In honor of the holiday season, I've made you guys a collage prompt! It was ridiculously hard to condense the season into just a few photos, but I've tried my best. For those of you who haven't done a collage prompt before, the concept is pretty simple-- just be inspired by all or any of the pictures and free write. One particularly fun challenge...

KEEP READING...

 If you're like me, songwriting has always been an impossible art with some convoluted magical process that can only be executed by the musically gifted, some notable examples being famous artists like Shawn Mendes, Ed Sheeran, and Julia Michaels. But as Taylor Swift describes it, songwriting is like "a glittery cloud [that] floats in front of your face, and you grab it at...

KEEP READING...

 Although poetry is more than the words it's made of, there are methods you can use to better translate the image, emotions, or thoughts in your head onto the page and recreate the moment. So after you are able to transfer your poem onto paper, consider some of the following aspects of it to see if you can better convey what you mean...

KEEP READING...

Poetry is one of my favorite forms of creative writing, and perhaps one of the most misunderstood. Now, you probably know a good amount amount poetic devices from school: rhyme, alliteration, metaphor, similes, idioms, personification, assonance, consonance, etc. Because of this, I won't go into detail on each. However, many times, the way poetry is taught in classrooms is through poems with more...

KEEP READING...

 1. Let the first line of your poem be a word or phrase from a recent conversation between yourself and a stranger.2. Take a science or math concept and apply it to life, or maybe a smaller phenomenon you noticed. Photosynthesis? Pythagorean Theorem?3. Write a how-to poem with directions on how to have fun.4. Write about an "Out of Order" sign on a...

KEEP READING...

  So... writing communities. If you're feeling a little iffy about the whole idea of joining one of these writing communities, I can assure you that these websites are overall very safe and will provide you with a sense of validation. Personally, I don't have that many friends that are writers, and so some of the wonderful people I found through these writing websites...

KEEP READING...

 During the fall of 2020, I hosted a series of six creative writing workshops with the Arcadia Library. The slide shows for each of the workshops are linked below. JournalingFlash Stories (Short Stories & Flash Fiction)Poetry IPoetry IISongwriting (with guest artist Bernard Dinata)Free WritingIf you have any thoughts on how to improve them, would like advice on hosting your own series of writing workshops,...

KEEP READING...

 So. Hello. This is the short stories post. Short stories sounds kind of official, doesn't it? I know that, at least for me, sitting down to write a short story can be pretty intimidating, especially with the added pressure you may put on yourself to make it *perfect*. But, as you probably know logically, there is no concrete definition of perfection. So, in...

KEEP READING...

Hello again! In this post, we'll be discussing tips on how to cut down the word count and edit your short stories. This is one of the key steps of the whole writing process, and something you'll definitely want to do prior to sending it off for competitions and publications.Before I start, I'd like to credit an acquaintance of mine on NaNoWriMo YWP...

KEEP READING...

 Flash fiction is by far one of my favorite forms of short stories, and always delivers a wonderfully powerful while still being very succinct. Because it is so short though, one might think it is very easy to write. Unfortunately, that is not entirely the case. However, it's definitely a super awesome form to work with and it can be fun to find...

KEEP READING...

 A short story can really be born out of anything, but if you are feeling a little stuck (as one does from time to time), here as some short story prompts to jumpstart your imagination. A lot of these can honestly apply to poetry as well, so if you find yourself writing a poem, try not to force it into a short story.: 1....

KEEP READING...

 WriteGirl was the first resource I found as a writer, and becoming a member really pushed me to explore what creative writing was. This organization is based in LA, but with COVID, all of their monthly workshops have moved online and as a result, they've welcomed girls from other areas as well! The workshops are always overflowing with support and good energy, and...

KEEP READING...

     What comes to mind when you think about journaling? A fancy super organized bullet journal you simply do not have the spatial awareness or time to create? A physical notebook that you are most certainly going to lose within the din you call Your Life? Or a girly diary that little kids write in?     Well, it can be those things. But it...

KEEP READING...

 Unfortunately, there are just some days when you open your journal and have no clue what to write about. You might want to try a prompt! One reminder to those new to this is to not just answer the prompt, but to try and go beyond it. Don't be afraid to get into random details or go off on weird tangents, because it's...

KEEP READING...