Inspiration

Dan Poblocki published his first Middle Grade horror book, The Stone Child, just over 10 years ago. He took time out of his writing schedule to talk about his creative process, the horror genre, and his favorite horror films.

Edgar Allan Poe's notion of "unity of effect" describes his belief that everything in a written work must lead toward the denouement, starting with the first word.

The health and emotional benefits of reading are reason enough to read more, but there are plenty of others... so set a reading goal and get to it!

Writing prompts are one way to work your creative-writing muscles — and while scenario-based prompts can help you practice creative leaps, images can sometimes open the door even wider.

Sometimes, taking a problem on head-on isn't the most creative solution. Why not try Oblique Strategies, the I Ching, or a coin flip? Changing your mental approach can lead to a side-door solution you didn't see before.

I encourage you to consider your own foundational inspirations when it comes to the written word. Who made you want to write in the first place? What works do you think are perfect — the ones you keep coming back to? Whose skill do you aspire to channel or match?

You can listen to your cast of characters at any stage in the writing process, but it might be especially useful near the end when most of the story is fleshed out. It can be a good check of your story logic and add a last ingenious layer of polish.