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How To Write Shop

Articles on the craft and business of writing

muse

Story Setting Ideas List of Writing Prompts

February 8, 2017 by Kathy Steffen 16 Comments

Setting can make or break a story. Setting can be so important to story, in fact, that the setting can almost become a character itself.  So when looking for story inspiration why not start with setting? The DaVinci Code begins with a murder in the Louvre. The story of Sarah’s Key had to take place in … [Read more…]

Posted in: Writing Craft, Writing Prompts Tagged: brainstorming ideas, creative writing ideas, muse

Jump-Start Your Imagination with Story Starter First Lines

February 5, 2017 by Kathy Steffen 22 Comments

One way to fire up your imagination? Creative writing exercises focused on the first line of a story. Below is a list of first lines for you to use to hone your storytelling and writing skills.

Posted in: Writing Craft, Writing Prompts Tagged: amwriting, creative writing exercises, ideas, inspiration, muse, writing prompts

The #1 Way to Get Inspired to Write

January 10, 2014 by Kathy Steffen 2 Comments
get inspired to write

New Year’s Resolutions? Goals? I know, I’ve heard all the “goals aren’t good” and “resolutions set you up to fail” and wondered why I enjoy making them so much. In an earlier post, I wrote about goal setting in terms of making them into dreams (see Dreaming Wide Awake), which for me is what goals truly … [Read more…]

Posted in: Inspiration, Writing Life Tagged: creativity, inspiration, muse

Your Guardian Muse: Battling Guilt and Other Inspiration-Eaters

July 15, 2013 by Mary Muse 1 Comment

By Mary Caelsto I’m giving a class this weekend about how your muse acts as a guardian and how you can tap into its power. One of the themes that keeps coming up is when I offer tip number one, which is get rid of guilt, there’s a lot of issues surrounding that action. Writers … [Read more…]

Posted in: Inspiration, Writing Life Tagged: guilt, muse, self-care

Your Guardian Muse: Boundaries That Don’t Box You In

June 18, 2013 by Mary Muse Leave a Comment

By Mary Caelsto As writers we are constantly setting boundaries in our careers without our even knowing it. We decide which publishers to write for and which stories we want to write. Even the groups we network in or the organizations we join are decisions made based on the boundaries. We utilize boundaries in our … [Read more…]

Posted in: Inspiration, Writing Life Tagged: muse
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