If you need inspiration for your creative writing, suggestions for character or plot development, editing tips or other advice, check out my short creative writing courses.
Click here for a FREE creative writing course.
Creative Writing Courses: How to Find Story Ideas
Do you want to try your hand at creative writing but not sure where to start? Do you have trouble coming up with ideas? Or do your ideas seem to vanish as soon as you sit down to write? Do you worry whether your ideas are good enough?
In this 30-minute class, I will show you a number of proven ways to generate ideas, develop them, and keep finding new ones. We will discuss the differences between good ideas and bad ideas and do a few fun writing exercises to spark your creativity.
Creative Writing Courses: Let’s Write a Story!
Do you want to write a short story but don’t know where to start? Or have you started writing but gave up because you did not know how to develop your story?
This 35-minute class will show you how to create your main character, give that character a specific goal, and put some obstacles in his/her way to make the story more exciting for you and for your readers. You can take this class by itself or in combination with my other creative writing courses.
Creative Writing Courses: Create a Character
Do you want to create compelling, dynamic characters for your short stories, novels, or memoirs but don’t know where to start? Or have you started writing but realized your characters are one-dimensional or not very interesting?
This 24-minute class will help you develop a character with unique attitudes, abilities, mannerisms, flaws, and special qualities your readers will relate to and admire. You can take this class by itself or in combination with my other creative writing courses.
Creative Writing Courses: Create a Villain
Do you want to create compelling, dynamic villain characters for your fiction but don’t know where to start? Or have you started writing but realized your villains are one-dimensional or not very interesting?
This 27-minute class will show you how to develop realistic and fascinating villains with unique attitudes, abilities, and qualities that your readers will want to read about.
You can take this class by itself or in combination with my other creative writing courses.
Creative Writing Courses: Quick and Easy Editing Tips
Would you like to write clearly and concisely? Do you want to keep your readers’ interest? Do you need to get good grades on school papers or impress your employer?
Take this 23-minute class and learn six quick and easy ways to clean up your prose, get rid of filler words, eliminate redundancies, and express your thoughts effectively.
You can take this class by itself or in combination with my other creative writing courses.
Other Creative Writing Resources
In addition to these short video courses, take a look at the Creative Writing Resources. If you need advice on a specific topic, follow one of the links below:
Story Ideas and Plots
If you need some help finding story ideas, building exciting plots, or if you are simply looking for some new creative writing prompts, this is the page for you.
How to Write a Scene
Scenes are building blocks of any story, novella, or a novel. Well-written scenes move a story forward, develop characters, and create realistic settings. Resources on this page will help you develop exciting scenes and engaging stories.
Character Development
Characters are important. Most people read stories and watch movies because they care what happens to the characters. Resources on this page will help you create compelling and believable characters that your readers will love.
Setting in a Story
Setting is defined as the time and place where a story happens, but it’s much more than that. Effective settings help immerse the readers in the story with vivid descriptions and the use of the five senses. Settings should support character and plot development. Resources on this page provide specific suggestions that will help you write great settings.
Writing Humor
Using humor can be a challenge, but many readers like humor. Take a look at the resources below to find ways to include humor in your stories.
How to Write Metaphors
Metaphors are powerful tools that can enhance your story, your characters, and your theme. This page contains resources about metaphors and suggestions on the best ways to develop metaphors.
How to Write Dialogue
In real life, people talk to each other, so characters in stories should talk to each other as well. Dialogue in stories should sound realistic but should not be copied directly from real life. Story conversations should distill and imitate real life conversations. Resources on this page will help you learn to write good dialogue.
How to Revise and Edit Short Stories
After you finish a draft of your story, it’s time to revise, edit, and polish it. This page has lots of specific suggestions and tips that will make your story shine.
Point of View
The choice of point of view is important; it can make or break the story. As you’re planning your story, decide how it will be narrated. Will you write it in the first person? third person? second person? What are the differences between these points of view and how will you choose which one is right for you?