationship instantly. Or within a very, very short amount of time, which is not remotely accurate.

    However, there are many novelists who write romances this way with the intention of creating an intense moment, but it sends a very harmful message to young readers and  takes away from the realism in your book.

    You can write intensity without making your characters be “in love” right off the bat.

    Relationships take time. You have to get to know one another first, build the chemistry and allow that spark to ignite before you can begin that romantic journey.

    Why should your book characters be any different?

    If you want the relationship to be realistic and keep your readers fully immersed in it, you have to give it the appropriate amount of time to grow and evolve.

    3. Making a single person passive in the relationship

    Relationships aren’t about one person seizing control of the other and making all the choices.

    Both people should be equally as active in the ongoings of the partnership. Because it’s just that — a partnership.

    This makes it a little concerning when writers make a single person who just goes with the flow and doesn’t really care about much. This person doesn’t initiate anything, make any choices for the sake of the relationship and when going gets tough, they sit back and let the other person do everything.

    This is both unrealistic and just plain boring. It doesn’t add anything interesting to the dynamic of the relationship and readers won’t root for them.

    Make sure you’re writing a romantic relationship between two people, not between a person and a passive robot.

    4. Writing relationships without commonalities

    If two people are in a relationship, they should have things in common. They don’t need to both like the same food, movies, books and activities, but they should have similarities at their core.

    If you have two characters who are moral opposites and don’t share the same values, your readers are going to question why they’re together in the first place.

    And if you can’t really answer why they’re together other than the fact that they need to be for plot reasons, you’ll have to do some adjusting. Characters can’t just be involved for the sake of conflict in a story.

    If those two people need to be in a relationship for your plot to work, then you need to put just as much effort into their dynamic as a couple as you do for the entire plot.

    Otherwise, the story plot won’t matter because readers won’t care about the relationship.

    5. Never allowing for vulnerability

    For your characters to bond on a deep enough level for love to be in the air, some vulnerability needs to happen. They need to open up to each other and express more emotions than lust and longing.

    How else will they be able to grow closer? Allowing for moments of vulnerability shows their weaknesses. Not only will this be important for crafting a stronger emotional connection between characters, it’ll also help your readers connect with them more.

    Here are a few ways you can create some vulnerability:

    • Have one character get injured
    • Create conflict involving something one is particularly sensitive about
    • Make a character break down from the stress of your plot
    • Have them share secrets

    Even strong, tough characters need moments of vulnerability and weakness. Not only does this make the relationship stronger, your readers will also like the character a lot more because they’ll be able to relate. Two birds, one stone.

    6. Creating inappropriate and harmful age differences

    Many writers get this wrong and it can be far more harmful than you realize. In middle school (or early high school, I can’t remember exactly), I read a series in which there was a 17-year-old student who wound up romantically (and sexually) involved with her 27-year-old superior, physical trainer, and guard. This may not seem like a big deal to a young teen reading the book—it may even seem exciting to them.

    But it’s very harmful and can send the wrong messages to impressionable readers.

    Not only does the age difference impact the dynamic, but it also effects the reader’s perception of a healthy or appropriate dynamic. We all know fiction is fiction, however, it’s important not to play a part in encouraging inappropriate dynamics within ages.

    Self-published author Hannah Lee Kidder suggests these tips for maintaining commonalities in relationships while keeping them healthy and appropriate:

    • Is the age difference legal (SUPER important – and no, an excuse about your world not having “legal ages” doesn’t cut it, sorry but not sorry)?
    • When they go out or spend time together, can only 1 of them drink alcohol (legally)?
    • Is one of their brains fully developed and the other isn’t (Example: both between 21 and 25 OR between 18 and 20 OR both over 25)?

    These rules also ring true for real-life relationships, which is why we want to bridge this gap (so readers are not learning inappropriate and unhealthy dynamics, much like the “glamorizing of abuse” tip above). Ultimately, this is your choice, but remember that (especially if you’re writing young adult) your audience can be impressionable and take queues from what they read. There are always options to create the plot and character development / dynamics you want without perpetuating harmful perceptions.

    Next Steps 

    Adding romantic relationships to your novel can up the stakes, add a layer of interest and give your audience all the lovey-dovey feels, but in order to have those effects take hold, you’ll need to write them correctly.

    And writing them correctly means avoiding these mistakes that can take your fictional relationship from realistically impactful to harmfully impactful.

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    What have you found works for you when writing romance in fiction?

    This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

  • How to Write a Picture Book: Bring Magical Stories to Life

    How to Write a Picture Book: Bring Magical Stories to Life

    If you want to write a picture book, this post will help!

    How do you win a marathon? You run really fast for 26.2 miles without stopping.

    Like winning a marathon, writing is easy to describe, but hard to execute.

    Writing a good book is a magical art that blends creating interesting characters, placing them in intriguing settings, and weaving an engaging plot with page-turning action and authentic dialogue. Easy, right? Not so much.

    And if writing well wasn’t difficult enough, writing picture books puts additional limits on the author. These children’s books are shorter than adult books, so there’s much less time for story arc or character development. The author is further constrained by the audience’s age; most kids won’t understand adult vocabulary, scenarios or themes.

    Think you’re ready to try your hand at this creative project?

    write-picture-book

    Here are a few tips for how to write a children’s book:

    What exactly is a children’s picture book?

