Writing Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-16-2022

When you explore writing children's books, you enter a different world, one filled with book formats — from board books to young adult novels — and a whole different set of rules to follow and restrictions to heed for each. If you want to become a successful children's book author, you need to know how to edit your work and how to promote your book.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-15-2022

The elements of storytelling are the same for young adult fiction and adult fiction, but writers of young adult fiction must come at those elements with a wholly different mindset. After all, this category has its own rules, its own quirks, and its own very opinionated audience: teens and tweens.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-15-2022

Life requires regular adjustments to new environments — college is one of the most demanding. Maybe you're an undergraduate and want help deciphering the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition. In order to write A-worthy papers, you need to be able to understand and implement the APA style. This handy Cheat Sheet offers advice for using the APA style and adjusting to college experiences.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-10-2022

Do you want to be the next J.K. Rowling and dream up a character like Harry Potter? Do you want to write poems or plays? Follow this handy Cheat Sheet, which breaks down the process into manageable tasks, and helps you to develop your style.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-08-2022

Whether you’re trying to write a college admission essay for the Common Application, Coalition, or even a supplemental essay for an individual school, the process of writing about yourself might feel unfamiliar and intimidating. However, the college admission essay is a pivotal opportunity to distinguish yourself from others with very similar credentials and encourage a school to admit you. Communicate clearly and convey not only who you are, but how you came to be that person.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-04-2022

Before starting a research paper, arrange the information and notes you’ve gathered. Pick one of the basic structures for organizing your research paper and start writing with a strong introduction. Before you turn in the final draft of your paper, go through a grammar checklist — and be sure to cite your sources.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-03-2022

Turning a great idea into a book through self-publishing is an ambitious project, so be sure to understand the principal steps involved in the process. If you need help with certain aspects of self-publishing, learn how to interview and hire a freelancer to make sure things are done efficiently and correctly.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-28-2022

Writing a memoir means you’re author and subject, researcher and storyteller, narrator and audience. That’s a lot to ask of any writer, though a good way to begin the challenge of writing a memoir is to start a list of the most memorable events of your life. Don’t start on the actual book manuscript until you have at least a page filled with things that seem worthy of sharing — moments from your past that have universal significance, emotional resonance, or high drama. Add another half page of small moments you treasure. Those can speak surprisingly well to those larger themes, too.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-25-2022

Don’t let essays daunt you. As long as you have the right working frame and mindset, you can boost your writing and results. Here are some useful hints and tips that can help you plan and progress when writing essays.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-24-2022

Writing fiction is fun, and also full of challenges. A good way to work through the challenges is to outline the histories of your characters, which helps you present them more clearly to readers. A great way to polish your writing is by networking with other writers. Plus, to get the readers you want, explore the tricks of the trade to attract as many as possible.