7 Best Articles on Creative Writing
The most useful articles on creative writing from around the web—beginners to advanced—curated by thought leaders and our community. We focus on timeless pieces and update the list whenever we discover new, must-read articles or videos—make sure to bookmark and revisit this page.
Top 5 Creative Writing Articles
At a glance: these are the articles that have been most read, shared, and saved on creative writing by Refind users in 2023 so far.
How to ...?
How to Develop Any Idea Into a Great Story
Even stories that start with brilliant strokes of inspiration too often fizzle out before we reach The End. Use this four-step method to develop your best ideas to their fullest.
«No matter your starting point—a love story, buddy tale, mystery, quest—you can do like the great innovators do: Bend it. Amp it. Drive it. Strip it.»
How to Write Creative Fiction: Umberto Eco’s Four Rules
Umberto Eco (1932–2016) was one of the bestselling authors of all time. In Confessions of a Young Novelist, he shares some unique advice for writing fiction.
«Having created an entire world, you will then have a clear sense of the kind of language to use within it.»
Short Articles
Short on time? Check out these useful short articles on creative writing—all under 10 minutes.
Why you’re more creative in coffee shops
If we’re already working in isolation at home, why do we miss working with our heads similarly down in a public setting?
Umberto Eco’s 36 Rules for Writing Well (in English or Italian)
Creative Commons image by Rob Bogaerts, via the National Archives in Holland Umberto Eco knew a great many things. Indeed too many things, at least according to his critics:
«Hold those quotes. Emerson aptly said, “I hate quotes. Tell me only what you know.”»
Finding time for creativity will give you respite from worries
Drawing, singing, writing, knitting… lose yourself in something creative to find inner calm. You might also come up with solutions to problems
The Psychology of Writing and the Cognitive Science of the Perfect Daily Routine
How to sculpt an environment that optimizes creative flow and summons relevant knowledge from your long-term memory through the right retrieval cues.
Isaac Asimov wrote almost 500 books in his lifetime—these are the six ways he did it —…
To match the volume of writing Asimov produced in his lifetime, you would have to write a full-length novel every two weeks for 25 years.
Publications
We monitor hundreds of publications, blogs, newsletters, and news sources in Creative Writing, including:
Writer's Digest
Writers helping writers since 1920. Writer's Digest, WD University, WD Annual Conference & more. Published by Active Interest Media. #WDC20 #WritingCommunity
Open Culture
Find our daily culture posts on http://openculture.com, Mastodon, Bluesky and Post. Not here.
Quartz
Global news and insights for a new generation of business leaders. Sign up for Quartz Daily Brief 👉http://qz.com/emails/
The Guardian
The need for independent journalism has never been greater. Become a Guardian supporter: https://support.theguardian.com
BBC News (World)
News, features and analysis from the World's newsroom. Breaking news, follow @BBCBreaking. UK news, @BBCNews. Latest sports news @BBCSport
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Which sources does Refind monitor on creative writing?
We monitor hundreds of sources on creative writing, including Writer's Digest, Open Culture, Quartz, The Guardian, BBC News (World), and many more.
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