    Picture books are typically, but not always, 32 pages. They are published in larger trim sizes (e.g. 8.5” x 11”) and can contain anywhere from zero to 1,000 words. Fiction picture book word counts under 500 are most common.

    Picture books are anomalous in that they can be written at a reading level higher than the age of the intended audience. That’s because picture books, unlike easy readers through YA, are often read to a child by an adult.

    That said, truly timeless picture books, like “Where the Wild Things Are” or “A Sick Day for Amos McGee” can be enjoyed by kids of any age.

    As the name suggests, these books have pictures on every page. Illustrations help tell the story, describe the setting, set the mood, and convey information about the characters. They provide visual appeal to young readers, and help the author tell a story in fewer words.

    Ironically, in traditional publishing, an artist illustrates a picture book after the manuscript is accepted by a publisher. So it’s common for a picture book author and illustrator to never meet or even speak with each other!

    If you self-publish, however, you’ll have the ability to pick an illustrator who will work directly with you and execute your specific vision for the project. This is a great option for anyone, but even more so when it’s kids writing a book for other kids. They know what kind of books they like and what other kids their age will like. See Me And My Afro and BFF’s: Grace and Isabella for examples.

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    Elements to include when you write a picture book

    While there’s no formulaic prescription for writing a picture book, certain crucial elements should be considered: plot type, genre, setting, theme, appealing main character, point of view and tense, word choice, love/friendship, re-readability, and satisfying ending.

    Let’s dive into each one.

    Plot type

    Which picture book plot type is best for your story?

    Often called a sausage story, a “series of events” is just that, a string of small episodes, as in “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”. “Discovery” plot types begin with the character laboring under a misunderstanding. Eventually, they discover something and reverse their situation or outlook, as in “Green Eggs and Ham”.

    “Wish fulfillment” plot types have a deserving main character wish for something and subsequently receive it, as in “Cinderella”. Contrast that with “purpose achieved” plots, where the main character has to struggle to attain a goal, as in Swimmy.

    If you want to learn how to write an incredible children’s book (& publish it to sell!), click here to watch this free training by Self-Publishing School, taught by a bestselling children’s book author!

    Genre

    Choose your story’s type of fiction, such as fairy tale, fantasy, historical fiction, horror, humor, mystery, mythology, poetry or science fiction. In my own writing, I don’t pick the genre first. I devise story concepts, then see what genre fits best, but some writers prefer to plan their genre before outlining their story.

    In some cases, the choice of setting (Alpha Centauri = science fiction) or main character (Abraham Lincoln = historical fiction) dictates the genre. And yes, you can write horror, but it should be mild and humorous — more like “There Was an Old Monster” than “The Call of Cthulhu”.

    Setting

    Picture books generally occur within a single setting. What is the best time and place for the story to occur — on a farm (“Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type”), in a medieval castle, aboard a pirate ship in the Caribbean, or on a spaceship orbiting Mars?

    Theme

    What positive message will the story convey?

    Examples include: beauty is in the eye of the beholder (“Shrek”), do unto others (“How the Rhino Got His Skin”), look before you leap (Curious George), and so on.

    Main character

    Is the main character interesting or endearing enough that the readers care about what happens to him/her? Can readers easily imagine themselves within the story?

    Main characters in picture books are usually the same age as the readers, typically either kids or animals.

    Rarely are they adults or inanimate objects, but there are exceptions: “The Day the Crayons Quit” features crayon characters. Here are some suggestions for naming fictional characters.

    Point of view and tense

    Which point of view and tense are most effective for this story: first-person present tense, second-person future tense, third-person past tense? Once that choice is made, be consistent

    Word choice

    It’s far more powerful to show than to tell. Anton Chekhov said, “Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.”

    The low word count of picture books requires the author to be scrupulous in their word selection. Don’t dilute the impact of your writing with weak words, and self-edit wisely.

    Consider “the sun had nearly set” with “the sun kissed the horizon.” Characters should act, not get ready to act. Use strong, descriptive verbs. Contrast “Josh started to get up” with “Josh vaulted up.”

    Love/friendship

    Does the story feature love or friendship that resonates at an emotional level? Is there a strong bond between characters (“Frog and Toad”) or an enduring message (“The Little Engine That Could”)? Will readers laugh (“Flap Your Wings“) or have a catch in their throats (“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”)?

    Love and friendship help form a bond between the reader and the story.

    Satisfying ending

    Is there an unexpected twist (“The Monster at the End of This Book”) or satisfying payoff (“I Want My Hat Back”) at the conclusion of the story?

    A satisfying ending is the unexpected surprise that completes the child’s reading experience. It is the cherry on top of a good story.

    The Ultimate Test of a Well-Written Picture Book

    We’re making up a word here, but bear with us. The word is re-readability. Re-readability can’t be added to the recipe like any other ingredient. Rather, it is the result of considering all of the above elements.

    Is the tapestry you’ve woven rich enough to warrant multiple readings? The ultimate proof that you’ve written an engaging and entertaining story is that kids read it over and over.

    While at first glance it may not seem like it, a great deal of thought goes into the few words that comprise a picture book. Every single word counts. Shakespeare was right when he said, “brevity is the soul of wit.” And as far as we know, he never even wrote a picture book.

    For another helpful angle on this topic, check out Self-Publishing School’s article on How to Write a Children’s Book.

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    Have you written or want to write a picture book? Comment below and let us know.

    This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

    This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!